Does anyone know how to incorporate a 3D CAD drawing into an html page
so that the visitor can rotate the drawing?
(one that doesn't require the visitor to install a plugin would be
ideal).

Thanks.

On Nov 20, 5:07*pm, GarageWoodworks
wrote:
Does anyone know how to incorporate a 3D CAD drawing into an html page
so that the visitor can rotate the drawing?
(one that doesn't require the visitor to install a plugin would be
ideal).

Thanks.

I think that is called VRML...I think.

On Nov 20, 5:19*pm, Robatoy wrote:
On Nov 20, 5:07*pm, GarageWoodworks
wrote:

Does anyone know how to incorporate a 3D CAD drawing into an html page
so that the visitor can rotate the drawing?
(one that doesn't require the visitor to install a plugin would be
ideal).

Thanks.

I think that is called VRML...I think.

OK. I think that's got me on the right track! Thanks. (I googled
vmrl and turbocad)

On Nov 20, 5:19*pm, Robatoy wrote:
On Nov 20, 5:07*pm, GarageWoodworks
wrote:

Does anyone know how to incorporate a 3D CAD drawing into an html page
so that the visitor can rotate the drawing?
(one that doesn't require the visitor to install a plugin would be
ideal).

Thanks.

I think that is called VRML...I think.

For others that are interested, your VRML led me to this helpful link:

http://www.cadinfo.net/editorial/tcadWeb.htm

PDF can handle 3D now but getting a publishing tools is a bit
difficult. MicroStation is the only program I know that does it
directly and it is a bit of a hack. There are a few products that do
require a plugin (VRML will probably need one also) but some of them
are "almost" automatic an the user barely knows they are getting a
plugin, sorta like flash.

Most of the solutions are fairly commercial grade so might cost a bit
and require some level of work to get stuff published.

Check out SpinFire from Actify. I used to work there and used to have
3D models posted to my website using their stuff. They mostly focus on
a standalone viewer but it also supports a web embedded version.

You can try the first example on this page, it takes a few secs to
load plugin but then you get some free spinning 3D and links to 2D
drawings (a feature I spec'd out) ;^) http://www.actify.com/v2/products/SDK/webshowcase.htm#

On Nov 20, 2:07*pm, GarageWoodworks
wrote:
Does anyone know how to incorporate a 3D CAD drawing into an html page
so that the visitor can rotate the drawing?
(one that doesn't require the visitor to install a plugin would be
ideal).

Thanks.

On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:32:00 -0800 (PST), GarageWoodworks
wrote:

Does anyone know how to incorporate a 3D CAD drawing into an html page
so that the visitor can rotate the drawing?
(one that doesn't require the visitor to install a plugin would be
ideal).

Thanks.

The easiest way I can think of is to great a .gif file out of the 3D
Cad image and then rotate it. The image should rotate when moused
over.

On Nov 20, 6:57*pm, "SonomaProducts.com" wrote:
PDF can handle 3D now but getting a publishing tools is a bit
difficult. MicroStation is the only program I know that does it
directly and it is a bit of a hack. There are a few products that do
require a plugin (VRML will probably need one also) but some of them
are "almost" automatic an the user barely knows they are getting a
plugin, sorta like flash.

Most of the solutions are fairly commercial grade so might cost a bit
and require some level of work to get stuff published.

Check out SpinFire from Actify. I used to work there and used to have
3D models posted to my website using their stuff. They mostly focus on
a standalone viewer but it also supports a web embedded version.

You can try the first example on this page, it takes a few secs to
load plugin but then you get some free spinning 3D and links to 2D
drawings (a feature I spec'd out) ;^) *http://www.actify.com/v2/products/SDK/webshowcase.htm#

On Nov 20, 2:07*pm, GarageWoodworks
wrote:

Does anyone know how to incorporate a 3D CAD drawing into an html page
so that the visitor can rotate the drawing?
(one that doesn't require the visitor to install a plugin would be
ideal).

Thanks.

