Aiming to do what the entire 3D computer aided design industry has not achieved yet, Intel announced the formation of a 3D Industry Forum (3DIF) on the first day of its IDF Solution Conference in Barcelona.

The special interest group (SIG) wants to unite 3D CAD vendors in their use of one universal standard, to import and export CAD data to business applications and over the Web.

The standard is intended to be formulated by the fourth quarter this year, said Rick Benoit, Intel programme marketing manager, corporate technical group. Intel has approached Ecma International, a standards body, to propose the standard to the International Standards Organisation (ISO). Ecma was chosen for its alacrity in pushing standards through with ISO's blessing, and its European and international presence.

The standard will support streaming and compression. It will be compatible with existing security software, and it will be open and extensible.