After months of collaborating with Alban from Sketchfab we were finally able to get http://sketchfab.com integrated into Blender Artists! This is live right now and can be accessed by the quick or advanced reply on any thread.
What is Sketchfab?
Sketchfab allows 3D artists to post/publish our models online to be viewed in 3D. This could be very usefully when asking for critiques of a model, or showcasing a final of a character. Gives the viewer the ability to zoom, rotate and explore the creation with no user side plugin required. It also will accept native .blend files. Click here for info on the Blender Exporter
Examples of models online
Questions and Answers
Q: Is Sketchfab free?
A: Yes - they offer a free version to the site which allows you to upload an unlimited number of public models of 50MB each. Which includes Unlimited views and embeds.
Q: Which formats are supported?
A: Quite a few - see the full list here
Q: Does Sketchfab work everywhere?
A: Yes, Sketchfab uses WebGL & HTML5 to display real-time 3D models in the browser, and when WebGL isn’t available (for example on non-modern browsers or some mobile devices), they have an image-based fallback displaying a 360° view of the model (currently in alpha mode).
If you would like to learn more about using Sketchfab.com to display your models they have an expansiveFAQ online
I am anxious to see how this is used, and what you guys think of it here on Blender Artists. Enjoy and see you on the next update!
This is some cool stuff, an entirely new way to explore WIP projects and sculpts.
So is the default lighting seen here the only thing you get when uploading a model or will there be a way to define your own lighting setup. It would be pretty neat to eventually be able to upload entire Blender scenes with node-based/GLSL materials and lighting/shadows as it could become an incredible utility for showcasing models, WIP projects, game level geometry, and more.
Heck, I wonder if there will be a future where we can upload BGE games to the forum using WebGL so we can play them directly inside the game thread itself, now I know it’ll probably not come in the near future, but it look to me like we’re only scratching the surface here in what is possible with these types of technologies. (For example, using a plugin to dynamically load a .blend set to the Cycles rendered view would be insane, but that’s for way out in the future).
It’s nice that the model is downloaded and viewed after clicking on the preview and can be disabled, prevents page loading and performance issues. Thanks guys.
