3D Modelling in a Browser • Hacker News Board

Re: 3D Modelling in a Browser

#41

Post by spectramax » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 12:30 AM UTC

exodust wrote: post #35

spectramax wrote: post #31

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 a…

> 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-...

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.

Re: 3D Modelling in a Browser

#42

Post by exodust » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 12:30 AM UTC

dvfjsdhgfv wrote: post #3

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.

> 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.

Re: 3D Modelling in a Browser

#43

Post by badsectoracula » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 12:33 AM UTC

andybak wrote: post #26

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?

Yes, i do not mind paying for quality software, but i want to have control over it. This means payment once (...i am ok with buying new major versions as long as the developers aren't releasing a major version every year or whatever to force people repay) and i get an installer .exe (or whatever) that i can keep on my external HDD for as long as i want and there isn't any need for online authentication/DRM (i am ok with key files as used by Total Commander and WinRAR).

Sadly, as time goes on this is becoming increasingly less common.

Re: 3D Modelling in a Browser

#44

Post by readit3 » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 12:39 AM UTC

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 :)

Re: 3D Modelling in a Browser

#45

Post by snarfy » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 1:21 AM UTC

spectramax wrote: post #31

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 a…

There are really only so many modeling kernels.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_modeling_kernel

Re: 3D Modelling in a Browser

#46

Post by mrtweetyhack » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 2:00 AM UTC

andybak wrote: post #26

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?

$108/year is not low price

Re: 3D Modelling in a Browser

#47

Post by d-sc » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 2:35 AM UTC

AlunAlun wrote: post #16

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…

CAD tools generally have pretty good lock in. So that certainly helps with the long term the prospects.

I’m not going to convince my team to move over from the tools they use. But the engineering team that makes their jobs irrelevant because they bid by 50% lower through increased efficiency will.

Rendering is computationally heavy, so a browser is not ideal. However, offloading simulation, file storage, version handling, etc to the ‘cloud’ has boundless potential for productivity and efficieny increases.

Re: 3D Modelling in a Browser

#48

Post by canada_dry » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 3:01 AM UTC

eerikkivistik wrote: post #23

AlunAlun wrote: post #16

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…

I'll plug our product here as well https://3dc.io

Nicely designed and has potential.

Missing (couldn't find) many useful and necessary components (e.g. explicit sizing, rulers/measurement, pivot points).

Re: 3D Modelling in a Browser

#49

Post by jonnydubowsky » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 3:57 AM UTC

eerikkivistik wrote: post #23

AlunAlun wrote: post #16

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…

I'll plug our product here as well https://3dc.io

I've recently started using 3DC and find it to be a wonderful creative tool. It's super intuitive and easy to use on the go, on a mobile device. I look forward to using it more in the future.

Re: 3D Modelling in a Browser

#50

Post by tokyodude » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 4:08 AM UTC

AlunAlun wrote: post #18

drcode wrote: post #8

...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?

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/

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.