Support for Gaussian Splatting models in the 3D tab (Upgrade) 

What is Gaussian Splatting and Why is it Revolutionary?

Gaussian Splatting is an innovative technology that creates hyper-realistic 3D models using points instead of traditional polygons. This ensures a faithful representation of materials, textures, and reflections, resulting in lighter, more detailed, and dynamic models.

Benefits Over Traditional Photogrammetry

• Superior Visual Quality: It captures materials, transparencies, and reflections with exceptional realism, accurately mimicking the behavior of light.
• Reduced File Size: Models are up to 10 times lighter than traditional GLB files, making them easier to use and distribute.
• Precise Measurements: Enables exact measurements directly on the 3D model, ideal for technical analysis and planning.
• Solving Complex Challenges: Gaussian Splatting overcomes common issues in traditional photogrammetry when capturing transparent or reflective elements, which often produced erroneous and unusable surfaces.
  

Applications Across Multiple Industries

Gaussian Splatting is a key tool for industries such as architecture, engineering, e-commerce, tourism, cultural heritage, real estate, and design, allowing projects, products, and spaces to be visualized with unparalleled detail.

The Potential Combined with 3DVista VT Pro

When integrated with 3DVista VT Pro, this technology reaches its full potential:

• Multimedia Integration: Combines Gaussian Splatting models with traditional panoramas to leverage the best of both worlds.
• Exploration Flexibility: Explore models in Fly Over, Orbital, and First Person modes, adapting to the needs of each project.
• Advanced Interactivity: Interact with hotspots, take precise measurements, and access key data directly on the 3D model.
  
• Temporal Analysis: Visualize and compare different stages of a project through interactive timelines.

Gaussian Splatting, combined with 3DVista VT Pro, redefines how we view and interact with the digital world, delivering more realistic, precise, and efficient 3D experiences than ever before. 

VT Pro supports the PLY format (compatible with the official paper) and SPLAT formats.

«Dynamic Resolution» option for 3D Models (Upgrade)

«Double Click Action» option for the Orbit camera in 3D Models (Upgrade)

We’ve added the «Double Click Action» option to the orbit camera in 3D models. This feature allows you to center the camera pivot with a simple double-click, enabling more precise and fluid navigation around the model.

This small adjustment significantly enhances the interactive experience, making it much easier to explore and focus on specific details intuitively.

New option: «VR Menu» for 3D Models

The «VR Menu» is now available for 3D models. Previously, this functionality could only be activated in panoramas, but now VR device users can enjoy the same interactive experience with this type of media.

The «VR Menu» appears when looking up in a VR device, allowing easy access to navigation options. To activate and configure it, simply go to the Project / Playlist tab in the right panel, within the VR Settings section, and check the «Show VR Menu» option. Additional menu settings can be adjusted by clicking on the gear icon next to it.

With this improvement, navigating 3D models in VR environments becomes even more fluid and accessible.

New Option: «Min/Max Yaw/Pitch» Settings for the Fly Over Camera in 3D Models

New Option: «At End Repetition» Event in Live Panorama

New Option: «Keep 3D Model Loaded Without Location»

New Default Format: WebP for New Projects

Added VR mode in 3D Models (Upgrade)

Now it's possible to visualize three-dimensional content in VR mode. All your 3D models can be viewed on your VR devices like Quest or Pico (not available on Cardboard). Enjoy greater immersion in your virtual experiences using 3D, which will give you a new dimension of realism and spectacularity when viewed in VR (Works with 6 degrees of freedom — 6DoF).

You can make use of the 3 modes we have for 3D:

• Orbital Mode: Use the controllers of your VR device as if you were «grabbing» your object or model and rotate it, flip it, bring it close to your eyes… as if it were a real object.
• Fly-Over Mode: Analyze and explore large surface models as if you were flying over them.
• First Person View Mode: Traverse and observe the space of your model as if you were really inside it. Inspect your new, yet-to-be-built house, transport yourself inside a spaceship, or stroll through the streets of ancient Rome… there are no limits.

And of course, all the features of the 3D models will also be available in VR, so you can use hotspots, animations, light changes, environment maps, effects, etc…

For more information on this feature, you can find a more detailed explanation and an example to visualize in our previous blog post.

