F3D 2.4.0 Roadmap

[mwestphal]

Context

F3D is a collaborative project, let's collaboratively construct the roadmap for 2.4.0 release!

Suggested solution

Comment and discuss below, maintainers will take suggestions into account to add to the roadmap.
Please refer to existing issue when adding comments. Feel free to create issues if your ideas are not in issues already.

2.4.0 is a minor release, so no breaking change are allowed.

Current roadmap

This part may be updated but may not contains all issues that will be addressed.
Please look at the milestone and the board for the exhaustive list.

1. Plugin framework consolidation

Our plugin framework is working very well, but it is missing a few features

• BundleInfo.plist.in is missing many file format and should be integrated in the plugin framework #1135
• Rework VTK extensions #1115
• Plugin specific options #1193

2. Format consolidation

We have added many file format support in the last few minor releases, let's consolidate them:

• OpenUSD is outputting to terminal #1204
• Read EXR files from memory #1187
• USD: Implements subdivision #1178
• Ship usd and vdb plugins in the python wheels #1139
• Improve Alembic reader #913
• Support for draco compressed gltfs #469
• 3D Gaussians splatting support #1253

3. Desktop integration improvements

Desktop integration has been on the backburner for a while, it would be nice to improve that in the coming months.
We may need to find experts of the respective OSes though:

• Windows meta issue: Improve Windows integration #21
• macOS meta issue: macOS package improvements #775
• Let F3D send it's output image in a stream rather than into a file on disk #1101
• Let F3D take as input a model via streaming rather than filename #1100

4. Window types and interactions

Recent work by @snoyer as well as input from @GitCodeBoy made us realize that we may want to provide more in terms of interoparabilty with window types and interactions. It is more of a discussion that actual issues to work on but this should move forward:

• Provide interaction for external window #418
• Integrate display to terminal in F3D #1246

5. Documentation efforts

Our doc system is reliable but it is lacking in many ways, improving it would go a long way:

• Rework installation page to use javascript #1218
• Add versioning to the documentation based on docausaurus #845
• Improve/Augment examples #590
• Improve animation documentation #1258
• Improve Quickstart guide #1259
• Improve testing developement documentation #1260

6. QoL features

A few, highly requested features that stand out to me:

• Add a mobile version #27
• Option to automatically reload the active file #86
• Animation freeze when interacting with mouse #25
• Add measurement tools similar to CAD software #119
• Provide multiple colormaps #1257

7. Any other help-wanted bug fix or feature

Any issues or features that is labeled with "help-wanted" could be part of 2.4.0 release

[mwestphal]

A few different areas of improvements imo.

1. Plugin framework consolidation

Our plugin framework is working very well, but it is missing a few features

• BundleInfo.plist.in is missing many file format and should be integrated in the plugin framework #1135
• Improve VTKExtensions operability with plugins #1205
• Rework VTK extensions #1115
• Plugin specific options #1193

2. Format consolidation

We have added many file format support in the last few minor releases, let's consolidate them:

• OpenUSD is outputting to terminal #1204
• Read EXR files from memory #1187
• USD: Implements subdivision #1178
• Ship usd and vdb plugins in the python wheels #1139
• Improve Alembic reader #913
• Support for draco compressed gltfs #469

(not all issues listed here, only the one the seems the most important to me)

3. Desktop integration improvements

Desktop integration has been on the backburner for a while, it would be nice to improve that in the coming months.
We may need to find experts of the respective OSes though:

• Windows meta issue: Improve Windows integration #21
• macOS meta issue: macOS package improvements #775
• Let F3D send it's output image in a stream rather than into a file on disk #1101
• Let F3D take as input a model via streaming rather than filename #1100

4. Window types and interactions

Recent work by @snoyer as well as input from @GitCodeBoy made us realize that we may want to provide more in terms of interoparabilty with window types and interactions. It is more of a discussion that actual issues to work on but this should move forward:

• Provide interaction for external window #418
• Integrate display to terminal in F3D #1246

5. Documentation efforts

Our doc system is reliable but it is lacking in many ways, improving it would go a long way:

• Rework installation page to use javascript #1218
• Add versioning to the documentation based on docausaurus #845
• Improve/Augment examples #590

6. QoL features

A few, highly requested features that stand out to me:

• Add a mobile version #27
• Option to automatically reload the active file #86
• Animation freeze when interacting with mouse #25
• Add measurement tools similar to CAD software #119

7. Any other help-wanted bug fix or feature

Any issues or features that is labeled with "help-wanted" could be part of 2.4.0 release

[Meakk]

Wow, this is a great sum up! Nice @mwestphal!
Should we add new features there? I'm thinking of 3D Gaussians, but it could be other format support maybe? (I know @lknknm mentioned .ifc at some point)

[mwestphal]

Sure! Do you have issue links so I can add them ?

[mwestphal]

There is no issue for gaussian splatting, feel free to create one.

About .ifc, it is listed in the format list but its not very high. I dont think we need to list it in the roadmap. If someone does it, we will welcome it of course.

[Meakk]

#1253

[mwestphal]

Thanks! Ill add that to the roadmap!

[kathleenhang]

Some ideas for improving the documentation:

• Add more examples for animations, more specifically, make the distinction more clear for animations. For example, a new user may not understand that .gltf may contain multiple animations within, or even multiple separate animations within a single animation (ex: interpolationtest.glb). I think it is also easy to misinterpret "All animations" as keyframes of a single animation. I know I had a lot of trouble understanding and explaining to others what .gltf is capable of.
• Add a section at the beginning of the developer documentation which shows file paths and download links for each different type of model file of varying types. That way, new developers can quickly play around with F3D instead of searching for these different types of files. I know the gallery section contains all of this, but a "Quickstart Guide" could feel more intuitive.
• Improve the testing section with examples for how to add tests and how they work.

These are some aspects that stuck out to me as I was doing my first contribution for F3D. I guess these should be converted into their own issues?

[mwestphal]

Animations

Indeed, for now there is only this: https://f3d.app/doc/user/USAGE.html#animations
It could be worth it to add a page dedicated to animations or to expand this with more details.

Please open an issue and I will add it to the roadmap :)

Quick Start guide

It is suposed to be covered by this short section here: https://f3d.app/#quickstart
But I supose we could have a detailed quick start page in the doc with link to resource and such. Please open an issue and I will add it to the roadmap.

Testing

I couldn't agree more, the testing section is lacking (for reference: https://f3d.app/doc/dev/TESTING.html)
Please open an issue and I will add it to the roadmap.

Thanks for sharing your feedback, it is unvaluable!

[mwestphal]

QoL: #1257

[mwestphal]

• Improve animation documentation #1258
• Improve Quickstart guide #1259
• Improve testing developement documentation #1260

[mwestphal]

Roadmap has been updated, but comments are welcome!

[mwestphal]

2.4.0 has been released, closing