9 ms·

3D Modelling in a Browser

170 points by redindian75 8y ago

dbcurtis 8y ago
Dimensions? Master model? Assemblies? Or is this only for pretty pictures?
- rushsteve1 8y ago
  It claims to be for modeling not CAD. Think Blender not Solidworks. So ultimately yes, it's for pretty pictures.
  - joshlegs 8y ago
    blender can create 3d printable STL files, so if we're "thinking Blender," then that implies we can 3d model for printing, if i understand what you're saying
    - mmcwilliams 8y ago
      I think a better distinction here is mesh vs. solid geometry. This is a tool for creating mesh-based models and has a focus on rendering. STL is a mesh format that you can print with consumer 3D printers and it looks like Vectary supports that as an export format, but it's not a product built for engineering or mechanical design. That said it looks really cool and I would definitely print something made with it. Trying that out now, actually.
      - bcohen5055 8y ago
        The distinction you are looking for is parametric vs. geometric. Parametric models such as Solidworks or Creo use complex equations to derive the 3D geometry. Geometric models use a point cloud built from polygons to develop surfaces. These point clouds are defined by the user and are not as "stable" when used in product development setting where you are trying to create multiple iterations/sizes of an object
        mmcwilliams 8y ago
        Thank you for clarifying. I wasn't sure if the Vectary editor was or wasn't parametric, but it seems clear that it isn't for building CSG models.
        nraynaud 8y ago
        it's more like Brep is the distinction, is the internal representation a list of operations on a Brep model? But it's true that model history is preferred for mechanics, but I have seen some proto model history in 3DS max with the modifier stack.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - cannedslime 8y ago
    I have used Blender for CAD like work before, not because its good at it or anything, but it was good enough for my purposes and it was free. Boolean operations in blender are very good for that sort of work, you don't need to commit to anything and can easily change dimensions of sub parts on the go, screw modifier has also been handy at some tasks (like making screws and screw like features).
- deckar01 8y ago
  It lists 3D printing as a use case. It also has a dedicated set of tutorials on working with exact dimensions. https://www.vectary.com/3d-modeling-learn/dimensions-how-to-measure-in-3D/ https://www.vectary.com/3d-modeling-learn/dimensions-how-to-...
dvfjsdhgfv 8y ago
Oh man I hate receiving spam from these people. They don't provide an unsubscribe link, and when I ask them to stop sending me these e-mails, they say they won't and that I should manually log in to their website and delete my account. I don't have time to deal with this but I hope someone takes them to task for that.
- jolmg 8y ago
  If you mark it as SPAM, it should cause their mail reputation to take a hit, and your mail server should prevent their emails from getting to your inbox.
- dcplogic 8y ago
  Wow. That's newbie behavior. By now 99% of "legitimate spammers" have realized that it's in their interest to make unsubscription at most a two click operation. The best make it a one click operation. Otherwise you get threads like these...
- miabiel 8y ago
  I think their marketing emails do have unsubscribe link, only the service emails don’t cause they are obliged to inform you about important changes you are subscribed to, like changes in terms of use... however unsubscribe should be provided, cause people don’t really see a difference.
- LifeLiverTransp 8y ago
  @ dcplogic Yes, the Streisand effect is still news to some control freaks, who think they can make humanity march according to theire terms.
- exodust 8y ago
  > I should manually log in to their website and delete my account. I don't have time to deal with this... In the time it took to write that comment you could have deleted your account. At least they do have a "delete account" button, a lot of services do not. BTW, you can sign up with a fake non-existent email to check it out, you don't need to confirm your account to start using the app.
drcode 8y ago
...so, what kind of rendering tech does a tool like this rely on these days? WebGL? What's considered best practice on this front these days?
- tehsauce 8y ago
  Definitely webgl
- AlunAlun 8y ago
  WebGL, which is now supported by all modern browsers, with WebGL2 (more flexible, fewer restrictions) around the corner. Most of the professional level tools as exhibited by the OP will be using a custom engine built on top of it. For smaller projects, the excellent Three.js [0] is an easy way into creating 3D in the browser. [0] https://threejs.org/ https://threejs.org/
  - tokyodude 8y ago
    WebGL2 is not around the corner. Apple has indirectly made it clear they will never be shipping WebGL2. WebGPU is "around the corner". Apple/Mozilla/Google/Microsoft are all working on it. Google and Mozilla will ship it. Apple and Microsoft remain to be seen.
    - AlunAlun 8y ago
      Apple “made it clear” originally that WebGL would never be supported in iOS, but eventually buckled. So I wouldn’t write off WebGL2 quite yet. Though I agree that it’s been stuck ‘around the corner’ for several years now.
    - throwaway34241 8y ago
      Didn't Apple kick off the whole WebGPU standardization process? I can't see why they would do that if they weren't interested in shipping it. Since Microsoft is moving to Chromium, I imagine they'll just leverage that implementation rather than doing anything with EdgeHTML. Agree on WebGL2, it seems unlikely that they'll want to commit to supporting it forever with WebGPU on the horizon. Plus Edge will probably not add support until switching to Chromium, so WebGL2 will probably never have a chance to be supported by all browsers until WebGPU is taking off anyway.
