  Most modern astrophysical datasets are multi-dimensional; a characteristic
that can nowadays generally be conserved and exploited scientifically during
the data reduction/simulation and analysis cascades. Yet, the same
multi-dimensional datasets are systematically cropped, sliced and/or projected
to printable two-dimensional (2-D) diagrams at the publication stage. In this
article, we introduce the concept of the "X3D pathway" as a mean of simplifying
and easing the access to data visualization and publication via
three-dimensional (3-D) diagrams. The X3D pathway exploits the facts that 1)
the X3D 3-D file format lies at the center of a product tree that includes
interactive HTML documents, 3-D printing, and high-end animations, and 2) all
high-impact-factor & peer-reviewed journals in Astrophysics are now published
(some exclusively) online. We argue that the X3D standard is an ideal vector
for sharing multi-dimensional datasets, as it provides direct access to a range
of different data visualization techniques, is fully-open source, and is a well
defined ISO standard. Unlike other earlier propositions to publish
multi-dimensional datasets via 3-D diagrams, the X3D pathway is not tied to
specific software (prone to rapid and unexpected evolution), but instead
compatible with a range of open-source software already in use by our
community. The interactive HTML branch of the X3D pathway is also actively
supported by leading peer-reviewed journals in the field of Astrophysics.
Finally, this article provides interested readers with a detailed set of
practical astrophysical examples designed to act as a stepping stone towards
the implementation of the X3D pathway for any other dataset.
