Category: Building

Voice Recognition for Wayfinding
May 5, 2023

We are currently developing voice recognition feature for 3D Wayfinder. It will allow visitors to use wayfinding software without using touch-screens. Just say where you would like to go and wayfinder software will show you the way. Voice recogni [...]

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Blender Modeling Tutorial
May 28, 2022

How are 3D map models made in Blender? Here is a step by step look. You find detailed blender modeling tutorial with videos and specific guidelines. BLENDER MODELING TUTORIAL GENERAL GUIDELINES Maintain a clean quad topology and keep poly [...]

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WordPress Indoor Map Plugin
November 11, 2020

WordPress Indoor Map Plugin for indoor maps is an easy way to integrate building directory to your WordPress website. Keep the tenant info in sync on all your channels - web, mobile and kiosk. It allows you to connect locations on map with WordPress [...]

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Latest Updates on Our CMS
August 27, 2019

For the past few months we have been working on making content management system better and more user-friendly. There is a constant work on fixing bugs and but with this blog post we are ready to introduce you a few updates that make using our CMS e [...]

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International Colleges Benefit Most From Wayfinding Solutions
February 13, 2018

Large school campuses are usually difficult to navigate for new students and visitors. We installed wayfinding  kiosks for Baltic Defence College which is international college with complicated buildings, facing the same “hard to find” problem. [...]

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Wayfinding Kiosks are Part of Renovating a Mall
January 4, 2018

Harbour placed shopping mall Nautica has got a new name and a new look. After rebuilding the shopping mall, two wayfinding kiosks were also placed. Although the mall is not large, the wayfinding feature is really important for them. Nautica mall i [...]

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New Top View Feature in Our Editor
January 2, 2018

Sometimes it's the small things that make all the difference. New "Toggle top view" feature in 3D Wayfinders administration panels editor is a useful tool that will give needed help to our users. Toggle top view shows all the maps straight from the [...]

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Installing iBeacons is Easy
November 14, 2017

We have finished installation of approximately 250 iBeacons for mobile app positioning. Although the installation process is easy. There are some tricks and common practises to follow, when setting up iBeacon based indoor positioning. iBeacons instal [...]

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3D Model Converting Problems Partially Fixed
November 8, 2017

In recent days, we were having problems with 3D model converter. These problems are partially fixed now, so converting non-corrupted 3D files shouldn’t cause any interruption anymore. 3D Wayfinder’s model file converter has stopped quite often l [...]

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3D Wayfinder User Manual is Updated
September 28, 2017

Many things in our new administration panel work a little bit differently than they used to. If you need help to figure things out, check 3D Wayfinder user manual. We have updated all the topics and we add information when new features are added. [...]

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Keeping Floor Plan Editor Idle in the Background
August 1, 2017

The new 3D Wayfinder Administration Panel is centered more around the floor plan editor. To provide better usability we keep the 3D editor idle when moving away to other pages. So switching between editor and other views is much faster now. The new [...]

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Indoor Positioning Demo with Custom Floors and iBeacons
July 18, 2017

Now it is possible to order indoor positioning demo application. For demo we will send you required amount of iBeacons devices and create custom 2D or 3D floor plan. With 3D Wayfinder mobile application it is possible to see indoor positioning with w [...]

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Wayfinding Kiosk with Raspberry Pi
July 11, 2017

We have recently experimented with a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, to see how it can work as media player for digital signage display or wayfinding information kiosk. As a result we can say, it works well with 2D wayfinding maps and with 3D Wayfinder Adver [...]

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Choosing the Best Wayfinding Software
July 5, 2017

There are lots of different wayfinding software and it might be difficult to decide which solution to pick. We have used our experience and gathered some suggestions that will help you choose the best wayfinding application. Over all the best wayfin [...]

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Creating BIM Applications with 3D Wayfinder
June 15, 2017

3D Wayfinder is now being used for Building Information Model (BIM) applications. By creating BIM kiosk software for Estonian National Museum we have added many new and useful features to our software and improved the performance for larger models. [...]

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New Feature in Navigation: Group Hierarchy
April 13, 2017

We have added new feature in navigation to our administration panel for creating sub-groups. This brings whole new possibilities for wayfinding and other areas. Any location or POI (Place of Interest) can belong to one or many groups. So for example [...]

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Showing Multiple Floors in Path Animation
March 20, 2017

New feature we have added for wayfinding applications is accordion style floors when using path animation. This means, that all floors will be visible on the screens when showing the path through multiple floors. In 3D Wayfinder you will see all flo [...]

