F3D 3.0.0 Roadmap

[mwestphal]

Context

F3D is a collaborative project, let's collaboratively construct the roadmap for 3.0.0 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.

3.0.0 is a major release, so breaking change are allowed and even expected at this point.

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. Options rework

A core development that is required for many features below:

• Rework libf3d options to use strong typing #1244

Some issues may be impacted by this change:

• Dump "camera" info should dump information about all options #596
• Limitations of cxxopts in F3D #434
• scene.animation.time is initialized to zero, which may have unexepected effect with time range not starting at zero #1354
• Implicit values are causing issues in options #1114

2. Interaction configuration

Initially planned for 2.3.0, it requires the option rework:

• Key Interaction management in libf3d is not great and should be improved #443

This one matters a lot because we are running out of keys and more flexibility for the users is good.
Prototype here: #1066

It may impact this issue:

• Distinguish dropping 3D file and dropping a HDRI file using modifiers #1159

3. ImGui

So many issues and features rely on this one. We have been holding ideas because of it.
We need to move forward however it is probably best to wait to the options rework before working on it seriously:

• Rework UI using ImGui #1245

Many issues may be impacted by this change:

• Failures opening files provided as app arguments are not reflected in the UI #1045
• Default font does not support Unicode #1016
• On Windows, F3D is very laggy when resizing the window IF the cheatsheet is shown #1013
• Cheat sheet text is not resized properly #1400

Prototype here: #1077

4. Generalizing loading data

When I worked on the generic importer and the renderer with options, it struck me that it should be possible to do with importers what we do with reader if we have an API for it. It is a complex one and require some VTK changes but definitely needed for the future of F3D. Does not require the options rework imo:

• The future of loading files with F3D and the libf3d #653

5. Consolidate WebASM feature

Opening F3D to website is critical for reaching many more users and developers interested to show 3D models in different context.

• Consolidate WebASM feature #1252
• F3D Web first render is incorrectly lit #1506

6. Generalize approach to time

Our approach to time is showing up its limitations, the major version is a good occasion to improve that:

• Generalize approach to time management/temporal data #1534

7. F3D options improvements

Something I've been complaining about for ages and easier to do in the context of a breaking change, require the option rework first.

• Implicit values are causing issues in options #1114
• Limitations of cxxopts in F3D #434
• Generalize "UP" vector to be any direction instead of axis aligned #1533
• Rework "filename-info" logic #1532
• Cleanup libf3d options / cli options names #1530
• Rework background options naming #918

8. libf3d API changes:

No better moment that a major version change for API changes

• Rework camera API #1531

9. Provide a mobile android version

The libf3d provides java bindings that could be used to create an android version, lets finally do it!

• Add a mobile version #27

[Meakk]

Maybe webasm consolidation too?

[mwestphal]

There is no issue at all for the WASM work. Could you open it and state the status and what we need to do in the future ?

[Meakk]

#1252

[mwestphal]

Thanks! Ill add that to the roadmap!

[mwestphal]

Issue text have been updated to reflect all suggestions. Comments are welcome though :)

[mwestphal]

Issue text have been udpated after a discussion on discord

[mwestphal]

Added mobile version

[mwestphal]

F3D 3.0 release cycle will start on January 3 2025, any PR not merged before that will skip this release.

Expect two weeks of release candidates followed by a full release on January 19 2025.