3D Model Viewer¶
User Guide¶
View and interact with 3D models of objects in your collection directly in your web browser.
Overview¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 3D MODEL VIEWER │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 🖱️ Rotate 🔍 Zoom ↔️ Pan │
│ │ │ │ │
│ ▼ ▼ ▼ │
│ Click & Scroll Shift + │
│ Drag Wheel Drag │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Supported Formats¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 3D FILE FORMATS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ GLB/GLTF - Standard web 3D format (recommended) │
│ USDZ - Apple AR format │
│ OBJ - Common 3D format │
│ STL - 3D printing format │
│ FBX - Animation format │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Viewing a 3D Model¶
Step 1: Find a Record with 3D Model¶
Browse or search for a record that has a 3D model attached.
Look for the 3D icon: 🎲
Step 2: Open the Viewer¶
Click on the 3D model thumbnail or the View 3D button.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ [3D Model │ │
│ │ Loading...] │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ 🔄 Rotate │ 🔍 Zoom │ 📐 Measure │ ⬜ Fullscreen │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Controls¶
Mouse Controls¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ACTION │ HOW TO │
├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Rotate │ Click and drag │
│ Zoom in/out │ Scroll wheel │
│ Pan (move) │ Shift + click and drag │
│ Reset view │ Double-click │
└──────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────┘
Touch Controls (Mobile/Tablet)¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ACTION │ HOW TO │
├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Rotate │ One finger drag │
│ Zoom │ Pinch in/out │
│ Pan │ Two finger drag │
│ Reset │ Double tap │
└──────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────┘
Viewer Features¶
Toolbar Options¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TOOLBAR │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 🔄 Auto-Rotate - Spin model automatically │
│ 💡 Lighting - Adjust light direction │
│ 🎨 Background - Change background color │
│ 📐 Wireframe - Show mesh structure │
│ ⬜ Fullscreen - Expand to full screen │
│ 📷 Screenshot - Save current view as image │
│ 📱 AR View - View in augmented reality (mobile) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Augmented Reality (AR)¶
On iPhone/iPad¶
- Open the record on your device
- Tap the AR button
- Point camera at a flat surface
- The object appears in your space!
On Android¶
- Open the record in Chrome
- Tap the AR button
- Follow prompts to place object
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ AR REQUIREMENTS │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ iPhone/iPad - iOS 12+ with ARKit support │ │ Android - ARCore compatible device + Chrome │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Multi-Angle Gallery¶
When multi-angle renders have been generated for a 3D model, a gallery of 6 views appears below the viewer on the record view page:
- Front — straight-on front view
- Back — rear view
- Left — left side profile
- Right — right side profile
- Top — bird's-eye view from above
- Detail — close-up at 45-degree angle
Click any thumbnail to open a full-size lightbox view. These renders are generated automatically by Blender and cached for fast access.
AI 3D Description¶
Voice Command¶
Say "describe object" or "describe 3D" while viewing a record with a 3D model. The system will: 1. Generate 6 multi-angle renders of the object using Blender 2. Send all 6 views to an AI model for analysis 3. Read the description aloud 4. Offer to save the description to the record
Save Options¶
After hearing the AI description, you can say: - "save to description" — save to the record's scope and content field - "save to alt text" — save as the digital object's alt text - "save to both" — save to both fields - "discard" — discard the AI description
Thumbnails & Derivatives¶
3D models (GLB, GLTF, OBJ, STL, FBX, PLY, DAE) automatically get thumbnail and reference images generated via Blender when uploaded. If thumbnails are missing, an administrator can regenerate them:
php atom-framework/bin/atom 3d:derivatives # Process all
php atom-framework/bin/atom 3d:derivatives --id=123 # Specific object
php atom-framework/bin/atom 3d:derivatives --dry-run # Preview only
Type-a-Command¶
If you prefer typing to speaking, right-click the floating microphone button (bottom-right corner). A text input will appear where you can type any voice command and press Enter. This is useful in noisy environments or when speech recognition is unavailable.
Tips for Best Experience¶
┌────────────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────┐
│ ✓ DO │ ✗ DON'T │
├────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────┤
│ Use a modern browser (Chrome/Firefox) │ Use Internet Explorer│
│ Wait for model to fully load │ Interact while loading│
│ Use fullscreen for detail │ View in small window│
│ Try AR on supported devices │ Expect AR everywhere│
│ Allow time for large models │ Give up on slow load│
└────────────────────────────────────────┴────────────────────┘
Troubleshooting¶
Problem Solution
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Model won't load → Refresh the page
Try a different browser
Check internet connection
Viewer is slow → Close other browser tabs
Model may be very detailed
AR not available → Check device compatibility
Use Safari (iOS) or Chrome (Android)
Model looks wrong → Try resetting the view
Report to administrator
Need Help?¶
Contact your system administrator if you experience issues.
Part of the AtoM AHG Framework