Feature Request: Investigate use of WEBP

[wiesshund]

Investigate use of WEBP graphics format, to see if it would reduce file size

It may not since B2S stores all images in base64

[jueank]

Wouldn't it be advisable to move away from storing all image data in base64 anyhow? Stop putting binary data into XML.
An alternative could be to have the XML part + binary data (JPEG, WebP, ...) in a file structure and wrap it in ZIP format.
Load times of backglasses would most probably benefit (a lot I guess).

[JockeJarre]

That is a good idea. Actually how many formats today work today (see M$ Office documents for example).
Something you would be able to help us implement? We will of course have to update the designer and server.

[jueank]

VPX file format works just the same btw. (Try to open a .vpx file with 7-zip)
I will not be able to help implementing it though .

[francisdb]

VPX uses Compound File Binary Format (CFB or CFBF). Better stick with zip.

[wiesshund]

VPX file format works just the same btw. (Try to open a .vpx file with 7-zip) I will not be able to help implementing it though .

You could, but i am not sure that b2s warrants the complexity involved?
i think standard ZIP format would be fine?

it can retain use of the direcB2S extension.

like
Tablename.directB2S

backglass.xml
image1.png
image2.png
dmdimage.png

[EngineersNeedArt]

Love to see a container format. ePub uses a container format — other modern file formats are like this.

As mentioned above, folder (directory) is zipped up. Inside you have a manifest (is XML kinda losing out to JSON these days?). The manifest would contain all usual and expected keys — but for images there would instead be a relative file path for the images. They can be in JPG, PNG or whatever formats are allowed. The images are located within the same directory as the manifest (or subdirectories within if you want to allow subdirectories ... bulbs for example could all be within a directory called "Bulbs").

(I have written some C code to parse directB2s files just for my amusement. I export the images currently — am considering exporting a manifest like I describe above just for completeness.)

[EngineersNeedArt]

Just checked — for a particular directB2s file that weighs in at 10.6 MB, the zipped version (images de-BASE64'd) is 4.6 MB. (Of course I have yet to export the manifest, but I suspect that is in the noise.)

I suppose a not-surprising 50% of the original size.