Online model viewer! :D

(s2a) yahodahan

L3: Member
Apr 22, 2009
144
18
Announcing Le Grande Fancy Release!*(very early prototype)

JediMace1 and I worked all weekend and have managed to finalize a test-worthy prototype of the in-browser "3D Model Viewer" that will be the core of a new 3D marketplace.

Geared specifically toward game artists, this marketplace will, we hope, serve as a much needed "hub" between all the modders, modelers, coders, and game developers out there.

(See the original thread here: http://forum.unity3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=40651)

Now, the "big idea" here is to provide a fun, fast, and east method of checking out the model in all it's glory AND imperfections, in full and real-time 3D, before downloadin. I think we all have wished for this at some point, and Unity finally makes it reality!

The current prototype can be viewed at any time (we will be constantly updating it!) at this link:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/589952/ModelViewerTest/index.html
(forgive some of the simple/untextured models, this was a speed-release to get feedback)

Now, about this fancy-schmancy-fandangled-whatsit! We are still working through what options to give, how to present them, control schemes, etc, but currently it works thusly:

(Refer to image and corresponding numbers for visual stimuli)

Propaganda_v1.jpg


1) Filters! Quickly filter out/in specific sub-categories, narrowing down your search
**Note: The shown filters are currently only for the "Environments" category, later will come others
(Characters, Vehicles, Weapons, etc)
2) Keywords! Type in a keyword, and search deeper within the filter-selected results
3) Select! Scroll through the available models, and click on any to...
4)...View it! Here, the model shows up instantly, ready to view! (See "Controls" below)
5) Options! Oooh, we LOVE options! And we hope you do too! Give any of these a whack:
View options: SSAO, Flat Render Mode, Show Wireframe
Scene Options: White Theme (think, Matrix); Reflective theme; Black Theme
Lastly, pull the slider at the bottom to change the main light's intensity


**3D Viewer Controls**
Rotate: Middle mouse button and drag to rotate around the model
Zoom: Scroll Wheel
Movement: WSAD move FPS-style, Q moves down and E moves up
Scene Light: Shift - Left Click and drag to move the light
Special: Use "CTRL - Space" to toggle all panels on or off, for easier model viewing


And that's it folks- of course, you can't actually buy/download any of these models yet- what we really need to focus on is your suggestions and critiques on a few key issues at this point in development:

1) Usability- how are the controls? We know they need a bit of tweaking here and there, but before we go too far, let us know what you would like best!
2) Performance- We noticed, on the 20,000+ poly models, with SSAO and the Reflective Theme, FPS can get down to 15-20- which is still fine for just viewing. Please let us know if you have any horrible frame rate issues, though. (Tested on 2 year old laptop with Radeon 2600, 256MB)
3) Bugs/Glitches- These will happen, please tell us if one pops up for you.

Big thanks to everyone who can provide a little input from their experience, and suggestions are great too.

Enjoy!!!
 

gamemaster1996

L13: Stunning Member
Sep 30, 2009
1,064
134
Nice. :)

Oh bum intrenets still 35kbs :( DAMN YOU!
 
Last edited:

Dr. ROCKZO

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Jul 25, 2009
580
159
There would be no automatic way to do that, people would have to tag them by hand..
Awesome Job! Something to play with whilst away from my PC.
 

(s2a) yahodahan

L3: Member
Apr 22, 2009
144
18
Political Gamer- Absolutly! I was originally thinking something like:

Art Style:
-Toony
-Anime
-Stylized
-Realistic

Stylized, naturally, would be TF2 :)

Further filters like "50s" or "retro" could be added, of course- although they may be better off in the "keywords".

Thanks for the input!

How is it working for everyone?? We really want to hear how smooth it's running on various computers, if you hit any glitches, etc.

Thanks x2!
 

(s2a) yahodahan

L3: Member
Apr 22, 2009
144
18
There would be no automatic way to do that, people would have to tag them by hand..
Awesome Job! Something to play with whilst away from my PC.

We figure that, as part of the upload process, the artist would have to fill out a "credit card like" form, which naturally would include a field for several keywords. (can't allow too many, or people will just type EVERYTHING aka craigslist, lol)

We will have to do a good bit on our end, too, of course.
 

Dr. ROCKZO

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Jul 25, 2009
580
159
Does the browser being used matter? Because it just crashed twice on me with Chrome..
 

(s2a) yahodahan

L3: Member
Apr 22, 2009
144
18
Does the browser being used matter? Because it just crashed twice on me with Chrome..

Political Gamer also mentioned that Unity does not play well with Chrome. Sorry, not much I can do there :( We'll look into whether we can streamline/code differently certain parts to be better compatible...but in the end looks like a Unity thing?? Sorry!