Added Accessibility Options (Upgrade)

Your tours can now be more accessible thanks to the new options for interacting with them. With the new capabilities, you will be able to:

• Use Labels for Screen Readers on Buttons, Dropdowns, and Thumbnail Lists.
• Have Automatic Tab Order for Skin Elements.
• Use Custom Tab Order for Skin Elements.
• Navigate through hotspots using Keys and the Pointer Mode.
• Activate/Deactivate Pointer Mode with Action.
• Add Subtitles in Audio.
• Pause/Play Videos with the «Space» key.

For more information and a more detailed explanation about each of these options, you can read our recent post about it.

Added «Fog» effect in the 3D Model / FX subtab (Upgrade)

Create a more immersive and dramatic atmosphere in your 3D models by adding this striking fog effect. Distant elements will become less visible when wrapped in fog, and as we approach them, they will gradually become more visible. You can control the color and intensity of the fog.

We added the «Visible only in VR mode» option for hotspots applied to 3D models (upgrade)

With the incorporation of VR mode to 3D models, it will be very useful for many projects to create hotspots specifically for viewing in VR, so they do not appear on other devices. This way, we can better customize our tours without having to create specific versions or new projects for these purposes.

Supported 3D Model importation with Draco compression (Upgrade)

With 3D programs that allow it, you can now export models with this method of compressing the geometry, as VTPro will now be able to recognize and work with this type of models.

Added «VR Foveation» in Project / VR Settings Panel to improve performance by decreasing rendering quality at the edges (Upgrade)

Since optimizing our project for correct and fluid viewing in VR will be a priority, we have added this option as an aid to this task. With it, you can control the level of application of this property with values from 0 to 1, finding the perfect balance for your project. Values close to 0 will have no effect, but values close to 1 will reduce the image quality of the outer areas of our field of view in the goggles, optimizing and improving performance during viewing.

Added «Save as Zip» option in Publish / Autoexecutable / Windows

This ZIP option allows you to create a ZIP file with the client’s tour instead of an EXE. The ZIP file includes a viewer and the tour, making it easy to drag and drop. The EXE is a signed executable from 3DVista, so it avoids security error issues. Additionally, once the EXE is decompressed, it doesn't need to be decompressed again, resulting in faster loading of tours after the first time.

Improved the filter quality in the Panorama exportation (requires clean cache)

Thanks to this improvement, the panoramas in your tours will be displayed with higher quality and sharpness.

Added «Item Padding» option in the Thumbnail List

A new option to adjust and further customize this type of component.

Want to try it?

This is an update available to all 3DVista users, although some of the features will require a valid Upgrade plan (what's that?).

Not a 3DVista user yet? Try our free 30-day trial (no credit card required) of the desktop software VT PRO to design and create your own virtual tours. You don't have any 360º content to work with yet? No problem. Just download our demo tours and use them in the software to play around with.

Committed to web accessibility

In an increasingly digital world, equal access to online information and experiences is essential for an inclusive society. However, many people with disabilities face significant challenges when trying to access web content, including multimedia virtual tours. From difficulties interacting with complex interfaces to the inability to access visual or auditory content, online barriers can exclude a large portion of the population.

For people with visual impairments, the lack of appropriate labels on elements and insufficient contrast in design can hinder content comprehension. Those with motor disabilities may struggle to navigate the interactive elements of a virtual tour, especially if keyboard accessibility is not considered in design. Meanwhile, individuals with hearing impairments may miss crucial information if subtitles or transcriptions for audio content are not provided.

To overcome these barriers, many people with disabilities rely on assistive devices such as screen readers, alternative keyboards, eye-tracking devices, and other adaptive tools. These tools enable them to interact with web content more effectively, but only if the content is designed with accessibility in mind.

At 3DVista, we firmly believe in the importance of creating online experiences that are accessible to everyone. That's why we are committed to improving accessibility in our multimedia virtual tours and, above all, providing tools in our software that enable creators to publish content that is more accessible and inclusive for all communities.

New Options to Enhance Accessibility:

Use of Labels for Screen Readers on Buttons, Dropdowns, and Thumbnail Lists:

Thanks to this new addition, when these elements are selected by the user, screen readers will be able to view and read the text content of those elements, greatly helping communities with visual impairments.

