1 Overview

Geo3D is a scriptable 3D Metafile (3DMF) viewer with many navigation (and some editing and animation) features.

1.1 Features

• Flexible mouse and keyboard navigation through and around the models with many configuration options
• Open and save 3DMF files (3D Metafile).
• VRML and 3DS import; support for plug-in importers
• Preview 3DMF textures
• Export 2D images and animation sequences in JPEG, PNG, TIFF, Photoshop, and PICT format at the resolution you choose
• Automatic model rotation
• Various standard camera positions
• Individual viewpoints
• Interpolated transitions between viewpoints, standard camera positions, etc.
• Record and render navigation paths; export as animation sequence
• Various configuration options for lighting, renderer, fog, etc.
• Add URL addresses, including descriptions, to objects, providing a direct connection to additional information
• Selective representation of individual model domains
• Coordinate value extraction and range finding
• Fade and shift semitransparent planes and axes
• Combine multiple 3DMF files
• Support for 3D accelerator hardware, and plug-in renderer.
• Partly scriptable and recordable using AppleScript
• Full screen rendering
• Languages: English, French and German

1.2 Requirements

Geo3D 2.5 (Mac OS X) requires Mac OS X 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, or 10.6. Geo3D is supported by Rosetta (Mac OS X for Intel). The performance depends mainly on GPU.

Geo3D easy to use. However, taking advantage of the most advanced features requires some practice. Developing your own spatial visualization skills will also help.

Download the Geo3D disk image (dgm) from the Geo3D web site. Double click on the disk image to mount it. Drag the Geo3D application icon into your preferred folder.

1.3 3D Metafile Format (3DMF)

The 3DMF format (3D metafile) is a file format for three-dimensional data. 3DMF supports many types of geometries and objects, textures, shades, lights, cameras, renderers, material properties, hierarchical information etc.

3DMF can store data in text and binary form. You can use a text editor to edit 3DMF text files, but a binary 3DMF file is more compact and can be read faster. 3DMF Text files are only partly supported by Geo3D. PPC user can convert 3DMF text files using Anatas 1.3 under Classic environment.

Geo3D supports most features of the 3DMF format. The few exceptions are functional limitations and don’t affect the model. Geo3D uses the ViewAngleAspectCamera, a perspective camera. With other camera types, only the position and direction of the camera is read. The ImageDimensions instruction, which determines the size of the window, is ignored. Geo3D continues to read the parameters specified in the Rendering panel, selectively: if the parameters are not grouped, Geo3D reads the first object in each set and ignores additional objects. In each case, the first shading object (PhongIllumination, LambertIllumination, or NULLIllumination) as well as the first InterpolationStyle, BackfacingStyle, FogStyle, and FillStyle object is read. This makes it possible to change these settings globally in Geo3D. Grouped objects are not changed. The fog color (FogStyle) always corresponds to the background color in Geo3D. Geo3D opens 3DMF files if they end in “.3dm”, “.3dmf”, “.qd3d” or “.qd3”.

1.4 Bugs

Like all software, Geo3D has bugs. When bugs are found, I try to fix them immediately. Geo3D has been thoroughly tested, but for obvious reasons, it is not possible to test Geo3D with every possible configuration of hardware and software.

Contact address for comments, suggestions, and bug reports:
See www.topoi.ch/

1.5 Acknowledgements

First of all, heartfelt thanks to Martin Heller (Toporobot). The idea for Geo3D started with him. Next, thanks to Bernard Ournié for the translation of Geo3D and its help into French, and to Kristi Wachter for translating parts of the help into English. Thanks also to all the users who contacted me with bug reports, suggestions, exciting files, or - when things go well - simply say they appreciate it.