redindian75 8y ago
Here is a video of what is possible inside a browser! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dC1ZRdf9JM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dC1ZRdf9JM Wow! (not affiliated with them)
- exodust 8y ago
  Wow so it plays electronic music in background while you work. That's different.
svachalek 8y ago
This looks pretty cool. Tinkercad is another tool like this that works in a browser. I find Tinkercad is a little more intuitive but from what I can see this seems to be a little more powerful.
AlunAlun 8y ago
See also: Clara.io [0], Onshape [1], Lagoa (bought a few years ago by Autodesk) [2] I must confess I struggle to see the long-term market for these services - I was working on a startup in the field for a while, and eventually decided it wasn't worth continuing. The only thing these services really offer above desktop equivalents (which Autodesk totally dominate) is the collaboration (like Google Docs for 3D). But do you really need to collaborate to create 3D? Maybe to review/annotate etc. but to actually collaborate during the process of creating an object/scene? To put it another way, are you going to convince your entire art team to leave behind the toolchain they have used their entire career, just so they can 'collaborate'? And if so, do you think Autodesk are going to let that happen? (Obviously not, as they bought in to the field a while ago). [0] https://clara.io/ https://clara.io/ [1] https://www.onshape.com/ https://www.onshape.com/ [2] https://architosh.com/2014/11/autodesk-reportedly-acquires-cloud-based-3d-design-platform-lagoa-for-60-million/ https://architosh.com/2014/11/autodesk-reportedly-acquires-c...
- sitkack 8y ago
  > To put it another way, are you going to convince your entire art team to leave behind the toolchain they have used their entire career Yes. Because they will start out using these tools. Having experts be able to oversee novices is very powerful, esp w/o having to transport files, load and diff, etc. An expert can hop into someones session, show a technique, do a quick critique and move on.
- holoduke 8y ago
  Yes i agree. There are some exceptions. You have Fusion360 (also autodesk) which is a slim version of Inventor. It is web based and used by lots of professional people. It also works quite similar to Inventor. So switching isnt that hard. But to go from 3dmax or maya to an entirely different ecosystem. I don't see that happen anytime soon.
- redindian75 8y ago
  For lightweight & quick conceptual work, even final deliveries most of the time, nothing beats a browser based available-everywhere tool. No files to sync, same tool to both view & edit the files. I used Industry heavyweight Photoshop for 15+ years, Sketch for 4 and dropped everything for Figma[1] after playing with it for 2 days. Now my UX comps, UI sketches all available EVERYWHERE. All inspirations, rough concepts all stacked away in any browser I have access to. I move to different machines a lot (Macs/Windows). Used to carry around a USB stick (synced to Dropbox from my home computer). Now it is nirvana - No syncing, No dropboxing or figuring out where my prototypes, v1, 'final-final-v1-1-edit-final' files, & source files are. Not only the files are available, but the viewer to view those files are right there. [1] www.Figma.com - Browser based UX Mockup/Prototype tool.
jpm_sd 8y ago
We've come a long way since VRML [0] running in java applets! Re-live the experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eghlSdGvuC0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eghlSdGvuC0 [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VRML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VRML
- cr0sh 8y ago
  > We've come a long way since VRML [0] running in java applets! I'd argue "yes" and "no" on this at the same time... With VRML, it was designed so that - like HTML - anyone could easily create 3D objects and "worlds" using a simple markup syntax that was very similar to HTML (IIRC, both are subsets of SGML?). It was easy to create something really quickly that could be interacted with. These tools, while they simplify the creation part (somewhat), are more akin to today's "web site builder" systems vs raw HTML in an editor. What you get out of them, though, isn't anything like HTML - if you are lucky, you'll get a standard file format or maybe JSON - but then what do you do with that? Furthermore, it isn't likely very human readable or editable. WebGL - and libraries like three.js built on top - are all well and good, and allow for much easier access for 3D graphics work - but neither are anything like VRML. There are some VRML-like tools out there - one that comes to mind is Google's A-Frame: https://aframe.io/docs/0.9.0/introduction/ https://aframe.io/docs/0.9.0/introduction/ So some stuff like the old-school VRML is out there, and VRML had it's issues, which is part of why it didn't survive (the other part being that it was too early for the available PC hardware - unless you happened to own an SGI workstation at the time). It's one of those pieces of "pioneering" technology that came too early for the tech - but gave us a glimpse of what might be possible in the future (much like the first "wave" of virtual reality hardware technology).
andybak 8y ago
Does per monthly pricing turn off a lot of people? My usage patterns are pretty uneven and - although I know I can unsubscribe/resubscribe - I end up feeling like I'm probably wasting my money when I'm not using it (despite the low price) It's irrational but there you go. Does anybody consider a per-usage pricing model? Is there some reason why that is a terrible idea?
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- pathartl 8y ago
  I wish it was a "If you use it this month, we'll charge you $15". I personally hate having to balance the tools I subscribe to. I mean even if I use something like EAGLE for once in a month, that one time is worth the $15 or whatever it is now. If I don't use it in February though, I don't wanna get charged for it. For as much as reporting home for license checks these programs do, you think they would be a little understanding.
  - exodust 8y ago
    > I wish it was "If you use it this month, we'll charge you $15" Yes, or even "if you use it more than 2 hours this month, we'll charge you $15". It's mostly impossible to do anything seriously meaningful in under 2 hours except minor edits and file conversions etc. Subscription models really need to grow up and be more dynamic.
- guelo 8y ago
  100% agree. If I create 4 documents now I'm stuck paying $108/year forever to keep them on their server. No thanks.
- exodust 8y ago
  Yes, it's a turn off and disappointing that monthly subscription is the only option for something as simple as saving the 3d model you just created to your computer. Too many of these small time software and web app publishers just default to thinking people are going to subscribe and forget about it. For a 3d modelling program with many free competitors, it's wishful thinking. The problem wouldn't be a problem if there was an option to buy outright. But they sold their investors the promise of monthly revenue.
spectramax 8y ago
I am a Mechanical Engineer and we use SolidWorks for CAD. I was surprised to find there exists no 3D modeling software (Nurbs / Polygonal based) that I can model using accurate dimensions. 3DSMax, Maya, Modo, C4D, Blender, Houdini, you name it. I understand that they’re not doing parametric modeling such as SolidWorks, Inventor, etc. but there has to be a way to merge both modeling paradigms. I was honestly shocked at this fundamental lack of capability. I wanted to accurately model a product for visualization and there is no way to specify dimensions. Everything is done by “eye” in the visualization industry. When accuracy is required, especially proportions, manual element dimensions are typed in during creation of primitives. I am used to the extreme discipline and constrain based modeling in engineering. Does anyone know why visualization folks don’t care about dimensional accuracy?
- exodust 8y ago
  > Does anyone know why visualization folks don’t care about dimensional accuracy? Maybe because the intended output is more about proportion than absolute dimensions? Besides, you can specify dimensions in the programs you mention, Blender, Modo etc. See here for Vectary: https://www.vectary.com/3d-modeling-learn/dimensions-how-to-measure-in-3D https://www.vectary.com/3d-modeling-learn/dimensions-how-to-...
  - spectramax 8y ago
    That’s the surprising part: These software packages are used for both, proportional modeling of dragons and animated characters to architecture and industrial design visualization. The latter, requires absolute dimensions.
- snarfy 8y ago
  There are really only so many modeling kernels. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_modeling_kernel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_modeling_kernel
- throwaway936482 8y ago
  In blender at least you can specify the size of any primitive, measure the length of any edge, measure between any two points, move a vertice, object, or face by a specified amount etc. so this is just not true for blender at least. You can also annotate any dimension easily with a dynamically updating annotation. What you can't do easily (unless you're prepared to do some serious python scripting) is parametric / constraints based modelling because it's not a parametric modelling program. I'm not sure what else you'd want. As to why visualisation folk don't care about dimensional accuracy, we do when necessary, but unless we're designing for 3d printing there's no point in worrying about things like clearances and tolerances since we're not making a physical object. Also, especially if we're doing arcvis, the demand is to knock out large quantities of models very quickly, not produce a perfect replica. I'm not going to worry about the exact dimensions of a piece of complex equipment or furniture I'm modelling if I need to produce a fully textured model in under an hour.
ivarv 8y ago
To add to the list of other similar projects already mentioned, Nunu Studio[0] is a solid MIT-licensed tool based on three.js. [0] https://nunustudio.org/ https://nunustudio.org/
readit3 8y ago
It is cool and i see some use cases. But Blender is free, and serious enough to do any kind of work. And 2.8 is user friendly enough to forget any alternative :)
rubatuga 8y ago
Amazing choice of typography and design!
schiho 8y ago
To get extended functionality, you need to sign-up for a Premium account. This tool need's to be more open in first place as 'fully functional' before it can attract people to sign up for premium account. The 'collaboration' aspect isn't what will sell this product. It could have potential when they allow creator's and designers to fully explore it first.
cannedslime 8y ago
So can you actually do useful work in this? Or is it just drag & drop of prefabs like the marketing would lead you to believe? What about modifiers and tools, what can I actually make with this aside from drag&drop of prefabbed iphones? Why would I choose to pay for some cloud BS over just downloading blender?

