End user event 2013
This year I had the opportunity to speak at the end user event in Utrecht, the Netherlands. For you who don’t know what this is, check out this video of the organizer, Joep van der Steen, explaining it. Basically it’s a gettogether of 3D professionals.
Unleash your 3D models into the wild
The topic of my talk was setting your 3D models free. If you’ve got 3D models, or if you’re planning to make some, make sure you publish them wherever you can. Don’t let them sit on a server and gather dust. Over the last few years many possibilities have emerged to get your 3D content into the hands of consumers. Why settle for that single platform when you can easily target multiple platforms and reach more users?
High end 3D versus 3D everywhere
Consumers are getting used to 3D models. To be precise, they’re used to looking at high end 3D models, such as the ones in movies, games and commercials. The 3D content I’m talking about is content you can do something with: interact, work, communicate. They’re 3D models you can run in your browser or smartphone. These models can still be high in quality but they’re tuned to be used online or on a device. This means it’s a bit easier to make them as well.
Sketchfab, Augment, Layar
These three platforms give us a good overview of what can be done to get 3D content into the hands of consumers. There are many more platforms available, but these three offer a great service (and I’ve got experience with these three).
Sketchfab
Sketchfab is an online platform which displays your 3D models in a webbrowser without plugins. You can also share and embed 3D models, just like a youtube video. Sketchfab is making great progress and they’re adding new features regularly. Check out the movie for an overview.
Augment
Augment is more geared towards professional use. It’s focus is working with 3D models, e.g. furniture or consumer products. With the augment app you can always have your product portfolio on you without having to actually carry them.
Layar
Although layar focuses mainly on 2D content, their platform is fully capable of working with 3D models. Their platform is interesting because they target the print-market: magazines, books, newspapers. It’s possible to integrate 3D content with 2D campaigns.
Why use it?
Why use one or more 3D platforms to distribute 3D models? There are many reasons why:
- Using many platforms gets your 3D models in more hands
- Tell stories with 3D models you can’t otherwise tell with videos or images
- Collaborate online on 3D designs instead of sending images and screenshots back and forth
- Engage children in learning and captivate them with cool 3D models
- Augment gaming experiences
- Promote your designs and show your products with augmented reality in a real context
- If you already have a 3D model: use it! Dot waste it!
- Communicate with clients who don’t grasp the 3D aspect of a design when using drawings or images
Next
This wraps up the first part of my presentation. The second part will show you who benefits from these platforms and how to actually use them.