Forum

Parts Tree (Object Outliner)

30 December 2014 23:02
I think it would be really helpful to be able to publish a "Parts Tree" (Known as the "Outliner" in Blender), so that a person could turn individual objects on or off (visibility) on demand in the web interface.

I think in the future this could also be built upon; such as making part properties and metadata available. Perhaps even making it possible to add hyperlinks or hotlinks to either: open a webpage, or link to another animation or 3D file (html). Perhaps even links to other types of files such as: SVG, PDF, JPEG, PNG, MPEG Movie, etc. I am thinking of a Product design that each part might have a linked 2D Detail drawing in SVG or PDF format that could be viewed.

In a mobile environment; I could see a swipe from the side of the screen revealing the Parts List. Maybe it shows on load; then disappears, so the user knows it's there. Perhaps there could also be a button in the upper right; similar to the button in the lower right; except it is simply a rectangle with some horizontal lines to depict the list graphically. Pressing this with the mouse would show the panel.
30 December 2014 23:11
Yes, this is a must have feature for 3D modeling software. Our scene viewer might have this eventually, since it is very useful for debugging.
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31 December 2014 02:42
Sounds Good! I still think it should be an optional Check box option; just like "panning mode", so that no one is forced to publish that type of data if they do not want to.

One other thought: It would be great to make the "Part Properties" I mentioned be linked to an external spreadsheet; or at least be able to auto populate from a spreadsheet. More and more; it is becoming vital for different software to share information through spreadsheets: making the data valuable in more than just a single program.
01 January 2015 12:47
Looks like a catalogue. It reminds me the way our scene viewer works. It loads the text file in JSON format with scenes / models listed. This file could be loaded in other applications if needed.
The Founder | Twitter | Facebook | Linkedin
03 January 2015 05:44
Yes; looks similiar to what I am thinking; though I want to be able to add more fields fore each "Part"; such as part numbers, and other PMI or BIM data. (PMI = Product Manufacturing Information & BIM = Building Information Management.) And I want to make sure this also can be published to the html file. It would make sense to either have the info stored as a spreadsheet or an xml file.
03 January 2015 11:09
Based on feedback from you and Brian ("trepaning") we are planning to add fields in Blender UI such as scene name and description. These data will be exported as JSON or HTML to be retrieved by an application or even by the web player.
The Founder | Twitter | Facebook | Linkedin
03 January 2015 11:12
Sounds promising. Thanks for listening to user feedback. Feel free to contact me if you need any specific usage scenario descriptions or help testing.
03 January 2015 11:19
Okay sure! Thanks for offering help. We used to issue pre-release engine builds from time to time so help in testing them is that we really need.
The Founder | Twitter | Facebook | Linkedin
22 January 2015 21:49
I noticed that the 2015 Roadmap mentioned this:

"We also intend to create an example of using 3D graphics to visualize a real-life manufacturing enterprise."

I have worked in Automotive Manufacturing, as well as design for manufacturing for production products. Please keep me in mind for ideas and feedback in this area if needed. I have had ideas relating to spot weld data, and other features which could be quite valuable in manufacturing. A large part of my interest in HTML interactive 3D is based on bridging the gap in the manufacturing arena. I have always felt that communication is lost; and many costly mistakes made when a design goes out to the shop floor. This is usually because the production workers have no larger context to reference; to understand what is important in the manufacturing process. As an industrial designer I have had a great interest in using something such as Blend4web to execute never seen before communication specifically for manufacturing, that is accessible to anyone who may need it; (without needing expensive software to view it).
23 January 2015 11:29
Please keep me in mind for ideas and feedback in this area if needed.
Sure, thanks!
and many costly mistakes made when a design goes out to the shop floor.
Yep, that's why accessible 3D viz is so promising area
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