170 points by redindian75 8y ago

dbcurtis 8y ago

Dimensions? Master model? Assemblies? Or is this only for pretty pictures?

rushsteve1 8y ago
It claims to be for modeling not CAD. Think Blender not Solidworks. So ultimately yes, it's for pretty pictures.
- joshlegs 8y ago
  blender can create 3d printable STL files, so if we're "thinking Blender," then that implies we can 3d model for printing, if i understand what you're saying
  - mmcwilliams 8y ago
    I think a better distinction here is mesh vs. solid geometry. This is a tool for creating mesh-based models and has a focus on rendering. STL is a mesh format that you can print with consumer 3D printers and it looks like Vectary supports that as an export format, but it's not a product built for engineering or mechanical design. That said it looks really cool and I would definitely print something made with it. Trying that out now, actually.
    - bcohen5055 8y ago
      The distinction you are looking for is parametric vs. geometric. Parametric models such as Solidworks or Creo use complex equations to derive the 3D geometry. Geometric models use a point cloud built from polygons to develop surfaces. These point clouds are defined by the user and are not as "stable" when used in product development setting where you are trying to create multiple iterations/sizes of an object
      - mmcwilliams 8y ago
        Thank you for clarifying. I wasn't sure if the Vectary editor was or wasn't parametric, but it seems clear that it isn't for building CSG models.
      - nraynaud 8y ago
        it's more like Brep is the distinction, is the internal representation a list of operations on a Brep model? But it's true that model history is preferred for mechanics, but I have seen some proto model history in 3DS max with the modifier stack.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- cannedslime 8y ago
  I have used Blender for CAD like work before, not because its good at it or anything, but it was good enough for my purposes and it was free. Boolean operations in blender are very good for that sort of work, you don't need to commit to anything and can easily change dimensions of sub parts on the go, screw modifier has also been handy at some tasks (like making screws and screw like features).
deckar01 8y ago
It lists 3D printing as a use case. It also has a dedicated set of tutorials on working with exact dimensions. https://www.vectary.com/3d-modeling-learn/dimensions-how-to-measure-in-3D/ https://www.vectary.com/3d-modeling-learn/dimensions-how-to-...