Automatic Tab Order for Skin Elements:

This new option has been added in the skin properties, allowing navigation through components (buttons, dropdowns, thumblists, etc.) using the 'Tab' key in the order they are added to the component list or “Shift + Tab” to go back. The user can click on them using the «Space» or «Enter» key, and deselect with the «ESC» key.

Custom Tab Order for Skin Elements:

Regardless of whether the previous option is enabled, it is possible to force some components to be selected using the «Tab» key, and above all, to modify their order. This can now be done by accessing the advanced options in the component settings and checking the «Tab index» option. By doing this, a new numerical field appears where you can indicate the position of that component relative to the general order.

Navigate through hotspots using Keys and the Pointer Mode:

This includes a kind of central point, like a «sight,» in the tours with which to interact with elements when passing through that area. It moves the camera so that when the hotspots are centered on it, it will activate turning orange (as if it were a rollover), and by pressing «Space» or «Enter,» you can activate it. This option is activated in the Project tab / Navigation Settings / Pointer Mode at Startup.

Activate/Deactivate Pointer Mode with Action:

Although this mode explained above is enabled at the beginning of the tour, through this new action, it can be deactivated and activated live. This can be assigned, for example, to a skin button, so that users can change mode during their visit. It is important to note that the button must be a «toggle» mode to add it. It is found in the action list, in the «Media Control» group / «Toggle Pointer Mode.»

Subtitles in Audio:

Now it is possible to add subtitles to our audio tracks, in the same way that we already had for video files. So when playing these audios, you can display a text version of the same content. Supported formats are .srt and .vtt. Just upload the subtitle file in the settings of your audio.

Pause/Play Videos with the «Space» key:

Now, automatically without having to activate anything, videos have this function enabled by default. This makes access easier without needing special buttons or anything similar.

Other Actions to Improve Accessibility:

In addition to these new options in our software, there are several additional actions and guidelines that virtual tour creators can implement to improve accessibility according to WCAG guidelines:

• Providing alternative text for images, or using titles and subtitles in our case.
• Ensuring high contrast between text and background for improved readability.
• Designing a clear and consistent user interface to facilitate navigation.
• Providing transcriptions and subtitles for video content.
• Avoiding flickering content.

Old features to improve accessibility:

Remember that alongside these new added options, we already had some other features available for these purposes, which you can also use to expand accessibility possibilities:

Keys to control the camera in panoramas and 360º videos: Although the usual practice is to use the mouse, we have the alternative of being able to use certain keys such as the arrow keys on the keyboard to rotate the view, or the «A» and «Z» keys for zooming.

Video subtitles: Add subtitle files in the video settings. Common formats (.srt and .vtt) are supported to address hearing problems.

Text-to-speech: Automatically narrates or triggers text included in the tour, distinguishing between Infowindows, E-learning questions, or tooltips. Check our old Post dedicated to this. Very useful for those with reading or text vision difficulties.

Media Control: With this action, you can assign a variety of controls to buttons or hotspots to interact with media, such as camera rotation, zooming, play/pause… to not depend on mouse movements for individuals with reduced mobility.

At 3DVista, we are committed to continuing to explore ways to improve accessibility in our products and to promote a more inclusive web for everyone. Join us on this journey towards a more accessible digital experience for all!

Shadows in the Station — A VR Noir Game

Welcome to the 1920s, on a cold night in the harsh London winter. An atrocious crime has been committed on the train back to the capital, and all passengers seem suspicious. And you, in the purest Agatha Christie detective novel style, will have to solve it.

This is the premise of our new «demo,» an excuse to present to you the latest great addition to VTPro's features, 3D model support for VR on devices like Quest or Pico (available in the Beta version of the program and soon in the official one). Something eagerly awaited by everyone and that you will finally be able to enjoy. Additionally, the appearance of Apple Vision Pro seems to have brought back the use of these devices, which are gradually gaining ground among users. The undeniable «wow» effect they produce expands VTPro's potential in VR significantly, as being able to display three-dimensional content opens up a host of new use cases where the immersive experience is even greater.

