8 Core profile

8.1 Introduction and table of contents

8.1.1 Introduction

This clause defines the VRML components which comprise the Core profile. This includes not only the nodes which shall be supported but also which fields in the supported nodes may be ignored. 

This profile  is targeted towards:

• possible implementation in a low-footprint engine (e.g. a Java applet or small browser plugin)
• addresses limitation of software renders, not capable of dealing with all details of the full VRML lighting model
• allow broader range of implementations by eliminating some complexity of a complete VRML implementation

Table 8.1 lists the subjects covered.

8.1.2 Table of contents

Table 8.1 -- Table of contents, Core profile

8.2 Conformance criteria

In Tables 8.2 and 8.3, the first column defines the item for which conformance is being defined. In some cases, general limits are defined but are later overridden in specific cases by more restrictive limits. The second column defines the requirements for a VRML file conforming to the core profile; if a VRML file contains any items that exceed these limits, it may not be possible for a VRML browser conforming to the core profile to successfully parse that VRML file. The third column defines the minimum complexity for a VRML scene that a VRML browser conforming to the core profile shall be able to present to the user. Fields flagged as "not supported" may be supported by browsers which conform to the core profile. The word "ignore" in the minimum browser support column refers only to the display of the item; in particular, set_ events to ignored exposedFields shall still generate corresponding _changed events.

8.3 Node set

Table 8.2 lists the nodes which shall be supported in the Core profile and specifies any fields in these nodes for which this profile requires less than full support.

Table 8.2 -- Nodes for conforming to the core profile

Item	VRML File Limit	Minimum Browser Support
Anchor	No restrictions.	addChildren not supported. removeChildren not supported. Ignore parameter. Ignore description.
Appearance	No restrictions.	textureTransform not supported.
Background	No restrictions.	groundAngle and groundColor not supported. texture treated as background image FALSE. stretchToFit not supported. backURL, frontURL, leftURL, rightURL, topURL are not supported. One skyColor.
Color	15,000 colours.	15,000 colours.
Coordinate	65,535 points	65,535 points.
CoordinateInterpolator	15,000 coordinates per keyValue. Restrictions as for all interpolators.	15,000 coordinates per keyValue. Support as for all interpolators.
DirectionalLight	No restrictions.	ambientIntensity not supported. Not scoped by parent Group or Transform.
Group	Restrictions as for all groups.	addChildren not supported. removeChildren not supported. Otherwise as for all groups.
ImageTexture	JPEG and PNG format. Restrictions as for PixelTexture.	JPEG and PNG format. Support as for PixelTexture. GIF is patented by Univac. Do we really want to require support for GIF? PNG provides the same if not better functionality, is an ISO standard, and is unencumbered.
IndexedFaceSet	10 vertices per face. 5000 faces. Less than 65,535 indices.	set_colorIndex not supported. set_normalIndex not supported. normal not supported. Only convex indexed face sets supported. Hence, convex not supported. For creaseAngle, only 0 and radians supported. normalIndex not supported.10 vertices per face. 5000 faces. 65,535 indices in any index field. Face list shall be well-defined as follows: Each face is terminated with -1, including the last face in the array. Each face contains at least three non-coincident vertices. A given coordIndex is not repeated in a face. The vertices of a face shall define a planar polygon. The vertices of a face shall not define a self-intersecting polygon.
IndexedLineSet	15,000 total vertices. 15,000 indices in any index field.	set_colorIndex not supported. set_coordIndex not supported. 15,000 total vertices. 15,000 indices in any index field.
Inline	No restrictions.	Full support except as for all groups. url references VRML files conforming to the base profile
Material	No restrictions.	ambientIntensity not supported. shininess not supported. specularColour not supported. A Material with emissiveColour not equal to (0,0,0), diffuseColor equal to (0,0,0) is an unlit material. One-bit transparency; transparency values >= 0.5 transparent.
NavigationInfo	No restrictions.	avatarSize not supported. speed not supported. type not supported. Ignore visibilityLimit.
OrientationInterpolator	Restrictions as for all interpolators.	Full support except as for all interpolators.
PointSet	5000 points.	5000 points.
PositionInterpolator	Restrictions as for all interpolators.	Full support except as for all interpolators.
Shape	No restrictions.	Full support.
TextureCoordinate	65,535 coordinates.	65,535 coordinates.
TimeSensor	No restrictions.	Ignored if cycleInterval < 0.01 second.
Transform	Restrictions as for all groups.	addChildren not supported. removeChildren not supported. Otherwise, full support except as for all groups.
Viewpoint	No restrictions.	Ignore fieldOfView. Ignore description.
WorldInfo	No restrictions.	Ignored.

8.4 Other limitations

Table 8.3 specifies other aspects of VRML functionality which are supported by this profile. Note that general items refer only to those specific nodes listed in Table 8.2.