The Metaverse Standards Forum plays a central role in coordinating efforts around Metaverse standards, enabling the integration of requirements from SDOs, companies, and end users. The MSF Core Introduction contains the following statement on the first slide, which has not changed in recent years:
The metaverse combines the connectivity of the Web with the immersiveness of spatial computing
The 3D Web Interoperability WG was established as part of the expanding list of Active Domain Groups to help realize an open metaverse built on the open web platform.
Five coordinated projects were launched, starting with one focused on linking virtual experiences and their data.
- Mechanisms to link and reference virtual worlds and parts thereof
In 2025, a initial blog post highlighted early outcomes of this project.
Following the successful MSF WG reorganization, the topic has been subsumed under the official Spatial Computing WG and it was decided that the Web of Worlds would become the first overarching subgroup of the Spatial Computing WG.
Linked Spatial Experiences: The Web of Worlds
The Web of Worlds (WoW) Whitepaper
We envision a novel and open architecture that builds upon OWP principles and standards, yet provides new, simplified, and direct solutions for virtual world consumers and producers.
The world is not a single data state or document, but several persistent aspects that are linked with each other and can be accessed via the same API endpoint.
- Web-applications to deliver a spatial experience on a new or known physical device
- Users to handle active and passive aspects
- Views to expose a viewing pose or camera to the consumer
- Portals stores links to external and independent world instance
- Spatial Composition Graph hieratical structure to manage any number of spatial assets links
Users must be able to move between virtual worlds, carrying with them their digital identity, with full control over how their data is used, when it is used, and how much of it is shared.
It is envisioned to use existing technology and standards that will provide the security (including anonymity), interoperability and transportability required for a User to carry and use their data safely with Virtual Worlds.
- User Digital Wallet
- User Manifest
- Decentralized Storage
Our objective is not to introduce or create a new data format, but rather to leverage existing standards as spatial assets within the virtual world. The RFC2077 standard and its associated model content registrations have formed a robust foundation on the existing web for many years. We anticipate that the USD-, GLTF-, and X3D-families of formats, which are already registered, will play a crucial role in various use cases. What is significant here is that we not only transfer and provide data using HTTP/S, but we also aim to utilize generic and harmonized DID resolvers to facilitate Asset links within wallets and related structures
| Name | License | Level | Spatial Asset Formats | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| simpleWorld | Apache-2.0 | 5 | gltf-binary, gltf+json, x3d+xml | alpha preview |
| threedy.io | Commercial | 5 | e57, gltf-binary, gltf+json, JT, step, step+xml, step+zip, step-xml+zip, step-xml+zip, vnd.usda, vnd.usdz+zip, x3d-vrml, x3d+fastinfoset, x3d+xml, las | beta |
| HTMLModeWrapper | Free | 3 | vnd.usdz+zip | |
| CesiumWrapper | Free | 2 | ||
| UnrealWrapper | Free | 2 | ||
| UnityWrapper | Free | 2 |
| Name | License | Spatial Asset Formats | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| RapidPipeline | Commercial | gltf-binary, gltf+json, vnd.usda, vnd.usdz+zip, x3d+xml | |
| Sketchfab | Commercial | gltf-binary, gltf+json, vnd.usda, vnd.usdz+zip |
Get involved in the development of the next web-scale and open architecture.