How to get 3D models with textures and/or animation into a Review
Note: Reviews using the 3D Model Viewer are currently only available to customers on our Team, Enterprise and Education Plus plans. Models with animation are only supported on the Enterprise and Education Plus plans. For more high-level information please check out our Blog Post on this feature.
Customers on Free, Indie and the legacy Pro plans can continue to annotate 3D models and animations from SketchFab as previously.
The new 3D Model Viewer supports model files in the following formats:
- FBX
- DAE (Collada)
- GLTF
- GLB
- OBJ
If your favorite format is not listed, try using a format conversion utility. There are many available, often free, and often as online web applications. If these solutions are not going to work for you, please contact us at support@syncsketch.com.
SyncSketch supports GLB files using Draco file compression.
SyncSketch supports FBX metadata properties such as framerate and time ranges.
Models with file/folder structures
Models with multiple files (such as GLTF, or models with separate texture or material files) should be uploaded as a ZIP archive. The name of the zip file will be the default item title in SyncSketch.
For example, you can share a painted ProCreate model as an .OBJ file, then add all of the files it created to a ZIP archive, and upload the archive to a Review.
Changing the default view
The default view may not always be the ideal view. To change the default view that reviewers will see when they load the file, you can use use the Save as Default feature of the 3D Viewer Settings panel:
- Navigate to the ideal starting position.
- Open the gear menu in the upper right corner of the viewport.
- Select Save as Default.
This will update the default position, the thumbnail, and also any settings you've changed in this menu.
Setting the Thumbnail
Once uploaded, the item will have a generic thumbnail. The thumbnail can be updated the following ways:
- The first time the file is opened, a thumbnail will be created from the default view, as long as no reviewers have yet joined the review.
- Under the Gear menu in the Model Viewer, setting defaults will also update the thumbnail from the current view in the Model Viewer
- Choosing an option from the Set Thumbnail menu:
Troubleshooting
Why are my textures missing in the 3D Model Viewer?
For textures in FBX files to appear in the Model Viewer, they must be embedded.
For example, when exporting FBX files from Blender, set the Path Mode to Copy, then enable Embed Textures with the icon next to it: