Tag: building guide

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 Wayfinder works in web-browsers through WebGL technology, then in order to get better results the 3D models should be optimized. Read below for some useful tips and tricks on optimizing 3D models for the best performance.

For example keep the 3D geometry simple and use textures, that can be repeated:

An important element of 3D floorplans are different kinds of vegetation (trees, bushes etc.). They help to make the floorplans look more life-like and in some cases are also important for navigating on the map. It is easy to use transparent textures on the simple planes, just never model out the leaves or branches:

With 3D it is possible to create really life-like buildings, but when using 3D for maps, it is always good to keep the models simpler. For this we suggest removing un-important furniture and making the walls as low as possible without losing the general idea of the height of the room. This way the visibility of the visualized path is far greater.

You find the full list of guidelines for creating 3D models are added 3D Wayfinder page here.

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. Using 3D Wayfinder floor plan application will save development time and gives users out of the box floor plan. The solution runs on touch-screen kiosks, mobile devices and websites, which makes it well scalable.

There are many areas where indoor wayfinding solution is useful and even unavoidable, such as shopping centres, transportation stations, sports facilities, hospitals, university campuses, etc. All of these facilities have different kinds of integration needs. This service enables developers to focus on these needs and not to waste time on additional development.

3D Wayfinder takes advantage of the possibilities offered by HTML5 and WebGL, that work on all modern web browsers. Taavi Juursalu, the company’s CTO says: „Our JavaScript API enables developers to intersect and send map specific events, so customizing the map is as easy as the Google Maps API. “

The platform is currently in beta version and therefore free of charge. The company’s Sales and Marketing Manager Rainer Saar adds: „3D Wayfinder for Developers is one of a kind tool in the World today that helps to widen Digital Signage and indoor wayfinding possibilities. Our service enables any developer to start creating applications without the need for specific skills in 3D field“.

3D Technologies R&D is also offering a full wayfinding solution with 3D floor plans and customer specific software development service. Today, 3DWayfinder helps to find the way in many shopping malls and transportation hubs across the World.

We are proud to announce the release of our newly redesigned website which goes live today 17.02.2014. It is located at the same address www.3dwayfinder.com. New website is more modern and user-friendly. Improved and re-designed landing page welcomes visitors with clean exquisite design. With featured content focused on providing our clients and partners the most accurate product information. You will immediately notice simple navigation options. Also easy access to information that is important. The website will be updated on regular basis with news, events, product updates and other new contents.

We hope You will like and enjoy the new website. Also we would very flattered if You will stop by at the new site.

If You have any suggestions on how we could make the website even better, don’t hesitate to share it with us by clicking here.

New website includes many improvements and new features. Some of the most important ones are listed below:

• Improved navigation.
• Precise overview of kiosk, mobile and web application.
• Overview of different maps (3D, semi 3D and 2D).
• Technical information.
• Categorized resellers and their contact details.
• New design is fully responsive. Which means You can now enjoy all of the content on mobile phones and tablets.

We are pleased to invite You to join us at Integrated Systems Europe 2014 trade show.

There are a lot of new exciting technology solutions and we want You to have the opportunity to see all of them. In 2013 ISE attracted over 44,000 attendees, where 894 exhibitors occupied more than 33,000 square meters of total net floor space. There were more than 1,000 new products launched and because of that it is one of the most waited and important events in the industry.

When and where?

4-6 of February in Amsterdam. Information about location, opening hours & admission prices You can find by clicking here.

How to register? 

All the information about the registration You can find from here.

You can find us at booth: 8-F312.

Hope to see You there.

The whole team of 3D Technologies R&D wishes You a merry christmas and a happy new year.

According to Google, self-service is becoming the new norm – 1 in 3 shoppers use their smartphones to find information instead of asking the store employees. 74% of adult smartphone owners aged 18 and older say that they use their phones to get directions or other information based on their current location. (Source: Pew Internet)

Way finding outdoors is easy, because there are so many different navigation softwares guided by the GPS. But people also need an indoor wayfinding solution because buildings nowadays have become very complicated. There is a great need for a simple indoor wayfinding solution for mobile devices. Therefore we offer 3D Wayfinder mobile app for Android and iOS. Soon it will be available on Windows Phone as well. It helps people to navigate indoors and get the latest deals. It is a tool for retailers to advertise their brand or product on the map. The solution has many benefits:

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 toothpaste. There it serves a marketing purpose, but in IT sector we can make use of it.

