Interactive previews of 3D models

censhare Web renders interactive previews of 3D models. View the models in 360° panoramas and explore their environment.

Introduction

For 3D model files, censhare Web renders interactive previews for the most common and relevant file formats (see below). For these formats, you can move and rotate an object to view it from different angles or zoom in and out, also in a separate browser window. You can adjust the background, display the wireframe or horizontal greed.

Where to find interactive preview

Interactive preview of 3D models is available on the Preview widget on the Overview and Analysis tabs of a 3D model asset page in censhare Web.

Prerequisites

The following needs to be configured on the 3D model asset type page by a censhare administrator:

• Assigned preview widget

• Preview widget for 3D models

Optionally, a 3D model preview with a 3D panorama can be enabled (see below).

Upload 3D model files

To upload a 3D model file or 3D model ZIP archive, drag-and-drop the file to any drop zone in censhare Web. In most cases, censhare recognises the MIME type automatically and stores the file as a 3D model asset in censhare. The interactive preview is then available by default.

Prepare zipped 3D model files for preview

Some 3D model files are stored in ZIP archives. Such a ZIP archive contains the actual 3D model file – the wireframe – together with the additional texture and color information in separate files.

If the interactive preview is not rendered automatically after the file upload, on the Details tab of the asset page, edit the Status properties: In the Type field, select 3D model and click OK. 

If this also does not work, you can try to create an empty asset of the type “3D model” and then upload your ZIP archive as a master file from the Overview tab on the asset.

Preview actions

Note: The following preview actions are available for the supported formats. For other formats, the preview may not be available.

• Zoom preview

  Use the scroll bar of your mouse to zoom in and out of a preview.

• Move and rotate preview

  1. Click and hold the preview.

  2. Move the mouse to view the model from different angles.

  3. To reset the position, click Reset camera position  

     

       from the toolbar.

• Switch background

  Click Toggle dark mode

  

  , to switch between a dark and light background.

• Display wireframe of model

  To display the wireframe of the model, click Toggle model wireframe  

  

    from the toolbar.

• View in full-screen or in a separate browser tab

  To preview a 3D model in fullscreen, click Fullscreen preview

  

   .

  To open the preview on a new page, click Preview icon or

  

   . The available icon depends on the file format of the 3D model.

View model in 360° panorama

Experience the full 3D environment of a model with a 360° panorama view.

1. On the toolbar, from the Select 3D panorama drop-down, select a panorama.

2. Click and drag your cursor in the preview to move around in the environment of the 3D model.

If the selection box is empty, no panorama files are available. You need to upload a panorama file first as explained below.

Upload 360° panorama files

The file MIME type for panoramic views must be HDR (High Dynamic Range Image).

Creating Panorama assets by just uploading an HDR file is not supported.

1. From the Top navigation, select Create asset > New asset.

2. In the Create asset dialog, under Asset type, select Image/Panorama.

3. Under Categories, select 3D Preview Panorama. 

This category is not available by default. It needs to be enabled (loaded) by your administrator. See below.

4. Enter a name and any other properties.

5. Click OK. The asset is created and opens in an asset page.

6. On the Files widget, click to add the file that contains the panorama.

7. Select an HDR file on your PC or drag it onto the Files widget. The preview on the asset page now shows the panorama.

The panorama is now available for selection in the 3D panorama drop-down for 3D model assets.

Supported file formats for interactive previews

Known issue with FBX format

FBX format has no consistent standard. Different files have different structure and the underlying render library may or may not be able to create a preview. When a FBX file is delivered with textures in either PNG or JPEG format, the loader cannot handle the texture files. As a proven workaround, we recommend converting the file into GLB using censhare Web functionality.

Deprecated and unsupported formats

The following formats have been recently deprecated by their third-party providers:

• .AWD

• .BABYLON

The following formats are not supported:

• .USDC

The assets are still kept in censhare, but no preview is possible for the 3D models. 

Enable interactive preview of 3D models

3D model preview is not enabled by default. The corresponding category asset needs to be loaded first, as it is only available in the optional sample data. To load it using the Admin Client, perform the following steps:

• Find the server action "Synchronize module assets - optional"

• Check "optional/sample-data"

• Execute the action and synchronize

Once you did so, you will see following asset in your censhare system:

Your users will be able to select "3D Panorama Preview" as a category upon upload of a 3D panorama preview asset.