In this example, being able to move and interact with the model in this way adds a level of realism to the experience much greater than that offered on desktop or mobile. Of course, there are many other use cases where this potential is especially beneficial, such as e-learning, virtual tourism, virtual staging, real estate, etc.

In this case, we decided to experiment with gamification, creating a small and modest version of what could be a complete 3D game. With the tools provided by the program, we can easily build and develop all the narrative, interactivity, and gameplay necessary. Something unthinkable until recently, where the possibility of creating such a game was limited to large teams with complex programs. We have come to make this easier, and with VTPro's intuitive options and some handling in a 3D program, anyone could do something similar.

And while it is VTPro that allows us to «bring together» all the necessary pieces to create such a game, we found it useful to explain here or document the complete process we followed for the development of this project. We won't focus on the VTPro part, as we haven't actually used new features or anything that hasn't been explained before, but on the rest of the applications that facilitated the creation of the material that brings the game to life, such as the story itself, the 3D models and their animations, backgrounds and images, voiceovers, and videos.

As you know, in recent months, a lot of applications have appeared that, thanks to the development of AI, greatly facilitate the creation of all this material. So here we will reveal the ones we have used. We believe it can be helpful to anyone who wants to tackle a similar project.

Story:

We started with the basis of everything, the «story». From the beginning, we were clear that we wanted to develop a game in which the journey through the scenario was the main objective, as it is one of the potentials of VR, being able to explore and observe with great realism the details of a space. For this reason, the dynamics of being a detective who has to analyze the scene in search of clues was directly our first idea. This led us to the masterful references of the genre such as Agatha Christie or the Sherlock Holmes novels. And as the aesthetic of the game, we thought it was very appropriate to give it that classic film noir aesthetic, set in the 1920s.

From here, we used our first application to help us in the process, the most obvious one, ChatGPT. We asked it to invent possible stories for us with the references of the writers we had in mind, where the main plot was that of a crime that had occurred, and where a detective could reconstruct the story based on clues found in the scene. As a starting point, it was very useful to give us ideas and to start narrowing down the story a bit, even providing suggestions for possible clues we could use. Although when it came to specifying the details, characters, situations, and especially the dialogues that the detective would say, we had to do it almost exclusively manually to give it the nuances and exact tone we wanted. But in general, as an assistant, it was very useful and greatly facilitated the creation process of this initial phase.

3D Models:

The next phase was to prepare the 3D models for the scenarios, characters, and objects. Creating the models ourselves from scratch would have involved excessive time that we did not have, so we went directly to look for them in 3D markets like Sketchfab or CGTrader. Many of them had CC Attribution licenses, so they can be downloaded and used for free (of course with their corresponding attribution). And then some more specific ones like the Station or certain characters had to be purchased. 

3D Adjustments:

We used the free software Blender to combine the elements, touch up the necessary parts, reduce polygons (see below), bake shadows, etc. So within the station model, we inserted the characters, the «clue» objects that are shown when clicking on the hotspots, the animation of the arriving train, and other elements. And the same for the rest of the scenarios (the interior of the train and the station room). 

Animations:

For the animation of the characters, also with the idea of ​​streamlining the process, we turned to Mixamo, a web application by Adobe, also free. With it, you can upload any model, and very quickly and easily, it will create the «rig» or «bones» to be able to animate it. It also has a wide catalog of pre-defined animations, which you can assign to your model with just one click. Then you can download it and import it into your scenario already with the animation created.

Images:

All the images in the game, from the initial loading screen to the portraits of the characters, objects, or frames of the final video, were created using image generation AIs, mostly with Midjourney, which is our favorite. Although with some images that required the inclusion of text, we had better results with DALL-E 3 through Bing.

Dialogues or Voiceovers:

Finally, since the main purpose of the game was to enjoy it in VR with Quest-type glasses, we decided that the entire development of the story should be conveyed through audio narrations, as the use of visual texts could be discouraged in this environment, where reading can be uncomfortable. To achieve this, we used the protagonist's voice-over, embodying his character, to gradually unveil the story through his thoughts and the clues we gather. To create these audio cues, we used ElevenLabs, another web application, where narration is generated based on a given text, allowing you to choose from a series of pre-trained voices or create your own.