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New Responsive Template for 3D Wayfinder
March 7, 2017

New template is now available for all 3D Wayfinder users. Template called “Iglu” is responsive HTML5 based template for 3D Wayfinder with clean and modern design. It is open-source and uses our newest AngularJS framework based template. There is [...]

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15% Performance Gain for Larger 3D Floor Plans
January 31, 2017

We have improved our 3D rendering engine. Thanks to better memory management we got 10..20% performance increase in FPS with larger 3D models. We updated our WebGL javascript engine - FRAK - in 3D Wayfinder. Many memory management functions have bee [...]

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3D Wayfinder Development Template is Now Available
January 11, 2017

A new template for development purposes has been published with simplified javascript API. Now it is even easier to get started with 3D Wayfinder and the integration of 3D maps into web applications. We have published a special template for developm [...]

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Wayfinding Software Full Specification Published
December 5, 2016

We have published wayfinding software full specification feature list. This covers the important features for wayfinding and building directory administration. 3D Wayfinding has a lot of functionality and features. That might be not visible with fir [...]

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Using QR-codes in Wayfinding Application
November 10, 2016

The easiest way for the visitor to get the wayfinding map into their mobile device is to add a QR-code to the kiosk application. By scanning the QR-code, the map of the building will open on the visitors mobile phone. QR codes are getting more and mo [...]

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Creating Your 3D Visualizations Paths is Now Easier
September 12, 2016

Hello 3D Wayfinder users, we have put together an instruction for you to make adding locations faster and simpler. Creating your 3D visualizations paths its easier than ever before with 3D Wayfinder. The following information diagram shows how to ad [...]

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Guidelines for Creating 3D Models
June 14, 2016

We have listed some guidelines for creating 3D models, that look nice and run smoothly in web-browsers.  3D Wayfinder uses regular 3D models, so there is no special format or way how the 3D floorplans should be modeled. As 3D Way [...]

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New Free Plan for 3D Wayfinder
June 10, 2016

To start the summer on a positive and even more client-friendly note, we have decided to enable our customers to use our software free of charge with our new pricing plan. We created this new option so more people could access the 3D Wayfinder and w [...]

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Separating Materials From Geometry
June 7, 2016

Until now all the materials in 3D Wayfinder have been replaced with each 3D model update. Now it is possible to keep the materials and their attributes' values. This will save a lot of time, when creating a nice-looking 3D wayfinding application. See [...]

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Portals in Wayfinding Software
May 25, 2016

We have implemented new type of nodes - portals. This makes it possible to guide visitors instantly from one point to another. Portals in wayfinding software can be used for creating an instant path between a large number of floors or when floors ar [...]

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Exporting 3D Models From 3ds MAX
February 5, 2016

3ds Max models cannot be used directly in 3D Wayfinder, as .max format is closed file format and our importer doesn't support it. But exporting 3D models from Max is not complicated. 3D Wayfinder supports following formats for 3D models: .fbx, .dae, [...]

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New Features in 3D Wayfinder
January 15, 2016

With the end of 2015 and the beginning of this year there are many new features added to 3D Wayfinder. The goal of these changes was to add flexibility to customizing the behavior of the 3D map and wayfinding. Custom models for path, path types, POI [...]

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New Reflection Feature in Our 3D Engine
December 18, 2015

FRAK WebGL engine has now built in Cubemaps and reflection shader. This gives 3D Wayfinder access to use reflections of surrounding area. We have added built in cubemaps and cubemap reflection shader to FRAK WebGL engine. In addition reflection with [...]

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3D Wayfinder is Sponsoring CG Architecture Challenge
October 29, 2015

CGTrader is organizing challenge called "CG Architecture Challenge". More than 240 thousand 3D enthusiasts and designers have been invited to participate. 3D Wayfinder has set awards for each challenge subcategory. Award will be given for the best 3D [...]

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3D Interactive Floor Plan Demo
September 8, 2015

Check out our new 3D Wayfinder platform demo. This will give you short overview of what you can do with 3D Wayfinder and what are our API capabilities. The demo has following topics: Moving 3D map with mouse cursor or touch screen.Clicking on [...]

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Node Weights in Path Calculation
August 21, 2015

We have updated path finding functionality and path calculation. Now it is possible to change the weights of navigation nodes in 3D Wayfinder floor plan editor. Path-finding application calculates automatically the shortest route from the starting [...]

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Offline Indoor Wayfinding
July 29, 2015

3D Wayfinder provides offline snapshot add-on to create static wayfinding application that can be used without internet connection. Read more about offline indoor wayfinding.  When kiosks or digital signage screens don't have internet connection, [...]