dvfjsdhgfv 8y ago

Oh man I hate receiving spam from these people. They don't provide an unsubscribe link, and when I ask them to stop sending me these e-mails, they say they won't and that I should manually log in to their website and delete my account. I don't have time to deal with this but I hope someone takes them to task for that.

jolmg 8y ago
If you mark it as SPAM, it should cause their mail reputation to take a hit, and your mail server should prevent their emails from getting to your inbox.
dcplogic 8y ago
Wow. That's newbie behavior. By now 99% of "legitimate spammers" have realized that it's in their interest to make unsubscription at most a two click operation. The best make it a one click operation. Otherwise you get threads like these...
miabiel 8y ago
I think their marketing emails do have unsubscribe link, only the service emails don’t cause they are obliged to inform you about important changes you are subscribed to, like changes in terms of use... however unsubscribe should be provided, cause people don’t really see a difference.
LifeLiverTransp 8y ago
@ dcplogic Yes, the Streisand effect is still news to some control freaks, who think they can make humanity march according to theire terms.
exodust 8y ago
> I should manually log in to their website and delete my account. I don't have time to deal with this... In the time it took to write that comment you could have deleted your account. At least they do have a "delete account" button, a lot of services do not. BTW, you can sign up with a fake non-existent email to check it out, you don't need to confirm your account to start using the app.

drcode 8y ago

...so, what kind of rendering tech does a tool like this rely on these days? WebGL? What's considered best practice on this front these days?

tehsauce 8y ago
Definitely webgl
AlunAlun 8y ago
WebGL, which is now supported by all modern browsers, with WebGL2 (more flexible, fewer restrictions) around the corner. Most of the professional level tools as exhibited by the OP will be using a custom engine built on top of it. For smaller projects, the excellent Three.js [0] is an easy way into creating 3D in the browser. [0] https://threejs.org/ https://threejs.org/
- tokyodude 8y ago
  WebGL2 is not around the corner. Apple has indirectly made it clear they will never be shipping WebGL2. WebGPU is "around the corner". Apple/Mozilla/Google/Microsoft are all working on it. Google and Mozilla will ship it. Apple and Microsoft remain to be seen.
  - AlunAlun 8y ago
    Apple “made it clear” originally that WebGL would never be supported in iOS, but eventually buckled. So I wouldn’t write off WebGL2 quite yet. Though I agree that it’s been stuck ‘around the corner’ for several years now.
  - throwaway34241 8y ago
    Didn't Apple kick off the whole WebGPU standardization process? I can't see why they would do that if they weren't interested in shipping it. Since Microsoft is moving to Chromium, I imagine they'll just leverage that implementation rather than doing anything with EdgeHTML. Agree on WebGL2, it seems unlikely that they'll want to commit to supporting it forever with WebGPU on the horizon. Plus Edge will probably not add support until switching to Chromium, so WebGL2 will probably never have a chance to be supported by all browsers until WebGPU is taking off anyway.

redindian75 8y ago

Here is a video of what is possible inside a browser! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dC1ZRdf9JM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dC1ZRdf9JM Wow! (not affiliated with them)

exodust 8y ago
Wow so it plays electronic music in background while you work. That's different.

svachalek 8y ago

This looks pretty cool. Tinkercad is another tool like this that works in a browser. I find Tinkercad is a little more intuitive but from what I can see this seems to be a little more powerful.

