%%%
Title = "XR Macros"
area = "Internet"
workgroup = "Internet Engineering Task Force"
[seriesInfo]
name = "XR-Macros"
value = "draft-XRMACROS-leonvankammen-00"
stream = "IETF"
status = "informational"
date = 2023-04-12T00:00:00Z
[[author]]
initials="L.R."
surname="van Kammen"
fullname="L.R. van Kammen"
%%%
.# Abstract
This draft offers a specification for embedding macros in existing 3D scenes/assets, to offer simple interactions and configure the renderer further.
Together with URI Fragments, it allows for rich immersive experiences without the need of a complicated sandboxed scripting languages.
> Almost every idea in this document is demonstrated at [https://xrfragment.org](https://xrfragment.org), as this spec was created during the [XR Fragments](https://xrfragment.org) spec.
{mainmatter}
# Introduction
How can we add more features to existing text & 3D scenes, without introducing new dataformats?
Historically, there's many attempts to create the ultimate markuplanguage or 3D fileformat.
Their lowest common denominator is: (co)authoring using plain text.
Therefore, XR Macros allows us to enrich/connect existing dataformats, by offering a polyglot notation based on existing notations:
1. getting/setting common used 3D properties using querystring- or JSON-notation
1. targeting 3D properties using the lightweight query notation present in [XR Fragments](https://xrfragment.org)
> NOTE: The chapters in this document are ordered from highlevel to lowlevel (technical) as much as possible
# Core principle
1. XR Macros use querystrings, but are HTML-agnostic (though pseudo-XR Fragment browsers **can** be implemented on top of HTML/Javascript).
1. An XR Macro is 3D metadata which starts with '!' (`!clickme: fog=0,10` e.g.)
1. Metadata-values can contain the `|` symbol to 🎲 roundrobin variable values (`!toggleme: fog=0,10|fog=0,1000` e.g.)
1. XR Macros acts as simple eventhandlers for URI Fragments: they are automatically published on the ([XR Fragments](https://xrfragment.org)) hashbus, to act as events (so more serious scripting languages can react to them as well).
1. XR Macros can assign object metadata (`!setlocal: foo=1` writes `foo:1` metadata to the object containing the `!setlocal` metadata)
1. XR Macros can assign global metadata (`!setfoo: #foo=1` writes `foo:1` metadata to the root scene-node)
> These very simple principles allow for rich interactions and dynamic querying
# Conventions and Definitions
See appendix below in case certain terms are not clear.
# List of XR Macros
(XR) Macros can be embedded in 3D assets/scenes.
Macros enrich existing spatial content with a lowcode, limited logic-layer, by recursive (economic) use of the querystring syntax (which search engines and [XR Fragments](https://xrfragment.org) already uses.
This is done by allowing string/integer variables, and the `|` symbol to roundrobin variable values.
Macros also act as events, so more serious scripting languages can react to them as well.
| key | type | example (JSON) | function | existing compatibility |
|--------------|----------|------------------------|---------------------|----------------------------------------|
| `@bg` | string | `"@bg":"#cube"` | bg: binds fog near/far based to cube x/y/z (anim) values | custom property in 3D fileformats |
| `@fog` | string | `"@fog":"#cube"` | fog: binds fog near/far based to cube x/y (anim) values | custom property in 3D fileformats |
| `@scroll` | string | `"@scroll":"#cube"` | texturescrolling: binds texture x/y/rot based to cube x/y/z (anim) values | custom property in 3D fileformats |
| `@emissive` | string | `"@emissive":"#cube"` | day/night/mood: binds material's emissive value to cube x/y/z (anim) values | custom property in 3D fileformats |
## Usecase: click object
| custom property | value | trigger when |
|-----------------|--------------------------|------------------------|
| !clickme | bg=1,1,1&foo=2 | object clicked |
## Usecase: conditional click object
| custom property | value | trigger when |
|-----------------|--------------------------|-----------------------------|
| # | foo=1 | scene |
| !clickme | q=foo>2&bg=1,1,1 | object clicked and foo > 2 |
> when a user clicks an object with the custom properties above, it should set the backgroundcolor to `1,1,1` when `foo` is greater than `2` (see previous example)
## Usecase: click object (roundrobin)
| custom property | value | trigger when |
|-----------------|--------------------------|------------------------|
| !cycleme | day|noon|night | object clicked |
| day | bg=1,1,1 | roundrobin |
| noon | bg=0.5,0.5,0.5 | roundrobin |
| night | bg=0,0,0&foo=2 | roundrobin |
> when a user clicks an object with the custom properties above, it should trigger either `day` `noon` or `night` in roundrobin fashion.