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Advertisement Add-on User Manual Now Available
July 13, 2015

Advertisement add-on user manual is now publicly available. Advertisement add-on makes your wayfinding application part of your digital-signage channel. It is possible to use video and banner ads. Also set duration, layout and everything you need for [...]

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Wayfinding Application Template Examples
June 19, 2015

Here are couple of 3D Wayfinder template examples. Wayfinding template for touch screen kiosks and mobile for indoor positioning in shopping malls, hospitals, airport etc. Contact our sales team for demo. [...]

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3D Wayfinder Joined the Open Design Alliance
June 19, 2015

We have joined the Open Design Alliance to develop CAD file support to 3D Wayfinder. With CAD support it will be easy to upload building drawing files and show them directly through web. 3D Technologies R&D (developer of 3D Wayfinder) is [...]

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Preview of Inserting External 3D Models to Floor Plans
June 17, 2015

Currently we are developing features to insert external 3D models to floor plans. With this it would be possible to add these "little details" (like escalators, benches, trees or even cars). That make the floor-plans look realistic. The best thing i [...]

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Welcome Screen for Wayfinding Application and Changing Farme-Rate for FRAK
June 8, 2015

Some of our customers prefer a "Welcome" screen for their wayfinding application. Welcome screens are good way for inviting visitors to use wayfinding, it is also a page where you can show advertisements or welcome text. To minimize the load for kio [...]

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Faster Loading with JSON 3D Model Format
May 25, 2015

Now the JSON 3D model formats are also implemented in 3D Wayfinder. This gives us better browser-side loading time as browsers’ native JSON parser is faster, than parsing binary models in Javascript. The average gain in loading time is 55%, which [...]

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3D vs 2D Wayfinding
May 18, 2015

What is the difference between 3D vs 2D wayfinding and what are the benefits of 3D floor plans? We have tested 3D, semi-3D and 2D floor-plans with our small focus-group and below is the short summary. To see the 3D floor-plans in action, p [...]

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Integrating Wayfinding with Other Software
May 15, 2015

We have published overview of integration possibilities with other software. Also short description of 3D Wayfinder application server architecture. 3D Wayfinder is fully web-based wayfinding solution, with modular architecture, customizable [...]

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Support for JSON 3D Model Format in FRAK WebGL Engine
May 12, 2015

We have released a new version of FRAK WebGL engine with support for JSON 3D model format. This decreases the browser-side loading time as browsers' native JSON parser is faster, than parsing binary models in Javascript, as we used to do so far. Of [...]

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Bumps and Dents in 3D with Normal Maps
March 24, 2015

With new material management, we have added also normal maps. Normal mapping is a technique used for faking the lighting of bumps and dents in 3D models – an implementation of bump mapping. It is used to add details without using more polygons [...]

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How to Export and Import Location Data to 3D Wayfinder
March 10, 2015

We have added import and export functionality to 3D Wayfinder. Users can manage location data in any spreadsheet software and then easily import all locations, with descriptions, groups and tags to 3D Wayfinder content management system. Import and e [...]

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Create Wayfinding with Just 2D Floor-Plan Images
February 5, 2015

We have updated our CMS to upload simple 2D images as wayfinding maps. To use your existing drawings, just upload the image files under Floors page. If you have PDF-files You have to convert these into images (PNG, JPEG). We recommend to use at least [...]

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New Shaders in 3D Wayfinder
October 10, 2014

There is now specular shader implemented in 3D Wayfinder. This will give more life-like look for materials like metal, stone, plastic etc. Specular shaders create the bright highlights that you would see on a glossy surfaces. It is mimicking the ref [...]

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3D Floor-Plans with Skybox
September 25, 2014

New features in 3D Wayfinder include skybox, skybox textures can be set by our users via 3D Wayfinder. Skybox allows 3D floorplans to look more realistic and different kind of sky images can be used. Our customers from UAE and Kuwait prefer sunny sky [...]

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Transparency in 3D Wayfinder
August 22, 2014

Recently we introduced improved transparency in 3D Wayfinder handling to FRAK engine. It can now be configured between three transparency rendering modes: sorted, blended and stochastic. The sorted mode is what used to be the default earlier. Ther [...]

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3D Technologies R&D has Launched 3D Floor Plan Application Development Kit
April 4, 2014

We are pleased to announce that 3D Technologies R&D has launched a service for software developers to visualize and interact with 3D floor plans. For example users can create Wayfinding, Smart House and Architecture visualization solutions. Usin [...]

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Expanding Indoor Wayfinding
October 29, 2013

People move, think and experience the world in three dimensions. The majority of media channels are using 3D technologies to attract people’s attention more and more. Nowadays, 3D has become an icon that is written on many products, even on toothp [...]

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