Sketchfab supports the obj fileformat. This fileformat contains a lot of features. The following features have been tested and are listed here. All features are tested with the sketchfab publisher for 3dsMax. Check out the sketchfab obj features in action here, or on sketchfab.
Embed
As you can see, sketchfab also supports embedding a viewer directly in your site. This is done with an iFrame. It’s pretty easy to copy the embed-code from sketchfab to your site or blog. If you’re running a wordpress blog, keep in mind that you need to have admin clearance, otherwise the iframe won’t stick in your post. It’ll just disappear every time you update the post. An example of the embed code is posted here:
<iframe width="300" height="200" src="http://skfb.ly/4i32fe" frameborder="0"></iframe>
Diffuse
Flat, diffuse materials are supported. You don’t need bitmap textures for colors. The diffuse colors come out very bright though. Ambient colors have no influence.
Specular
Specular color and glossiness is supported. The highlights come out a bit funky though when using very low glossiness values
Bitmaptexture
Bitmap-textures are supported. Bitmaptextures mix with the diffuse colors, but they don’t mix with the ambient colors. To get the original colors of the bitmaptextures you apply, set the diffuse color to white.
Normalmaps
Normal maps within a normal-bump texturemap in the bump-slot are supported. Make sure you name the normal-bump uniquely in the scene. Otherwise it will share a single normal map when using multiple normal-maps.
Transparency
Transparency is not yet supported
Backface culling
All faces are doublesided for the moment. Adding the possibility of backface-culling (single sided faces) is very high on my wicslist though. Let’s hope it gets implemented in the future!
13 Comments
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Hey, thanks for the great examples up there.
Regarding bitmaps. If I put one in the diffuse slot there is no longer the ability to set the diffuse color to white. Where else would I put my diffuse bitmap? Perhaps I’m confused. 🙂
Hi Lee,
if you add a bitmaptexture to the diffuse slot in a standard-material you can still change the diffuse color of the material. Even though changing the color only isn’t apparent in 3dsMax, it has great influence when exporting the material. By the way, I’ve noticed now that maybe the diffuse color doesn’t influence the textures anymore. It used to do it, but the model demonstrating this, doesn’t show that behavior anymore. Check out this image illustrating the use of diffuse texture and diffuse color.
Hi,
Recently I just found out about Sketchfab and interested to try your script.
For a bitmap textures, is there any specific folder structure that we have to follow (path from .max file to .png file) before export it with your script? or all just put on the same root folder as the .max file?
Thanks!
Hi Revel,
the sketchfab publisher exports the files to a specific folder structure by itself. You just need to make sure the maxfile can find the textures, the script will take care of the rest. Keep in mind that the support for materials is quite limited at the moment. Standard materials with bitmaptextures as diffuse, specular or normalmap. this is described in this article. If in doubt: just try it out. You can delete models from your sketchfab account if you reach your limit!
Klaas
Yeah made it! actually it wasn’t as complicated as i thought at first 🙂
I did a small experiment with my model and it seems like Sketchfab support specular and gloss map which spec map on specular color slot and gloss map on specular level slot. Its also take the value in specular highlight: level and glossiness value. But light didn’t seem to export together with .obj though.
If you interested please have a look at my model 🙂
https://sketchfab.com/revel/recent
Hey Revel, those models and textures look fantastic!
obj doesn’t export lighting, that’s true. You can manually export to collada (i’d use opencollada for now). That will export your lights, but might not feature all of your textures.
Hi Klaas, thanks really appreciate that you like my model 😀
For a collada format that you mention, I’ve already installed the openCOLLADA exporter to my max, but it didn’t showed up on the drop down list on your Sketchfab Publisher, could it be any setting/ step that I missed out?
Revel,
you’re a bit ahead of me. My script doesn’t support Collada yet. I’ve kind of prepared for it, but it’ll take some time to make sure the shaders translate correctly within the automated export. So what I actually meant was you could export manually with opencollada and upload the file by hand. So don’t use the script. It’s less than ideal, but still works!
Hi Klass! I’m new to Sketchfab, but I think it will be a welcome addition to my online portfolio! I’m having some issues with textures not tiling at all, though. It seems as though as soon as the mapping coordinates go beyond the 1:1 tile space, they are streaking indefinitely. I’m using 3DS Max 2012 with your exporter. I’ve seen tiling textures working on other models on the Sketchfab website, so I’m wondering if I’m dong anything wrong…suggestions? Any help would be great!
Cheers!
Brent Kirby
Hi Brent,
welcome to the future of 3d!
Are you using mapping coordinates in the textures themselves? These coordinates don’t translate to sketchfab. If you want tiling textures you should use a uvw mapping modifier or a uvw unwrap for instance. As long as the tiling is stored in the geometry you’re good.
Brent, try resizing your texture so that it is square. Forexample, 2048×2048. It worked for me.
hi, I have a question.. My 3dmax model is done with vray plug in.. so I have vray lights, vray materials.. they aren’t showing up.. Does sketchfab support vray or I have to swich everything to standard 3dmax? 🙂 ty for taking the time to help me 🙂 love the page 🙂
Hi Gabriela, indeed only standard materials are supported. If you have it all set up in vray you could either convert it to standard materials or bake all lighting into standard materials. Keep in mind that there’s limited support for lights. When you use the sketchfab-script you can’t export lights but when you export manually to collada you can. I’m not sure how it interprets vray lights though.