## Usecase: click object or URI fragment, and scene load trigger
| custom property | value | trigger when |
|-----------------|--------------------------|------------------------|
| # | random | scene loaded |
| #random | random | URL contains #random |
| !random | day|noon|night | #random, # or click |
| day | bg=1,1,1 | roundrobin |
| noon | bg=0.5,0.5,0.5 | roundrobin |
| night | bg=0,0,0&foo=2 | roundrobin |
## Usecase: present context menu with options
| custom property | value | trigger when |
|-----------------|--------------------------|------------------------|
| !random | !day|!noon|!night | clicked in contextmenu |
| !day | bg=1,1,1 | clicked in contextmenu |
| !noon | bg=0.5,0.5,0.5 | clicked in contextmenu |
| !night | bg=0,0,0&foo=2 | clicked in contextmenu |
> When interacting with an object with more than one `!`-macro, the XR Browser should offer a contextmenu to execute a macro.
In a similar way, when **any** `!`-macro is present on the sceneroot, the XR Browser should offer a context-menu to execute those macro's.
## Event Bubble-flow
click object with (`!clickme`:`AR` or `!clickme`: `!reset` e.g.)
```
â—»
│
└── does current object contain this property-key (`AR` or `!reset` e.g.)?
└── no: is there any (root)object containing property `AR`
└── yes: evaluate its (roundrobin) XR macro-value(s) (and exit)
└── no: trigger URL: #AR
```
click object with (`!clickme`:`#AR|#VR` e.g.)
```
â—»
│
└── apply the roundrobin (rotate the options, value `#AR` becomes `#VR` upon next click)
└── is there any object with property-key (`#AR` e.g.)?
└── no: just update the URL to `#AR`
└── yes: apply its value to the scene, and update the URL to `#AR`
click object with (`!clickme`:`!foo|!bar|!flop` e.g.)
```
â—»
│
└── apply the roundrobin (rotate the options, value `!foo` becomes `!bar` upon next click)
└── is there any object with property-key (`!foo` e.g.)?
└── no: do nothing
└── yes: apply its value to the scene
```
> Note that only macro's can trigger roundrobin values or contextmenu's, as well as roundrobin values never ending up in the toplevel URL.
# Security Considerations
# IANA Considerations
This document has no IANA actions.
# Acknowledgments
* [NLNET](https://nlnet.nl)
* [Future of Text](https://futureoftext.org)
* [visual-meta.info](https://visual-meta.info)
# Appendix: Definitions
|definition | explanation |
|----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|scene | a (local/remote) 3D scene or 3D file (index.gltf e.g.) |
|3D object | an object inside a scene characterized by vertex-, face- and customproperty data. |
|XR fragments | URI Fragment with spatial hints like `#pos=0,0,0&t=1,100` e.g. |
|query | an URI Fragment-operator which queries object(s) from a scene like `#q=cube` |
|FPS | frames per second in spatial experiences (games,VR,AR e.g.), should be as high as possible |
|`â—»` | ascii representation of an 3D object/mesh |
|(un)obtrusive | obtrusive: wrapping human text/thought in XML/HTML/JSON obfuscates human text into a salad of machine-symbols and words |