3drepo.io: building the next generation Web3D repository with AngularJS and X3DOM

Abstract

This paper presents a novel open source web-based 3D version control system positioned directly within the context of the recent strategic plan for digitising the construction sector in the United Kingdom. The aim is to achieve reduction of cost and carbon emissions in the built environment by up to 20% simply by properly managing digital information and 3D models. Even though previous works in the field concentrated mainly on defining novel WebGL frameworks and later on the efficiency of 3D data delivery over the Internet, there is still the emerging need for a practical solution that would provide ubiquitous access to 3D assets, whether it is for large international enterprises or individual members of the general public. We have, therefore, developed a novel platform leveraging the latest open web-based technologies such as AngularJS and X3DOM in order to define an industrial-strength collaborative cloud hosting service 3drepo.io. Firstly, we introduce the work and outline the high-level system architecture as well as improvements in relation to previous work. Next, we describe database and front-end considerations with emphasis on scalability and enhanced security. Finally, we present several performance measurement experiments and a selection of real-life industrial use cases. We conclude that jQuery provides performance benefits over AngularJS when manipulating large scene graphs in web browsers.