Atmosphere and Sound Effects:

For greater immersion in the story, sound and music play a crucial role, so we knew it was an aspect that needed special attention. The main song, which already at the beginning evokes that old «film noir» touch, was purchased from a royalty-free bank. Meanwhile, the rest of the sound effects (train station, safe, telephone, etc.) were sourced from FreeSound.org.

Final Video:

The final video sequence, narrating the explanation of the story, was created using a Video Editor. Despite being a 180º video, it wasn't a complex edit. We simply created a square composition and placed the video inside it, in the center, occupying only a portion of the composition. This allowed us to achieve a 180º video with the image projected in the center and the rest in black, which in VR gives the effect of watching an old movie in a cinema. The images were also generated with Midjourney.

Assembly in VTPro:

As we mentioned at the beginning, building the tour in our software was relatively simple, and everything we did can be seen explained in the video tutorials we already have on our YouTube channel, especially the latest ones dedicated to 3D. Therefore, we won't elaborate on this part.

Basically, it involves importing the 3D models and making some lighting adjustments (although most elements are baked) and importing environmental panoramas. We also hid all the «clue objects» from the 3D model (such as the document or the photo of the suitcases, the large matchbox, etc.). With an action at the start of the model, we also played the character animations in a loop.

Finally, we added hotspots with actions to show the «clues» and play the detective's audio. And in some cases, these hotspots hide and show others. For example, we made it so that when you «pick up» an object, the «closed lock» hotspot in a room is hidden and shows the «open lock» version that already has the action to access it. And although it wasn't our case, for more complex projects, where for example more than one thing has to be done for something to be unlocked, you can always resort to our e-learning option, where by assigning scores to the elements, you can then add the action «trigger upon target» so that after achieving X points, something new happens. This, along with the use of various «Scores,» enables countless possibilities and dynamics that can be applied to this type of project. And remember that not only hotspots can have actions, but also the objects of the 3D model, such as the «portraits» of the suspects, which, when clicked, activate and tell their story.

As you can see, in this version, we have also added a new fog effect for 3D models. This greatly enhances the feeling of atmosphere and realism in our experiences. For our demo, it was a crucial detail to achieve that feeling of cold, mystery, and intrigue.

Considerations:

We must take into account that VR devices like Quest or Pico, in terms of processor and memory resources, are somewhat similar to what could be a medium/high-end mobile phone. And we have already talked previously about the processing demand involved in rendering 3D models with real-time calculations of lights, reflections, textures, animations, etc… Therefore, to ensure adequate performance and a smooth experience, without lags or choppy movements, we strongly recommend optimizing the 3D models and your VTPro project, considering all the advice we provided in this previous post.

Additionally, there are a couple of details that also need to be considered and will greatly help in the smoothness of 3D visualization. It involves deactivating, in all objects of the model where it is not necessary, the «Use hand cursor» option and «collisions«.

In our case (this will vary depending on each project), it was also useful to separate the action into different «scenarios»; the station, the interior of the train, and the room are different models and «media». Thus, the computational weight is distributed, and when visualized, only the individual content of each one needs to be processed. The other alternative would have been a single model of the station with the interior of the train and the room included, which would have the advantage of not having to wait for the load when moving from one model to another, but on the other hand, it would not be as fluid, as it would have all the information of the three scenarios in memory, simultaneously.

Also, keep in mind that the version of the tour that will be played on VR devices will be the same as for mobiles, so in the settings of the models, you can also check the option «Reduce Textures for Mobile». As well as any other option within the program that is exclusive to mobiles, will also affect VR.

Similarly, the skin presented on these devices will be the mobile one, so you can differentiate which elements will be shown on desktop or on mobile + VR devices. Therefore, do not forget to add your «enter VR mode» button in this mobile version of the skin. Although remember that once entered into this VR mode, the skin elements will not be displayed. However, on mobile devices, this VR button will not be displayed, it will be hidden automatically, to avoid the use of Cardboard, since without controllers, navigation through 3D models in this way would be very problematic.

Some conclusions:

The truth is that the experience of enjoying the game with Quest or Pico VR has nothing to do with visualizing it on a computer or mobile screen. The feeling of immersion and enjoyment is infinitely greater, so we encourage you to try it.

