| Q&A |
 Riccardo
della Martire,
Sophie3D
September 2009 |
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“We
released Sophie3D V.2 as a Flash Component so that while
the 3D models can still benefit from powerful and familiar
3D software programs, web developers could utilize their
knowledge of Flash CS4 to customize the appearance and
interactivity of Shophie3D's output.”
<
high detailed model with Flash Player 10 |
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| Q1 |
Why
are you developing a Flash 3D engine? |
| A1 |
In our work as a web application and design company we came
across the need for an easy way of showing 3D web models without
the need for the end-user to install a plug-in for their web
browser to view the website. |
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| Q2 |
A
quick comparison between Sophie3D and other Flash engines
clearly indicates that your engine can handle more complex
3D objects. How many triangles can Sophie3D display smoothly?
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| A2 |
There
is no exact limit on the number of polygons, having said that,
the web developer will try to keep the number of polygons in
a model as low as possible. This will improve the overall web
experience for the user. The more polygons there are, the longer
the model will take to load into the web browser and the fps
count frame per second will be lower. Also you need to consider
that there is a lot of old hardware out there.
The polygon/fps needs to be evaluated remembering that it is
important to keep the site fast, responsive and dynamic. |
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| Q3 |
Sophie3D
can read .obj files. Is that enough for today's 3D scenes with
animated objects and complex materials? |
| A3 |
We
chose the .obj format for various reasons. Firstly it is a
standard file format that many software programs can export
and import. 3D modelling software programs require a considerable
investment in time and study to be able to produce and edit
refined models. We did not want to create another program
and another long learning curve, but use a 3D modelling program
that we already knew. In that way we, or any web developer,
could quickly publish and edit models. Secondly, as it is
a text file it presents great
possibilities in that it can be connected to a database and
used for dynamic 3D model creation, even in real-time.
Together with the .obj file, which contains the models geometry
and normals, the .mtl file references the model's material
textures, transparency and reflection maps. These features
permit to use the same 3D model with different material libraries.
This offers many possibilities for application developers
to create applications where a user can customize articles
attributes like color and material
without reloading the 3D model.
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| Q4 |
Sophie3D
support transparencies, spherical reflections... Can you please
give us the main features? |
| A4 |
Sophie3D
can apply transparency to the 3D object buy defining materials
with transparency within your 3D modelling program. With .png
images you can use the alpha channel to apply transparency
at the pixel level. This gives you possibilities of hiding
and showing part of the 3D object by using channels on the
material map. You can apply materials with an image that can
be used as a reflection map. The object that has a material
with a reflection map will reflect that ambient map.You can
also define a special "shadow plane" where you place
an image that is used as a shadow. This gives to the scene
image more depth.You can use different camera views into your
application to create camera animation.You can use an image
as the scene’s background: you can change these during
runtime. You can interact with the mouse and interrogate the
model.You can change material of a 3D object during runtime.
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| Q5 |
Whereas
other engines, z-sorting gives good results without flickering/z-fighting.
How can you obtain such a result with a software engine? |
| A5 |
Sorry,
we can't expand too much on that question, as we would be
giving away secrets. |
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| Q6 |
Sophie3D
comes with an API with few functions/classes compares with PaperVision.
Do you plan to extend the number
of functions in order to offer more control and capabilities
to users? |
| A6 |
We
released Sophie3D V.2 as a Flash Component so that while the
3D models can still benefit from powerful and familiar
3D software programs, web developers could utilize their knowledge
of Flash CS4 to customize the appearance and
interactivity of Shophie3D's output. The current command set
based on our experience. We will undoubtedly add some other
commands over time, but not many. It is our opinion that web
content developers don't need hundreds of classes to develop
their web applications. Sophie3D has a function set that allows
them to develop applications that most end-users would like
to see or interact with, such as setting materials, camera animation,
mouse interactivity etc.
We will continue to develop the product but it will be based
upon Sophie3D's core principal of ease of use for both web user
and developers. |
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| Q7 |
How
much does Sophie3D cost? Do you offer custom developments? |
| A7 |
Currently
Sophie3D is free for non commercial use. This version has the
Sophie3D logo displayed. For the commercial version the current
price is 239 Euro which will give you a domain licence without
time limit. This allows you to publish as many models as you
like on that domain. Yes we do offer custom development and
development support for companies. These can be for Sophie3D
or other 3D web applications. |
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| Q8 |
Flash
CS4 comes with improved performances in 3D and pixel bender.
Do you plan to take advantage of those features? |
| A8 |
We are currently testing the possibilities offered by pixel
bender. |
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| Q9 |
With
Sophie3D, it seems that Flash can tread over Java engines. What
would be the next milestone be in Sophie3D's development? |
| A9 |
How
Sophie3D develops also depends upon how Adobe develops Flash.
Our intentions are to continually improve the quality
and speed of Sophie3D's output and its ease of use both from
the developer's and user's standpoint. |
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