Thanks for the link. I will check that out. I noticed that Google
Sketch Up has a publish to web plugin that is very limited in user
interactivity. I've tried sketch up and I find it very unuser
friendly. Having to learn Sketchup just to publish to the web (after
learning turbocad) is more than I can stomach...

On Nov 20, 7:26*pm, wrote:
On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:32:00 -0800 (PST), GarageWoodworks

wrote:
Does anyone know how to incorporate a 3D CAD drawing into an html page
so that the visitor can rotate the drawing?
(one that doesn't require the visitor to install a plugin would be
ideal).

Thanks.

The easiest way I *can think of is to great a .gif file out of the 3D
Cad image and then rotate it. The image should rotate when moused
over.

I'm not sure I'm following you here. Can you elaborate a little
please?

"GarageWoodworks" wrote in message
...

Thanks for the link. I will check that out. I noticed that Google
Sketch Up has a publish to web plugin that is very limited in user
interactivity. I've tried sketch up and I find it very unuser
friendly. Having to learn Sketchup just to publish to the web (after
learning turbocad) is more than I can stomach...

The trick to Sketchup is that you have to install it and uninstall it 2
times. Then install a third time and every thing seems to fall into place.
That is how it worked for me and IIRC Swingman. ;!)

It is different and you have to learn to think differently but it is stupid
simple and it can do 98% of what most CAD programs can do with 90% fewer
tools. I was an AutoCAD LT user/fan for about 12 years and a CAD user since
1986. Now I only use Sketchup.

On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:32:47 -0800 (PST), GarageWoodworks
wrote:

On Nov 20, 7:26?pm, wrote:
The easiest way I ?can think of is to great a .gif file out of the 3D
Cad image and then rotate it. The image should rotate when moused
over.

Motion can be incorporated into .gif files but can't with .jpg for
example.

On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:57:19 -0800 (PST), "SonomaProducts.com"
wrote:

PDF can handle 3D now but getting a publishing tools is a bit
difficult. MicroStation is the only program I know that does it
directly and it is a bit of a hack.

Amazing! Someone besides me who knows about MicroStation.

Got to say I doubt GarageWoodworks wants to spend $5000 for a software
package.

On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:32:47 -0800 (PST), GarageWoodworks
wrote:

On Nov 20, 7:26*pm, wrote:
On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:32:00 -0800 (PST), GarageWoodworks

wrote:
Does anyone know how to incorporate a 3D CAD drawing into an html page
so that the visitor can rotate the drawing?
(one that doesn't require the visitor to install a plugin would be
ideal).

Thanks.

The easiest way I *can think of is to great a .gif file out of the 3D
Cad image and then rotate it. The image should rotate when moused
over.

I'm not sure I'm following you here. Can you elaborate a little
please?

He is saying use an "animated GIF". An animated GIF is a series of
images stored in a single file. It would be an automatically displayed
"mini-movie". You would need some software to create the series of
images and store it into the GIF file.

The GIF would "play" when displayed on the web page and the viewer
would have no control over what 3D views they wanted to display. It
would just cycle through the images in the file and then start over.

One thing you haven't described is how complex a drawing you have. I
would imagine an animated GIF might work for something relatively
simple. But something larger, like a house plan, probably won't have
the detail you want.

When I used to work for a Dept. of Transportation, we would create
maps that covered a large area at fine detail. We used CAD software,
of course. When someone tried to render one of those into a graphic
format based on pixels, such as a GIF, the result was so blocky as to
be unuseable. A reasonable image in a raster format would have been
hundreds of megabytes or more. An that is just 2D.



The "VRML" option suggested by others replaces the concept of pixels
with geometric constructs such as lines, arcs, etc, just as a CAD
program would use. However the viewer software (web browser) needs to
understand how to render that image to the screen as pixels.

There are a variety of such "vector" formats and VRML is probably the
most widespread for web. There is a newer format for web called X3D
that is also out there. There are plenty of other options, such as
plug-ins that allow you to display CAD files directly.

Web browsers, so far as I know, don't have any vector capability built
in. So you would need a plug in for any of those options.