Regarding the limitations of the demo being for VR, well, yes, they are there. You may still miss having a skin screen where you can see collected objects, time, life, etc. Or the use of subtitles, and some other details. These are features that will come with time. But overall, we believe that with this demo, it is shown that easily and with few resources, stories can be told and complete interactive experiences can be created in new ways. Get your creativity going, and we look forward to seeing your proposals soon.

Support for two 3D Models in Dual Viewer component. (Development sponsored by R2DS)

Allows viewing and comparing two different 3D models with dual viewers. With this feature, we can see in a split-screen mode, two distinct models simultaneously, linked in such a way that moving one also moves the other in the same manner. It works in both «Split View» and «Twins» modes.

For example, you can compare different variations of a model with various finishes or historical versions of a 3D-scanned and photogrammetrized construction. The scale/position must be the same for synchronization.

«VR Apps» publish option (Upgrade)

With this new module in the publishing options, you can optimize and reduce the size of your tours for viewing in 3DVista's VR apps. Select the specific VR device for which you want to publish (Quest 2, Quest 3, Pico, or HTC Focus Vive 3).

For more information about this upgrade, you can check out our previous post where we explain this in detail.

«On Focus In» and «On Focus Out» events for Panorama and 360 Video hotspots (Upgrade)

We've added this new type of event for hotspots. With it, you can make your hotspot actions trigger when they are in the center of the screen. This adds a new way of interaction to the existing ones (on click, on rollover, on rollout, etc.). For example, when looking at and centering a vase on the screen, it could be highlighted, and a descriptive text could automatically appear. When looking at another area, the text could fade away.

«Focus Area Scale» in Publish / Global Settings (Upgrade)

In relation to the previous option, from here, you can define the size of the action area for the On Focus in/out event. Its value is measured as a percentage of the screen size. If you set it to 50%, the actions will be executed if the hotspot is displayed within the area that would be within half of the screen (both in width and height). 

Here are some examples to visually understand it.

«Rotation with Thumbstick» option in the VR Settings panel (Upgrade)

By popular demand, this new option allows you to control the camera rotation using your VR device controllers. This eliminates the need to turn your head to change the viewpoint in your virtual tour, or you can do it by combining both methods.

«Export Stereo Video as Mono for Unsupported Devices» in Publish popup

By enabling this checkbox in the publishing options, you allow devices that do not support «Stereo» videos to view a «Mono» version instead. This ensures a more optimized tour on these devices, playing videos that are half the size and weight. This improves performance and reduces your hosting bandwidth usage.

Some other added features are:

• Added «Text Shadow» in Skin Text Button. 
• Moved the 360º Video exportation from the Publish popup to the «File / Export to 360º Video» option.
• Removed «Optimize for old VR Devices», «Export to iOS legacy» and «Optimize for Quest 2» options in the Publish popup.
• Added «fov» url parameter to change the zoom in a Panorama.
• In E-Learning, the «OK» button in the question is hidden when the user presses it, waiting the delay time.

Want to try it?

This is an update available to all 3DVista users, although some of the features will require a valid Upgrade plan (what's that?).

Not a 3DVista user yet? Try our free 30-day trial (no credit card required) of the desktop software VT PRO to design and create your own virtual tours. You don't have any 360º content to work with yet? No problem. Just download our demo tours and use them in the software to play around with.

Simplify and Optimize the Publication of your Virtual Tours for VR

In response to the growing popularity of virtual reality devices, 3DVista has implemented significant improvements in tour publishing options. We introduce a new mode that allows you to publish your tours for specific VR devices such as Quest, Pico, and HTC, directly viewable in the 3DVista VR apps.

The key innovation lies in the ability to select the desired VR device during publishing. This generates a folder with files optimized exclusively for viewing on that particular device. In comparison to the old way, where tours were published for all devices (VR, desktop, mobile), this new feature significantly reduces the number of generated files, eliminating the ones that would not be used.

Each device now benefits from its own optimization process for both images and videos. This customization ensures a drastic reduction in the space required to store tours, sometimes even up to ten times less. Furthermore, we leverage the latest features of devices like the Quest 3 to their fullest potential.

