FAQ


Here are the main sections of this page :

General questions

What is 3dvia.com?

3DVIA is the newest of the 6 Dassault Systèmes brands. Its mission is democratizing the usage of 3D so that everybody can use it in its everyday life, either at work or at home, through the web. Our objective is to give you the power of 3D.

In that intent, a team of passionate people, both long time experienced one as well as new online kids in town, has been build with the mandate of leveraging all existing 3D technologies of Dassault Systèmes , as well as developing new ones, to deliver new types of innovative 3D services, online.

3dvia.com will be the meeting point for all the communities wishing to improving everyday's life with 3D. It will provide both 3D content and 3D services, either very generic or more dedicated to specific goals. It relies on dedicated infrastructure, leverages real-time display and behavioral 3D technologies, and provides services for everyone to imagine, create, share, experience or play in 3D.

Welcome to 3DVIA.com!

My 3DVIA

How do I create my account?

To become a member of 3DVIA, go to the Join 3DVIA page, choose a username and password and enter your personal information. Then click the "Next" button. Your account is created; you will receive an e-mail to validate it.

How do I change my password?

In my 3DVIA page click the "edit full profile" button to go to your profile. Then choose your new password, click the "save" button and you are done. If you forgot your password, see the related answer.

I forgot my password!

In the "sign in" bar, click on forgot password. Enter your registration e-mail and click the "send password" button. You will receive your password to sign in. It would be a good idea to change your password once logged.

How do I delete my account?

In my 3DVIA page click the "edit full profile" button to go to your profile. Then click the "delete my account" button, confirm you want to delete your account and you are done. Note: all your 3d models will also be removed from the site!!

How do I add friends/business to my contacts list?

To add friends or business to your contact list, you have two possibilities.

First case, the person is already registered on 3DVIA. In this case, select the user in the people list and click on its icon. Then click the "save this contact" link. On the following page you will be asked to precise if it's a business contact or a friend. Select the proper choice and click the "add contact list" button. Check in your contact list, you should have a new one.

Second case, the person is not yet registered and you want to invite him to join 3DVIA. Click the "invite contacts" link in your my 3DVIA page. Enter the e-mail, firstname and lastname of your contacts and click the "save e-mail" button. Your contacts will receive an invitation. If they accept to register, they will be automatically added to your contact list.

Why can I not see my3DVIA tab?

You are surely not logged in.

I created my account but cannot SignIn!

Did you activate your account? Once your account has been created, you received an email with a link to activate it.
If you do not receive this email, try to check your spam folder and eventually contact us

3D Models and players

How do I upload a 3D model?

To upload a 3D model in 3dvia.com, follow the steps bellow:

  1. Go to your my 3DVIA page and click the "upload new model" button.
  2. Select your 3D model files, enter the different information and click the "upload files" button
  3. At the end of the processing step, your model is ready to be displayed.

If an error occurred, see details in the media alert page.

How do I download a 3D model?

You should find a download link on the 3D model page. Be sure the license allows you to download the model and click the "download original 3D model" link. All the related files will also be downloaded. If the original 3D model is not a 3D XML, you will also have the choice to download the 3D XML file of the model. For more information about the 3D XML format, see the related answer.

How do I play a 3D model in real time?

You need the 3dxml player plugin or the 3d life player plugin to play 3D model. Once one of this plugin is installed, go to the 3d model page and click on the model preview.

Which formats are supported?

3DVIA supports many 3d authoring software formats. To see all details, go to the compliant 3D Authoring Softwares Table.

3d formats 2d formats
supported recognized but not supported by 3DVIA supported recognized but not supported by 3DVIA
  • .3ds, .prj (3D Studio R1-R4)
  • .obj (Wavefront OBJ)
  • .wrl (VRML1, VRML2)
  • .ply
  • .off
  • .stl, .stla, .stlb
  • .3dxml
  • .dae (Collada)
  • .kmz
  • Virtools .vmo, .cmo, .nmo
  • 3ds max .max
  • Apple 3DMF (Quickdraw-3D) .3dm, .3dmf
  • DirectX .x
  • DXF .dxf
  • Electric Image FACT .fact
  • GameExchange2 (Mirai) .gof
  • Houdini (geometry file) .geo
  • Imagine .ima
  • Inventor2 (SGI) .iv
  • Lightwave .lwo, .lws
  • MilkShape-3D .ms3d
  • Minolta Vivid 3D Scanner .cam, .vvd
  • MOL Molecular Database .mol
  • Pro/Engineer "Render File" .slp
  • Protein (Molecular) Database .pdb
  • Rhino-3D/OpenNURBS .3dm
  • Strata StudioPro v1.75 .vis
  • trueSpace .cob, .scn
  • USGS & Gtopo-30 DEM .dem
  • VistaPro .dem
  • XGL (good for CAD transfers) .xgl, .zgl
  • HOOPS HSF (WEB Streaming) .hsf
  • softimage .xsi
  • .igs
  • .stp
  • .jpg, .jpe, .jpeg
  • .tga
  • .bmp
  • .png
  • .pcx
  • .tif, .tiff
  • .dib
  • .gif
  • .dds
  • .psd
  • .rgb
  • .sgi
  • .img
  • .pct
  • .pict
  • .ppm
  • .pgm
  • .pbm
  • .eps
  • .iff

What is the 3D XML format?

