3D Models

model-viewer

The cleanest way to publish interactive models seems to be using model-viewer.

Workflow

  1. Export from Fusion as USDZ.
  2. Convert to glTF (GLB) using Convert 3D.

Materials

Exporting using STEP seems to loose some of the material properties, but they end up looking better. Simply colorized.

Document seems to suggest that I need Principled BSDF materials to work well with glTF.

Scale

Since model-viewer provides AR support, it’s important to ensure the models are exported with the correct dimensions.

Loosing the scale on export. I wonder if it thinks the units are inches not mm? It looks like Fusion allows you to explicitly set units per mesh for certain manufacturing processes (see autodesk.com). But it’s set up to be mm by default, so it makes sense to stick with this and then have the software consuming it interpret that correct.

Scale ideas:

  • Default blender document seems to be in meters.
  • Scale model at import time to 0.001x.
  • Export from Blender—does this also loose the scale?

Curiously with Blender set to metric, meters, exporting from a Fusion design in metric, mm, and scaling by 0.001, the model is too small. Why?

Scale to 0x01?
This section of the site is like my personal Wiki. It’s where I put notes that are relevant to me as I go through life and work on my projects. Perhaps they’ll be useful to you too. Expect things here to move around as my thinking evolves—if it turns out something warrants its own section, I’ll promote it.