AlunAlun 8y ago

See also: Clara.io [0], Onshape [1], Lagoa (bought a few years ago by Autodesk) [2] I must confess I struggle to see the long-term market for these services - I was working on a startup in the field for a while, and eventually decided it wasn't worth continuing. The only thing these services really offer above desktop equivalents (which Autodesk totally dominate) is the collaboration (like Google Docs for 3D). But do you really need to collaborate to create 3D? Maybe to review/annotate etc. but to actually collaborate during the process of creating an object/scene? To put it another way, are you going to convince your entire art team to leave behind the toolchain they have used their entire career, just so they can 'collaborate'? And if so, do you think Autodesk are going to let that happen? (Obviously not, as they bought in to the field a while ago). [0] https://clara.io/ https://clara.io/ [1] https://www.onshape.com/ https://www.onshape.com/ [2] https://architosh.com/2014/11/autodesk-reportedly-acquires-cloud-based-3d-design-platform-lagoa-for-60-million/ https://architosh.com/2014/11/autodesk-reportedly-acquires-c...

sitkack 8y ago
> To put it another way, are you going to convince your entire art team to leave behind the toolchain they have used their entire career Yes. Because they will start out using these tools. Having experts be able to oversee novices is very powerful, esp w/o having to transport files, load and diff, etc. An expert can hop into someones session, show a technique, do a quick critique and move on.
holoduke 8y ago
Yes i agree. There are some exceptions. You have Fusion360 (also autodesk) which is a slim version of Inventor. It is web based and used by lots of professional people. It also works quite similar to Inventor. So switching isnt that hard. But to go from 3dmax or maya to an entirely different ecosystem. I don't see that happen anytime soon.
redindian75 8y ago
For lightweight & quick conceptual work, even final deliveries most of the time, nothing beats a browser based available-everywhere tool. No files to sync, same tool to both view & edit the files. I used Industry heavyweight Photoshop for 15+ years, Sketch for 4 and dropped everything for Figma[1] after playing with it for 2 days. Now my UX comps, UI sketches all available EVERYWHERE. All inspirations, rough concepts all stacked away in any browser I have access to. I move to different machines a lot (Macs/Windows). Used to carry around a USB stick (synced to Dropbox from my home computer). Now it is nirvana - No syncing, No dropboxing or figuring out where my prototypes, v1, 'final-final-v1-1-edit-final' files, & source files are. Not only the files are available, but the viewer to view those files are right there. [1] www.Figma.com - Browser based UX Mockup/Prototype tool.

jpm_sd 8y ago

We've come a long way since VRML [0] running in java applets! Re-live the experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eghlSdGvuC0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eghlSdGvuC0 [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VRML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VRML

cr0sh 8y ago
> We've come a long way since VRML [0] running in java applets! I'd argue "yes" and "no" on this at the same time... With VRML, it was designed so that - like HTML - anyone could easily create 3D objects and "worlds" using a simple markup syntax that was very similar to HTML (IIRC, both are subsets of SGML?). It was easy to create something really quickly that could be interacted with. These tools, while they simplify the creation part (somewhat), are more akin to today's "web site builder" systems vs raw HTML in an editor. What you get out of them, though, isn't anything like HTML - if you are lucky, you'll get a standard file format or maybe JSON - but then what do you do with that? Furthermore, it isn't likely very human readable or editable. WebGL - and libraries like three.js built on top - are all well and good, and allow for much easier access for 3D graphics work - but neither are anything like VRML. There are some VRML-like tools out there - one that comes to mind is Google's A-Frame: https://aframe.io/docs/0.9.0/introduction/ https://aframe.io/docs/0.9.0/introduction/ So some stuff like the old-school VRML is out there, and VRML had it's issues, which is part of why it didn't survive (the other part being that it was too early for the available PC hardware - unless you happened to own an SGI workstation at the time). It's one of those pieces of "pioneering" technology that came too early for the tech - but gave us a glimpse of what might be possible in the future (much like the first "wave" of virtual reality hardware technology).

andybak 8y ago

Does per monthly pricing turn off a lot of people? My usage patterns are pretty uneven and - although I know I can unsubscribe/resubscribe - I end up feeling like I'm probably wasting my money when I'm not using it (despite the low price) It's irrational but there you go. Does anybody consider a per-usage pricing model? Is there some reason why that is a terrible idea?

