In this paper we describe a pipeline for publishing interactive multimedia content. The Portable Document Format (PDF) offers the possibility to include 3D visualizations, textual representation and interactivity (via scripting technology) in one multimedia container, which will be the upcoming standard for multimedia long-term archival. Our System demonstrates its potential for surplus value eBooks. By the example of chess we developed a publishing pipeline to create interactive books. Usually, chess games and positions are recorded using the algebraic chess notation, which is mainly an annotated list of moves. In combination with a time-dependent 3D visualization, each move corresponds to a specific game position. This correspondence is encoded in hyperlinks from to textual representation to the 3D visualization. This linkage improves readability and usability of chess notations significantly. Furthermore, using an established file format our eBooks can be opened by any compliant PDF viewer.

The PROBADO project is a collaborative research effort aiming at prototypical development and operation of a distributed digital library system for heterogeneous, nontextual documents. The project considers all steps of the processing chain in libraries ranging from repository compilation, semi-automatic, content-based indexing, to visual-interactive search and presentation, and operational aspects. In this paper, we describe the chosen approach, specifically detailing on experiences and lessons learned up to now in the course of this project.

The PROBADO project is a research effort to develop and operate advanced Digital Library support for non-textual documents. The main goal is to contribute to all parts of the Digital Library workflow from content acquisition over semiautomatic indexing to search and presentation. While not limited in terms of supported document types, reference support is developed for classical digital music content and 3D models from the architectural domain. In this paper, we review the overall goals, approaches taken, and lessons learned so far in a highly integrated e ort of university researchers and library experts.We address the problem of technology transfer from university research to hosting IT infrastructure, aspects of repository compilation and operation models, and the problem of inter-domain retrieval. The experiences we describe are relevant for other project e orts in the applied non-textual Digital Library domain.

Publishing cultural heritage as 3D models with embedded annotations and additional information on the web is still a major challenge. This includes the acquisition of the digital 3D model, the authoring and editing of the additional information to be attached to the digital model as well as publishing it in a suitable format. These steps usually require very expensive hardware and software tools. Especially small museums cannot afford an expensive scanning campaign in order to generate the 3D models from the real artefacts. In this paper we propose an affordable publishing workflow from acquisition of the data to authoring and enriching it with the related metadata and information to finally publish it in a way suitable for access by means of a web browser over the internet. All parts of the workflow are based on open source solutions and free services.

When modeling in 3D CAD, architects often search for already existing 3D content to complete their own design, e.g. environmental models, furniture models or detailed window profiles. 3D models are normally indexed and accessed based on textual metadata. As this metadata is expensive to obtain, PROBADO3D aims to develop workflows and tools for semi-automatic indexing 3D models. Another goal is the development of intuitive visual search and presentation interfaces that face the needs of architects looking for 3D content. PROBADO3D is a part of the PROBADO framework designed to support multimedia objects of different domains.

In this paper we present a software architecture for the integration of a RESTful web service interface in OpenSG applications. The proposed architecture can be integrated into any OpenSG application with minimal changes to the sources. Extending a scene graph application with a web service interface offers many new possibilities. Without much effort it is possible to review and control the scene and its components using a web browser. New ways of browser based user interactions can be added on all kinds of web enabled devices. As an example we present the integration of ``SweetHome3D'' into an existing virtual reality setup.

3D is useful in many real-world applications beyond computer games. The efficiency of communication is greatly enhanced by combining interlinked verbal descriptions with 3D content. However, there is a wide gap between the great demand for 3D content and the inconvenience and cost of delivering it. We propose using PDF, which is extremely well supported by standard content production workflows. Producing PDF with embedded 3D is currently not an easy task. As a solution to the problem we offer a freely available tool that makes embedding 3D in PDF documents an easy to use technology. Our solution is very flexible, extensible, and can be easily integrated with existing document workflow technology.

In this paper, we describe a repository for architectural 3D-CAD models which is currently set up at the German National Library of Science and Technology (TIB), Hannover as part of the larger German PROBADO digital library initiative: The proposed PROBADO-framework is integrating different types of multimedia content-repositories and adding features available in text-based digital libraries. A workflow for automated content-based data analysis and indexing is proposed.

