The Related Technologies for the Pipeline Network Virtual Reality System

The related technologies which are prepared for the implementation of the pipeline network virtual reality system are introduced. These technologies include virtual reality, visualization in scientific computing and geographic information, 3D Geographic Information System (3D GIS), Virtual Reality Geographic Information System (VRGIS), and Web Virtual Reality GIS. This chapter looks into the implementation technologies for traditional desktop virtual reality system and their limitations. Specific research is conducted on X3D and its interactivity including, the characteristics of X3D compared to other web 3D technologies, the development tools of X3D - Xj3D, X3D Scene Access Interface (SAI) and its development methods, X3D internal interaction, and the interaction between X3D virtual scenes and Java applications.