Collada, O3d, web pages

Al Hart

Google O3D lets you place SketchUp models, saved as Collada files, into web pages as interactive 3D images.

Has anyone tried this yet.

We made one yesterday, but had to use the arrow keys to rotate it. I suspect we need to read more about how to use the mouse to spin it.

Also, it seemed to have a fixed light location. So a lot of the scene was dark.

Does anyone else have any experience with this?

Jim

No, we're waiting for you to make the process dead-simple and idiot proof for us.

Al Hart

@jim said:

No, we're waiting for you to make the process dead-simple and idiot proof for us.

That is what we are working on. Using the logic in RPS 3D PDF, we want to make a single-click operation to create a web page with O3D embedded in it.

Still, it would be good to get some ideas from users.

For instance:

If it is real easy for users to do this already, then we don't need to try to make it easier.
It it is so hard to do this, or if O3D doesn't really work, or if it is unreasonable to use o3D in web pages because users have to download a Web Browser plugin - than we can't help much.

RPS 3D PDF lets you type in some information - Title, comments, etc. and specify the size and location of the image to create a PDF file. We are thinking of doing the same for web pages. Users could create and publish a page with embedded 3D interactive images (either PDF or O3D). At that point the HTML is a ASCII file which you could edit if you knew how and wanted to change things.

alexschreyer

Great approach, Al. I wanted to have a way to put SketchUp files on the web easier than resorting to VRML.

Have you looked at Flash, too. I would be interested in an easy way to do that. Apparently there is a way but it's cumbersome.

Cheers,
Alex

Al Hart

@alexschreyer said:

Great approach, Al. I wanted to have a way to put SketchUp files on the web easier than resorting to VRML.

Have you looked at Flash, too. I would be interested in an easy way to do that. Apparently there is a way but it's cumbersome.

Cheers,
Alex

We haven't looked much at flash.

Currently, we do create interactive 3D PDFs which you can place on a web page. You can link to the entire PDF, or embed the PDF itself into a larger web page)

See: http://woodsshop.com/Dojo/Japanese_House_Plan.pdf

The PDF logic is getting out dated, so we are hoping the O3D logic will work better in the future.

Rich Hart

Actually, an example of an HTML page, containing an embedded PDF containing a U3D view, can be seen at:

http://downloads.renderplus.com/downloads/test_embed.htm

Gaieus

Hi Al (and Rich),

I don't think 3D PDF would become outdated soon. PDF is one of the most cross-platform and even cross-browser format (when embedded), can be easily sent by email or carried on a small drive since you can (almost) make sure that wherever you go and take (send) it, the other end will be able to see it.

Of course, I have also played around with your 3D PDF application and it is indeed cool (however since I haven't really needed it commercially, I haven't ever purchased a license but I am sure that once I needed it, I'd immediately buy it).

Anyway, I once had a look at this O3D and found it extremely exciting but also a little bit frustrating at the same time. I am not saying that I am proficient at website building but I know a little bit and can use basic tools. However of course, I couldn't get around this of course.

So such a product would be ideal for those with "partial and basic knowledge" of editing html and such and I guess, many SU users are also some sort of "lay" website builders as well so I think this would be encouraging in developing something like this.

Well, it needs a plugin, yes. Certainly some Flash would be more ideal from this point of view as that's almost surely installed on most people's computers...

Al Hart

@gaieus said:

Hi Al (and Rich),

I don't think 3D PDF would become outdated soon. PDF is one of the most cross-platform and even cross-browser format (when embedded), can be easily sent by email or carried on a small drive since you can (almost) make sure that wherever you go and take (send) it, the other end will be able to see it.

thanks for the comments Gai.

PDF will probably survive, of course. But they have replaced the U3D format we use with a proprietary format. However, we suspect they will always have to display U3D, because otherwise legacy PDF files would stop working. We struggle with U3D because it never really worked properly. But Rich has made some improvements this past month and we will continue working with it.

I think will will add an embedded html page creator to the existing plugin - using PDF first. The advantage it that it will be fairly easy for people to modify the page we create for their own needs. (It is much easier to modify a web page than to create one from scratch). This should work pretty well with embedded PDF and PDF is well supported.

Also, we never learned as much about Flash as we should have. Perhaps a Flash/Collada option would work as an option.

The O3D/Collada route is interesting, if Google gets behind O3D. Unfortunately, my experience is that Google often releases an interesting software application - usually in Beta mode - and then never decides to continue it. (Witness Google Desktop). On the other hand, if they do get excited about something they throw a lot into it - (e.g. YouTube). We are hoping they see a future for O3D and want to go comewhere with it.