| Q&A |
 Gilad
Khen
3D Anywhere
04/06/01 |
| Q1 |
A
short description of 3D Anywhere. |
| A1 |
3DAnywhere
is a fast, flexible, customizable, and efficient system of displaying
3D scenes on the web. 3DAnywhere provides a complete system
for publishing 3D scenes. It enables web-site authors to present
three-dimensional objects over the Internet and allowing the
viewer to rotate and control the object's size and shape, without
the need of a plug-in installation. |
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| Q2 |
Is
3D Anywhere technologies only devoted for e-commerce ? Is there
any other application ? (design, architercture, CAD...) |
| A2 |
3DAnywhere
targets the E commerce market. It is extremely easy to create
an interactive 3D model and present it in a web browser. 3DAnywhere’s
Javascript API commands powers the 3D scene’s interactivity,
so the designer can use it to produce any kind of 3D application
(e.g. games, tutorials…). |
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| Q3 |
How
much does it cost for a webmaster to use 3D Anywhere ? |
| A3 |
The
3DAnywhere Designer software is freeware. The 3DAnywhere applets
licensing principles are simple:
- Non-commercial web sites may display 3DAnywhere applets freely
(A red 3DAnywhere logo will appear on the applet).
- Commercial web sites can acquire $25 and $50 licenses. 3Di
grants any domain with a first free license ($25 dollars worth).
For more info check out www.3danywhere.com/licensing/ |
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| Q4 |
Is
any training necessary for integrating 3DAny. objects in HTML
pages ? |
| A4 |
When
creating the 3DAnywhere Designer our goal was to be coherent
and consistent. A modeler/web programmer with a 3D model at
hand can export it to the web in no more than one minute. The
Designer has a simple HTML generator for users not experienced
in HTML. Enhanced interactivity requires basic knowledge in
Javascript.
All the 3DAnywhere APIs are well documented on the help system,
and on www.3danywhere.com/docs/. |
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| Q5 |
Is
there any figures that show the impact of 3d models in e-commerce
site ? |
| A5 |
Presenting
a 3D model on an E-commerce web site is beneficial in many aspects.
Statistic shows at least two-thirds of users felt that online
merchants using 3D product graphics provide better information
for them to make buying decisions. The fact that no plug-in
is required makes a big difference. With no standard 3D engine
for all platforms 3DAnywhere is probably the first and only
choice for web-masters to be sure that their 3D content is getting
through to the users. |
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| Q6 |
What
do you think about the future of plug-in 3d technologies ? |
| A6 |
Plug-ins
are great – once installed. It makes a lot of sense to
install a 3D engine on the computer only once, and then use
it for all your 3D needs.
The problem is that with current bandwidth initial download
time is a major issue. Macromedia, for example, has a 2 Megs
download for it’s Shockwave-3D plug-in. The 3DAnywhere
core engine is about 40 KB. Accessibility is the most important
factor here. And what is more accessible than a Java based engine?
3DAnywhere distinguish itself from it’s competitors by
being ACCESSIBLE for everyone. When the time comes, switching
the current engine to a plug-in based engine is easy. |
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| Q7 |
For
computer graphists who use 3ds Max, how can they convert teir
objects into 3D Any. format ? |
| A7 |
Getting
a model from Max to 3DAnywhere is easy. All you have to do is
export it to VRML2 and it’s there. Additional info can
be found on the documentation. |
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| Q8 |
What
about security and 3D Any. technology ? |
| A8 |
3DAnywhere
is Java based. It adopts the Java security model. More info
on that can be found on http://java.sun.com. |
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| Q9 |
Is
there any rules to respect in order to produce optimised 3D
Any. objetcs ? |
| A9 |
When
creating a 3D scene for the web the two most important rules
are:
- Stay low-polygon. A simple model with rich textures might
be more appealing on a real-time 3D engine than a high-polygon
model.
- Use small texture files. Most pattern textures can be as small
as 1-2 KB.
3DAnywhere consist of many tools to
improve performance such as HFS (Hidden Face Removal) and
FSD (Flat Surface Determination). Read all about it on the
documentation.
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| Q10 |
The
modelers who works with Lightwave, Softimage xsi and Maya :
how can they product 3D Any. objets ? |
| A10 |
3DAnywhere
reads VRML2. Most software ships with a VRML exporter. Converting
from any other format to VRML2 is fairly easy. We recommend
3D Exploration available at http://www.us.righthemisphere.com/3dexploration/ |
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| Q11 |
Is
3D Any. player supporting anti-aliasing, bump mapping, transparencies,
shadows, or reflections? |
| A11 |
3DAnywhere
support a large number of features such as Anti Aliasing and
Transparency. The Flat, Gouraud and Texture Gouraud shade types
supports shading. Environment and Texture Environment shade
types helps create reflections and glossiness effects. |
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| Q12 |
Minimum
PC requirements for viewing 3D Any. objets ? |
| A12 |
Any
computer with a Java enabled browser. |
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| Q13 |
What
is the langage or the interface used for programming interaction
? |
| A13 |
3DAnywhere
uses Javascript as its scripting language. The APIs are pretty
straightforward. Almost anything that can be done in the Designer
can be scripted with Javascript. We also provide a 3DAnywhere
COM object and Java package for advanced programmers. |
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| Q14 |
What
would be the next key developping features for 3D Any. tehnologies
? |
| A14 |
Next
versions of 3DAnywhere will include Key framing support, additional
shade types and lots of other features. We are also currently
developing an Extension for Macromedia’s Dreamweaver users
that will help embed and script 3DAnywhere Applets on an HTML
page. |
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