Interesting 3D VRML Plugin for model dislpay

[Jeff]

Under the design section of http://www.fastsail.net they use a really neat 3D VRML plugin (Viewpoint) which allows 3d model rotation in response to mouse movement as well as zooming.

This 3d plugin also has a shadow and material transparency which is great.

The drawback is that it takes time for visitors to install the plugin (even compared to a java applet) and many might choose not to install the plugin, but for those that do, the effect of being able to rotate a nicely shaded model in real-time is great.

[Polarity]

Waaaay cool, I want a copy!

No free "non commercial use" though, never mind...

Paul

[Jeff]

Yes - it is really expensive, but if I were rich I would love to use it.

Concurrently available images : Annual License
5 : $500
10 : $1,000
20 : $2,000
45 : $4,000
90 : $8,000
140 : $12,000

On one of the car examples they have it so you can not only pan, zoom, and animate but also change paint colors on the fly! Wow!

They do have free non-commercial licenses, but they expire and have to be renewed every 6 months.

FREE Non-Commercial Licenses
Broadcast licenses are FREE for non-commercial use. Non-commercial licenses expire after 6 months and are usually renewable. Examples of non-commercial deployment include:

> Hobbyist web sites
> Educational Institution* and Student Web sites (for non-commercial uses only)
> Content developer Web sites (businesses actively producing VET content for the purpose of promoting VET and their services to clients)