With SPINNER for Windows, you can assemble high impact 3D scenes for your web site and save the finished scene as a VRML compliant file. Using most 3D modelers you already own, you can import 3D file formats including AutoDesk’s 3D Studio (.3DS), Autocad (.DXF), Sense8 (.NFF), Wavefront (.OBJ) and Videoscape (.GEO). Or you can buy inexpensive 3D clip art or download free 3D models off the Internet to import into SPINNER. For a wide selection of free 3D models in several formats, check out the 3DSite's Model Market.

The other advantage of SPINNER is that when you assemble your scene, the objects are fully rendered while you arrange your objects (the frame rate depends on the complexity of your model). With this real-time rendering feature, all the objects in the scene can be smooth rendered which means what you see is what your 3D Web visitors will see. This contrasts to other modelers such as 3D Studio where you view your work in wireframe mode or you have to take a break to render your scene. Although 3D Studio has an external program (called an “IPAS”) which allows you to export to VRML but only one object at a time.

SPINNER also allows you to anchor or link a URL (HTML page) to 3D objects. With this feature you can direct people who visit your 3D Web page to other 3D or 2D (HTML) web pages. If you own any 3D input or output devices such as stereoscopic head mount displays or 3D mice, then you can use these devices to view 3D scenes with SPINNER. SPINNER also includes a simple modeler for creating primitives such as cubes, cones, spheres, blocks, cylinders, terrains and upper- and lower-case text. You can also have three types of lights: spot, directional and point lights. You can add cameras and apply textures to these objects. The textures SPINNER accepts right now are Targa files (.TGA); by release date they should include most popular texture formats. You can stretch an object along any axis, scale the object larger or smaller, align objects, add 3D text and even arrange objects into groups for easy manipulation.

When you launch SPINNER, you have five windows on your desktop: (1) a 3D Viewer window (this is where you view the real time rendered 3D scene), (2) the Object Master window where you can edit and group object. From this window, you can apply textures and colors to the entire object or a specific polygon. There are three other windows called Orthogonal or Ortho Views. The Ortho windows allow you to move your objects in one of three planes: the XY plane (front view) , the YZ plane (side view) and the XZ plane (top view). This is convenient for people who find it difficult to “think” in 3D. The Ortho View allow you to move an object in one plane at a time. So if you are designing a department store, you can move objects around on the 2nd floor of your scene without “dropping” them out a window.

As of July 1995, our scene layout tool is selling in beta form for $99 and includes a free upgrade to Release 1. SPINNER runs best on a 486-66 or better running Windows 3.1, NT or 95. (For Windows 3.1 you need that WIN32S.) By Christmas it will take advantage of Microsoft’s RenderMorphics graphics library for very faster rendering using a $300 graphics card.

To recap, SPINNER enables you to import 3D objects, enlarge the objects, arrange them any way you like. You can also add textures to objects or a specific polygon. Then you can save your scene as a VRML compliant file for others to view on the Web. All this from one MS Windows desktop. For information call Mike Conduris at 415-956-9730 or send email to mike@3dweb.com

3D WEB P.O. Box 410990, Suite 156 San Francisco CA 94114 415-956-9730