With increasing knowledge the process of knowledge management and engineering becomes more and more important. Enriching documents by using markup techniques and by supporting semantic annotations is a major technique for knowledge management. This invaluable information is of extreme importance in the context of civil engineering, product life cycle management, virtual archival storage, and preservation. In these fields of applications annotation techniques for 3D documents are a vital part. They provide semantic information, that make up the basis for digital library services: retrieval, indexing, archival, and searching. Furthermore, metadata are of significant importance as they set the stage for data re-use and they provide documentation of data sources and quality, which is vital for every engineering department. Using metadata helps the user to understand data. Additional information allows focusing on key elements of data helps to determine the data's fitness for a particular use and may provide consistency in terminology. In this paper we give an overview on state-of-the-art annotation techniques focussed on 3D data.

Nowadays, in Digital Libraries, non-textual documents are indexed and accessed based on textual meta data. This kind of meta data is expensive to obtain, and in many cases, the content cannot be described completely and free of ambiguities. PROBADO3D aims to overcome this limitation by developing content-based access methods for 3D models in the architectural domain.

Sharing 3D models with embedded annotations and additional information in a generally accessible way still is a major challange. Using 3D technology must become much easier, in particular in areas such as Cultural Heritage, where archeologists, art historians, and museum curators rely on robust, easy to use solutions. Sustainable exchange standards are vital since unlike in industry, no sophisticated PLM or PDM solutions are common in CH. To solve this problem we have examined the PDF file format and developed concepts and software for the exchange of annotated 3D models in a way that is not just comfortable but also sustainable. We show typical use cases for authoring and using PDF documents containing annotated 3D geometry. The resulting workflow is efficient and suitable for experienced users as well as for users working only with standard word processing tools and e-mail clients (plus, currently, Acrobat Pro Extended).

We present a framework for formulating domain-dependent 3D search queries suitable for content-based 3D search over the web. Users are typically not willing to spend much time to create a 3D query object. They expect to quickly see a result set in which they can navigate by further differentiating the query object. Our system innovates by using a streamlined parametric 3D modeling engine on both client and server side. Parametric tools have greater expressiveness, they allow shape manipulation through a few highlevel parameters, as well as incremental assembly of query objects. Short command strings are sent from client to server to keep the query objects on both sides in sync. This reduces turnaround times and allows asynchronous updates of live result sets.

In this paper we describe the system architecture of PROBADO, a project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Its main goal is to provide a general library infrastructure for dealing with non-textual documents, in particular for content-based searching. PROBADO provides an infrastructure that allows integrating existing data repositories and content-based search engines into one common framework. The system architecture has three layers interconnected by a service-oriented architecture (SOA) currently using SOAP 1.1 as the communication protocol. The layers are: [1] a front-end layer, responsible for providing the user interface [2], a core layer, responsible for scheduling requests from the interface to different repositories, and [3] a repository wrapper layer, responsible for enabling existing repositories and search engines to interface to the system. The functionality of each layer is described in detail. The general architecture is complemented by a brief introduction to the domain-dependent functionality currently provided.

The contribution of this paper is a simple solution to a seemingly simple, but in fact quite complex problem: To attach semantic information to 3D objects in a sustainable way. The complexity of the problem is a consequence of the generality of the required solution: There are numerous ways of representing 3D-objects, and there are numerous ways to attach information. The sustainability requirement implies the use of well-established standards, and simplicity is a must in order to make it very easy for other applications to support and implement our proposed attachment technology. We desire, and anticipate, wide-spread use of the described solution.

We present first results of a system for the ergonomic and economic production of three-dimensional interactive illustrations by non-expert users like average CH professionals. For this purpose we enter the realm of domaindependent interactive modeling tools, in this case exemplified with the domain of medieval castles. Special emphasis is laid on creating generic modeling tools that increase the usability with a unified 3D user interface, as well as the efficiency of tool generation. On the technical level our system innovates by combining two powerful but previously separate approaches, the Generative Modeling Language (GML) and the OpenSG scene graph engine.