As far as I'm aware, the 3D stuff has nothing to do with any impending wipe or update or anything. Wipes and updates are done by the 2238 devs, the 3D stuff is currently being done by the forum community. I'd imagine there'll be several "game content" updates and probably a wipe or two before the 3D stuff is usable. Once the 3D stuff is nearing "game ready", then there'll probably be a connection between 3D stuff and updates, but as far as the next few updates are concerned, you may as well ignore the 3D stuff entirely.
The 3D stuff is fairly "transparent" with development. Other than some planning by PM, nearly everything is posted publicly on the 3D Development board. It will have little effect on gameplay, so there's little to discuss beyond "It looks good" or "it doesn't look good enough" or "try doing it this way". Most people agree, and most people are aiming for the same end result.
In contrast, for changes in the actual game (i.e. updates / wipes), every possible subject has a 10-page long suggestion or discussion or argument thread already. Changing a couple of numbers has a massive effect on balance and there are many different groups of people with opposing views on what would make the game better. Larger changes such as an overhaul of crafting or stealing etc probably need hours and hours of planning, writing and testing. Given that as things are, there's already hundreds of suggestion / discussion threads on every possible subject, I think it's understandable that they're not posting an update on every line of code that is written.