3D XML is a universal, lightweight XML-based format that enables users to capture and share live, accurate 3D data quickly and easily.

How do I publish a 3D model in my web page?

Below each 3D model, you will find a line of code to insert in your web page. Simply choose the type of your web page and copy/paste the dedicated line of code.

What is the copyright attached to a 3D model?

We have chosen to let users publish their 3D models under "Creative Commons Licenses" which are the best dedicated to a 3D models sharing community. It is the responsibility of the user to choose the suitable copyright to associate with its model. For more information on how to use Creative Commons Licenses, see the "related page". You can also choose to mark your model as "All rights reserved".

Can I use 3D models from other users in my own work?

You want to use 3D models from the 3DVIA collection in your own work (video, game) but you are not sure you have the right to do it. All public 3D models are published under Creative Commons License.

How to make a model public/private?

From the selected 3D model page, click the "edit attributes" button. Change the audience attribute by selecting public / private or audience restricted. Keep in mind that a private 3D model will not be displayed to other users.

What does it mean when a 3D model is Audience restricted?

The audience status for a 3D model can be "Private", "Public" or "Audience restricted":

  • Private: nobody can access your model.
  • Public: all users can see your model.
  • Audience restricted: only people of your contacts list (friends and/or business) can see your model.

How do I search for a specific 3D model?

At the top of the 3D models page, you will find a search bar. Enter your key word and click the "search" button. A result page will return all public models with title or tags matching the key word.

How do I see all models of a user?

From the people view, select the contributors' panel and click on the user icon.

I received an alert when I was uploading a model!!

Go to the model status to see details of the alert.
If the 3D media is not valid, see supported 3D formats.

Problem with 3D Life Player in firefox

3D Life player automatic update is not supported in firefox. If you experience any trooble with the 3D Life player in firefox, try to install the latest vesion by clicking on this link.

The player has frozen!

Your computer may not meet the minimum technical requirements.

When I load a model in the 3DLife Player, all I see is a shadow with no object.

This is due to a rendering bug in the 3DLife Player. There are two known workarounds:

  1. Shaders may hide the model in the 3DLife Player. Use the middle-click on the Player to select Shader property and switch to "No specific Shader." This setting is temporary, but will determine if the problem is at the shader level.
  2. Right click on the Player, select Settings and switch "Open GL 2.0 (2.1 compliant) Hardware." This setting will be saved. In other cases like this switching to the Open GL driver fixes this kind of display problem.

Groups

What is a group?

Groups allow people to share 3D models and discuss things related to a specific topic. For instance, if you choose to start a collection of cartoons models, you may consider creating a group and letting others contribute to your collection.

How to create a group?

To create a group, follow the steps bellow:

  1. From the Groups Home page, click the "create my own group" link.
  2. Choose the group name, enter the description/topic, select the category and define tags
  3. Click the "add group" button. Your group has been created.

How do I join a group?

From the selected "Group" page, click the link "Join this group" and you are done.

How do I share my 3D models in a group?

You must be member of the group to share your 3D models. Go to the 3D model page you want to share. At the top of the page, you will find a group combobox, choose the group where you want to add you model and you are done.

How do I leave a group?

From the group you are a member, simply click the "Leave group" link and confirm. Notice that all models you added to the group will be removed.

How do I delete a group?

If you are the group owner, click the "edit group" link. At the bottom of the group page, click the "delete this group". A dialog box wills ask you to confirm.

Can I add a private 3D model in a group?

Since all groups are public you cannot add private either audience restricted 3D model in a group.

Can I add 3D model from other users in a group?

Only the owner of a 3D model can add it to a group.

Who administer a group?

It is the owner/creator of a group who possesses the admin right but other members can be set as moderators of the group.

3D Experiences

What is a 3D experience?

A 3D Experience is an online and interactive 3D application where users can experience various situations and activities in real time.

How do I play an experience?

From the 3D experience page, simply click the 3D experience you want to play.

How do I create an experience?

3D Experiences are created by artist with the support of virtools.