After publishing your tour, you only need to copy the generated folder to your device and play it using our free 3DVista VR app, available on the app stores for Quest, Pico, and HTC. This allows you to view your tours without the need for an internet connection.

For more details on our VR applications, visit our posts with detailed information about our applications for Quest, Pico, and HTC.

3DVista VR App for Meta Quest

3DVista VR App for Pico

3DVista VR App for HTC

Boost Collaboration with 3DVista Notes in Your Virtual Tours

Are you ready to take your virtual tours to the next level of interaction and collaboration? 3DVista introduces «Notes,» an optional service designed to enhance your projects like never before. In this post, we'll explain what 3DVista Notes is and the significant advantages it brings to your immersive experiences.

What is 3DVista Notes?

3DVista Notes is an innovative platform that allows specific users to create notes and messages within their virtual tours. It's a valuable tool for collaborative projects where centralizing and documenting all interactions, ideas, and processes is essential. With 3DVista Notes, your audience can add context and depth to their tour experience by providing comments, making suggestions, and discussing elements directly within the virtual environment.

Advantages of Using 3DVista Notes in Your Virtual Tours:

1. Instant Communication: Go beyond mere virtual tour viewing. Allow your audience to actively participate by adding their notes and comments directly to the tour.
2. Structured Conversations: Each note is structured as a conversation thread. This chat-like interface streamlines communication and keeps the conversation organized and easy to follow.
3. Permission Control: You have the power to categorize users and their notes. Users can only create, access, and comment on notes that match their specific categories, ensuring a clean and well-organized tour experience.
4. Notifications: Users receive automatic email notifications when a new note is created or updated within their assigned categories. This ensures timely responses and participation.
5. Multimedia Integration: Enrich your notes and comments with multimedia, including photos, videos, audio, links, and documents. This allows users to provide detailed explanations or specify the issues they are addressing.
6. Problem Resolution: Users who create notes can mark them as resolved, clearly indicating that the issue has been addressed and resolved. Resolved notes remain visible but are no longer open to further comments.

Effortless Team Management

With 3DVista Notes, you can easily manage your teams. Register users you want to contribute to your tours and assign them specific categories. This way, each categorized note will only be visible to and notify designated users, simplifying collaboration and ensuring clarity.

Use Cases

3DVista Notes is versatile and can be applied in numerous scenarios:

1. Remote Teamwork: Use virtual tours to collaboratively comment on design details or discuss improvements with your team before implementing changes.
2. Customer Feedback: Provide clients with a live link to your tour, allowing them to provide real-time feedback and avoiding endless email exchanges.
3. Construction Management: Use virtual tours as digital twins to efficiently manage construction projects. Incorporate notes in the visual context for a clear and efficient process.
4. E-Learning: Enhance your e-learning experiences by allowing students to actively engage with the content. Students can ask questions, provide feedback, and expand information directly within the virtual tour.

Ready to Dive into 3DVista Notes? Discover the full potential of this tool and learn to use it effectively with our comprehensive tutorial. Follow each step as we explore all aspects, from user management to note creation and administration in your tours. Start optimizing your projects, facilitating collaboration, and providing a richer and more interactive experience for your audience.

Experience the future of collaboration in immersive experiences with 3DVista Notes. The next level of interactivity and engagement is just a click away.

Visit our 3DVista Notes page for more information.

Introducing the All-New 3DVista App for Meta Quest 3: Elevate Your VR Experience

VR enthusiasts, the future of immersive virtual reality is here! We are thrilled to announce the release of the all-new 3DVista app for Meta Quest 3. This sleeker, higher-resolution device offers an expanded field of view, making your VR adventures even more extraordinary.

But that's not all. With the introduction of this cutting-edge device, we've taken the opportunity to revamp our app for older Meta devices as well. The new version enhances the viewer's performance on all fronts, particularly in terms of image quality and video playback. Combined with the added power of the new Quest 3 devices, this will create immersive experiences like never before.

Instructions:

Installing and using your tours in the new app is as easy as ever. You can find the complete process described in this video. We're also happy to provide a quick reminder:

Step 1. Publish your Tours for VR

The first thing you have to do is access your tour in VT PRO, go to the «Publish» button and select the «VR Apps» option. Inside, check the «Quest 3» box. Select a folder on your hard drive to which you want to save the tour and click «Publish«.

