Also on the blog now: http://realxtend.blogspot.com/2010/11/name-file-extension.html
2010/11/25 Toni Alatalo <t...@playsign.net>: > Hi, > > I think we are really close to being able to release a kind of preview demo > of Tundra, i.e. Naali with the server module & executable. One key is that > Jukka wrote a nice doc about how to use the document/scene/application files > and explanation of what they are, and I changed the public doxygen to use the > version from Tundra branch so the page is up at > http://www.realxtend.org/doxygen/tundradocumentfiles.html . I think we > basically just need to write a little more usage docs to at least point to > where the example scenes are and make an installer. > > As you can read in the doc, the local server works nicely as a preview / > editor thing -- it is not only for people who want to host servers, but also > for e.g. modellers, texture artists and scripters to easily see how their > things look and work in ReX. The server executable is a normal Naali app, > shows the scene using Ogre etc (but you can optionally run it without gfx for > server usage). A bit like the local scene preview in Naali now, but much > nicer and faster 'cause you don't need a server connection anywhere -- just > run Naali standalone to view local files. By clicking a file in your file > manager so it starts Naali showing that scene. Besides these own document > files in the internal format, you can of course also import dotscene files as > well, and there's support for not only Ogre meshes but Collada too etc. > > There is one non-technical issue remaining, and I feel a bit stupid to bring > it up 'cause is kind of nitpicking, but it is something we should get right > the first time so is worth some consideration now. It is the file name > extensions that I was asking about in sprint planning as well. We talked > about with Antti yesterday but didn't conclude and he suggested posting here > to get ideas & feedback, so here we go. Because the issue is non-technical > and I'd like to hear user opinions, decided on last minute to post this to > users list instead of the -dev list. > > Currently, like that doc says, we use 'txml' and 'tbin' for so-called Tundra > files. Previously they were just .xml and .bin but the guys added the t* to > make them unique for registering to operating system so that opening them > directly to the right application works. There is a couple of problems with > these names: > > 1. That entity-component serialization system is not really Tundra specific, > is not in the server module and not tied to any protocol. It is implemented > in Naali core and was originally and will used with Taiga (to store Naali EC > data on opensim, started in last March or so). I've been testing the idea of > calling the format the 'realxtend format' instead, and it seems to make > sense. Matti K. at least agreed in the meeting. The counterlogic here goes > that Tundra is the name for the design, the legacy-free usage of pure EC data > for making everything without things hardcoded in e.g. LLUDP / SL > assumptions. And that Tundra is a strong nice sounding name! With this logic > if there are some day other implementations that support the Tundra way, they > also implement the Tundra protocol and the support for Tundra files etc. .. > e.g. a modtundra to opensim? This might be confusing though 'cause otherwise > Tundra is the name for the server module implementation in Naali. One funny > point with the current 'txml' and 'tbin' names is that 'cause Taiga also > start withs T, we could say they are both Tundra and Taiga files :) > > 2. Erno argued that there are also many other XML (and of course binary) > files used with Tundra (i.e. Naali), and I think that's a good point. For > example the module loading configuration files are xml, in modules/core/*.xml > -- those could be called 'tundra xml files' as well. It would be good to say > what is in the file in the name, and in one way it is the scene. Jukka's doc > also says "a scene file". So Erno was thinking .rts for RealXtend Tundra > Scene could be it, which is logical enough but I don't think that sounds too > great :o (even though one idea with the generic EC model is to allow making > Real-Time Strategy games :) > > I was now thinking of these extensions again, but now with better logic: > > .rex - RealXtend Entity XML (earlier just thought it's RealExtendXml :p) > .rxb - .rex binary (rxb just sounds like 'rex in a tight binary form', > doesn't it?-) > > The files are exactly the entities, the whole idea of the formats is to store > the entities, either a full scene or just some selected entities. There is > nothing else in the files, not for example assets like Collada .dae files can > have (dae is 'digital assets exchange'), nor some generic Tundra config stuff > .. only the entity-components with their attribute values. > > Opinions? Please anyone tell yours, this is for end users, you don't need to > be a dev to be a stakeholder .. these are the files you are gonna be using to > do work with your stuff! > > For folks familiar with OpenSim files, .txml/.rex files are like the files > that save-xml2 writes -- have the full scene, with asset references, without > assets themselves. To make a bundle with assets like OARs are, you can simply > make a zip with e.g. a folder with the assets. I guess we must come up with a > name for these zips later too, like OAR is (they are tar gzips). If OpenSim > gets the generic EC stuff to core some day, then OAR and tzip/rexzip files > may become the same. > > ~Toni > > -- > http://groups.google.com/group/realxtend > http://www.realxtend.org -- http://groups.google.com/group/realxtend http://www.realxtend.org