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
pathartl 8y ago
I wish it was a "If you use it this month, we'll charge you $15". I personally hate having to balance the tools I subscribe to. I mean even if I use something like EAGLE for once in a month, that one time is worth the $15 or whatever it is now. If I don't use it in February though, I don't wanna get charged for it. For as much as reporting home for license checks these programs do, you think they would be a little understanding.
- exodust 8y ago
  > I wish it was "If you use it this month, we'll charge you $15" Yes, or even "if you use it more than 2 hours this month, we'll charge you $15". It's mostly impossible to do anything seriously meaningful in under 2 hours except minor edits and file conversions etc. Subscription models really need to grow up and be more dynamic.
guelo 8y ago
100% agree. If I create 4 documents now I'm stuck paying $108/year forever to keep them on their server. No thanks.
exodust 8y ago
Yes, it's a turn off and disappointing that monthly subscription is the only option for something as simple as saving the 3d model you just created to your computer. Too many of these small time software and web app publishers just default to thinking people are going to subscribe and forget about it. For a 3d modelling program with many free competitors, it's wishful thinking. The problem wouldn't be a problem if there was an option to buy outright. But they sold their investors the promise of monthly revenue.

spectramax 8y ago

I am a Mechanical Engineer and we use SolidWorks for CAD. I was surprised to find there exists no 3D modeling software (Nurbs / Polygonal based) that I can model using accurate dimensions. 3DSMax, Maya, Modo, C4D, Blender, Houdini, you name it. I understand that they’re not doing parametric modeling such as SolidWorks, Inventor, etc. but there has to be a way to merge both modeling paradigms. I was honestly shocked at this fundamental lack of capability. I wanted to accurately model a product for visualization and there is no way to specify dimensions. Everything is done by “eye” in the visualization industry. When accuracy is required, especially proportions, manual element dimensions are typed in during creation of primitives. I am used to the extreme discipline and constrain based modeling in engineering. Does anyone know why visualization folks don’t care about dimensional accuracy?

exodust 8y ago
> Does anyone know why visualization folks don’t care about dimensional accuracy? Maybe because the intended output is more about proportion than absolute dimensions? Besides, you can specify dimensions in the programs you mention, Blender, Modo etc. See here for Vectary: https://www.vectary.com/3d-modeling-learn/dimensions-how-to-measure-in-3D https://www.vectary.com/3d-modeling-learn/dimensions-how-to-...
- spectramax 8y ago
  That’s the surprising part: These software packages are used for both, proportional modeling of dragons and animated characters to architecture and industrial design visualization. The latter, requires absolute dimensions.
snarfy 8y ago
There are really only so many modeling kernels. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_modeling_kernel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_modeling_kernel
throwaway936482 8y ago
In blender at least you can specify the size of any primitive, measure the length of any edge, measure between any two points, move a vertice, object, or face by a specified amount etc. so this is just not true for blender at least. You can also annotate any dimension easily with a dynamically updating annotation. What you can't do easily (unless you're prepared to do some serious python scripting) is parametric / constraints based modelling because it's not a parametric modelling program. I'm not sure what else you'd want. As to why visualisation folk don't care about dimensional accuracy, we do when necessary, but unless we're designing for 3d printing there's no point in worrying about things like clearances and tolerances since we're not making a physical object. Also, especially if we're doing arcvis, the demand is to knock out large quantities of models very quickly, not produce a perfect replica. I'm not going to worry about the exact dimensions of a piece of complex equipment or furniture I'm modelling if I need to produce a fully textured model in under an hour.

ivarv 8y ago

To add to the list of other similar projects already mentioned, Nunu Studio[0] is a solid MIT-licensed tool based on three.js. [0] https://nunustudio.org/ https://nunustudio.org/

readit3 8y ago

It is cool and i see some use cases. But Blender is free, and serious enough to do any kind of work. And 2.8 is user friendly enough to forget any alternative :)

rubatuga 8y ago

Amazing choice of typography and design!

schiho 8y ago

To get extended functionality, you need to sign-up for a Premium account. This tool need's to be more open in first place as 'fully functional' before it can attract people to sign up for premium account. The 'collaboration' aspect isn't what will sell this product. It could have potential when they allow creator's and designers to fully explore it first.

cannedslime 8y ago

So can you actually do useful work in this? Or is it just drag & drop of prefabs like the marketing would lead you to believe? What about modifiers and tools, what can I actually make with this aside from drag&drop of prefabbed iphones? Why would I choose to pay for some cloud BS over just downloading blender?