Adding 3D graphics to a website

[Polishwonder74]

I've been searching for a solution for this problem for a couple days now and can't seem to find one, so I thought I'd run it by you guys.

I'm looking to make little 3D representations for products on a commercial website. I was looking for an open source (read: free) method to show & rotate products in 3D.

My first thought was to try to do one of those neat Quicktime windows where you just take like 8 or so photographs and click and drag the QT window to rotate. That would be cool, but I was hoping for something better.

I heard a rumor that Quicktime can also be used to make a cube with 6 images on each side, so you take 6 photographs and paste them on the cube and it can be rotated in any direction. I couldn't seem to figure out how to pull that off.

Next I looked into trying to make a VRML. It seemed pretty promising, but it needs a plugin or player, and they're all seeming a bit finnecky for my taste. I don't want to scare customers away or piss them off by forcing them to install a vrml plugin that they'll never use again.

I also looked into Flash, but I don't see any easy way to render 3D in that.

I can build models in Solidworks or Pro/e, if that helps. What do you guys think, do you have any good open-source ideas?

Thanks for humoring me!

:beer:

 

[Matthias99]

You can do 3D rendering through Java (although it also requires its player/plugin, but most people have it). I don't know if they have a software-only renderer, so people might need at least a basic onboard 3D accelerator.

I've seen the Quicktime 3D rotation things. Works okay, but you've probably got to take a whole bunch of pictures (not just 6). VRML is nice if you have actual model data and want it to be nicely scalable, etc. Flash is 2D only, but can do things similar to Quicktime.

 

[blure007]

Check out Virtools, I know they have some kind of web plug in but I I don't know much more then that sorry.

 

[Lord Banshee]

The best way i have seen is to render stills from an animation to create a flash movie to do what you will.

This product kinda does it all in one:
http://www.erain.com/products/Swift3D/

IF you are using 3dsmax this guy did a max script for something very similar:
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=98&t=488927&highlight=flash+3dsmax
demo: http://www.minastirithproject.com/3dViewers/Cart/Cart.html

hope this helps ,
chris

 

[gsellis]

QVTR is probably the most widely supported that you will find, ergo, easiest to implement for customer viewing. Yep, multiple shots to render the QVTR. The other solution is to use the same setup and do video, but it does not have the controls built-in that allow zoom, change aspect, or rotation. And unless the company has CAD graphics of the products, a 3D app like Maya is going to be harder to create the image than lights, a turntable, a background, and a still camera.

 

[43st]

AutoDesk has an embedded DWF viewer.

 

[CTho9305]

http://ctho.ath.cx/toys/3d.html