Important: Make sure you publish your tours with the most recent version of 3DVista.

Step 2. Create 3dvista folder in Meta Quest and copy tours

Connect your Meta Quest to your PC using a usb-c cable. Should your PC not reconnect to the new unit, try turning on the goggles. This'll pop up a menu on the Meta Quest screen prompting you to give your PC access to the device.

Go to the root folder of the Meta Quest drive and create a new folder with the name «3dvista«. Inside it is where you can then copy the previously published tour folder(s) so that you can later view them within the 3DVista app.

Step 3. Install the 3DVista VR app  

Turn on your Meta Quest and go to the app store. Type «3dvista vr» into the search field. Initially, the app is not shown like some others in the top section. Instead, you have to go to the «App Lab» section below and click on the «view app» button. This will make it appear in the list. If this section does not appear, please, check the device updates and make sure that your Meta Quest are updated to the latest version. 

Click on the 3DVista VR application and on the «view details» button, and finally on «Download«. The application will begin to download and install like the rest of your apps. Once the process is finished, the «start» button will appear. Click on it to start the app. Now you will get a menu in which the app will ask for permissions to access the content of the device, hit «allow» to continue.

And that's it, after the initial loading screen, the app will show you a list of all the tours that you initially copied. And by clicking on them you can view them directly in VR mode. The easiest way to watch virtual tours on your Meta Quest.

Troubleshooting 

If the 3DVista app on the Meta Quest device shuts down immediately after opening, it is necessary to utilize a different Facebook/Meta account on the device facing difficulties. This is because there is a restriction imposed by Meta on the number of headsets that can use the app with the same Facebook/Meta account.

Furthermore, certain users have found that clearing the app data, which can be done in the Settings > Storage menu, can help overcome this problem.

Finally, make sure that your tours still maintain the HTML files with their original name, that is «index.html» or «index.htm». These files should not be renamed.

Branded VR App

3DVista also offers the service of creating your own branded app for VR devices. Include your name or brand, logo and your own Tours. More information here.

The Importance of Optimizing 3D Models

Ensuring the proper display of your tours with 3D models so they are fluid, smooth, and fast is of paramount importance. For this reason, optimizing your 3D models has become an essential component, especially in projects where the complexity and detail of the elements are particularly high. In situations like these, where scenes are intricate and detailed, it's crucial to ensure they display quickly and efficiently. Otherwise, we run the risk of compromising the user's experience due to performance issues, resulting in slow or choppy visualizations that don't do justice to the effort invested.

The key lies in striking the perfect balance: enhancing visual quality without overloading the device's resources. If you wonder how to achieve this, our latest video tutorial is the resource you need.

In this tutorial, we explain both the process of optimizing and reducing the polygons of your models in 3D modeling software to make them lighter, as well as the adjustments that can be made in VT Pro to boost performance (Settings, Environment, Lights, Animations, Effects, and Skin tricks).

We provide you with the tools to ensure your 3D models display correctly, minimizing issues for your most complex scenes. Don't miss out and elevate the quality and performance of your 3D creations!

Same Geometry, Different Materials

In today's article, we want to highlight a feature that can significantly improve how we visualize and present our 3D models: the Variants.

This powerful feature allows us to present different materials for an object, always preserving the same geometry, which makes it possible to see various versions or finishes of a product.

Moreover, using variants helps us keep our model as compact as possible, avoiding having to duplicate objects just to change their color or texture. This allows for better optimization of our tour, maintaining proper performance, which translates into better visualization, speed, and fluidity of movements.

Follow the tutorial to see step-by-step the necessary actions both in the preparation part of our 3D model, as well as the subsequent management of the variants in VTPro.

We encourage you to explore this tool and personally experience how it can enrich your own projects.

Some examples to see it live:

More information:

For older versions of Blender, you can download the addon for Variant support for the glTF format here: https://github.com/takahirox/glTF-Blender-IO-materials-variants

Related link: https://github.com/KhronosGroup/glTF/tree/main/extensions/2.0/Khronos/KHR_materials_variants

More information about the possibilities of the glTF 2.0 format: https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/addons/import_export/scene_gltf2.html