One Estonian company, called 3D Technologies R&D has developed the first wayfinding software using WebGL. The company calls themselves a WebGL pioneers, because this technology is in its baby shoes. Most solutions that you can find at this point are usually object demos or games. They may be cool, but not practical. However, 3D Wayfinder is a very practical solution. It is a web-based service for creating building directories for large public buildings.

What is WebGL?

WebGL (Web Graphics Library) in its most basic level is a graphics library that allows us to create real-time rendered interactive 3D graphics inside browser, so it is browser-based. With it, you can experience rich 3D content within any compatible web browser, without installing additional plugin. Most modern browsers support WebGL technology to deliver hardware-accelerated 3D graphics. The HTML5 and WebGL platform allow direct access to the graphics card. That means much faster load times and smoother operation on PC and on mobile devices. According to the WebGL stats, we can show you some statistics about supported desktops and mobile browsers. Data is assembled from over 15 million visits on more than 615 participating sites over the last 60 days.

Source: http://webglstats.com/

As we can see from the diagrams, almost ¾ of the personal computer users, who have visited WebGL participating sites, use browsers that support that graphics library. Mobile devices percentage is low, but it is increasing on daily basis as more power is put under the hood.

WebGL Advantages

WebGL is the best solution enabling to display 3D content on every browser and platform. It is plug-in free, memory management is handled automatically and, it is royalty free web standard for low-level 3D graphics. WebGL is supported in most of the operating systems (Windows Vista or later, Mac OS 10.6 or later, Linux and Chrome OS) and browsers. Unlike other 3D graphics technologies, such as Unity 3D, Flash.

WebGL elements can be mixed with other HTML elements and composites. This enables to design and integrate according to personal needs in combination with other technologies and content. It all together offers endless possibilities for designers and developers.

3D indoor wayfinding software

3D Technologies R&D created FRAK engine to ease up the 3D content development process. FRAK is a JavaScript 3D engine for creating interactive 3D applications. With this engine, you will have the power to build the next generation application. WebGL and the power of HTML5 gives cool designing and functionality opportunities for the future projects.

Today we are presenting 3D Wayfinder at Hospitality Technology Day in Meriton Grand Conference & Spa Hotel.

It’s a first time event specialized on introducing the possibilities of Digital Signage in hospitality sector.

Where is people there’s always a question of orientating – 3DWayfinder for hotels and spa’s.

We are pleased to announce that we have made ​​significant progress in the development of a WebGL version of 3D Wayfinder. We are planning to implement it in Atrium shopping center in Russia. WebGL and the power of HTML5 gives new cool designing opportunities for upcoming projects.

Our partner, Akzia Apps has created a super-awesome design. In the near future we will offer You this exclusive chance to be one of the first who gets a glimpse of this cool project. We plan to create all our future projects in WebGL to provide better user experience.

3D Wayfinder does not mean 3-dimensional buidling directory

The whole 3D Technologies R&D team is putting a lot of energy into product development to provide better navigation (wayfinding) for our existing and future partners. We are devoting a lot of time into innovating and testing new solutions. Our team is convinced that the best solutions grow out from engaging in dialogue with users of our products.

Our latest customer surveys revealed that there is also a market for more simpler version of 3D Wayfinder for smaller buildings with smaller budgets. We already receive requests for such solutions and hopefully first one will realize soon.

Maximize ROI

Advertising on smartphones and tablets has shown rising trends in the world and it is becoming more important information channel. 3D Wayfinder is an excellent channel for advertising to reach all user groups. It enables to advertise on all three platforms kiosk, mobile and web, which makes the solution an effective e-commerce channel.

Mobile & Web version

To meet the needs of our customers we have launched a mobile version for Android and iOS users. Windows Phone users can expect the mobile app soon. It has all the basic functions – search, deals, map etc. The building map is 2D so it could work smoothly and simply on most smartphones and tablets. The map is converted from 3D to 2D, to preserve its preciseness and to automate the process of updating. Exactly the same content that is in the kiosk and web version. All managed from one CMS. Mobile offer even more possibilities to integrate different custom solutions like social networks, loyal customer schemes, timetables and other useful features.

You can download the mobile app from your app store by searching “Lounakeskus” or, simply just scan the QR code below.

If you wish to see the web directory in action then visit Lõunakeskus website (South Center).

We would appreciate any feedback, so if You have any questions, recommendations or desire for cooperation, just let us know.

3D Technologies R&D presented it’s 3D Wayfinder software at Rock IT Con 2013 fair from 24-25 of August. It was a first time event specialized on bringing together IT companies from Russia and Estonia. Our software got a lot of attraction by many companies and also by visitors from the street. We had a good opportunity to present some of our projects on our partners ML Novator’s kiosk.