Importing 3D models from Adobe Stock
1. Introduction
In this video we're going to show you how to take a 3D model from the asset site Adobe Stock, and bring it into ZapWorks Studio so it can be used in your AR experiences.
2. Adobe Stock website
From the Adobe Stock website, we can click on the 3D menu entry in the top right and then the ‘Search 3D Models’ option on the following page to be taken to the 3D model catalog.
The models we are presented with all use the OBJ file type and have been optimised for Adobe Dimension (formerly Project Felix). There is also no polygon count listed, just the file size in MB. This makes the searching process simple, all the models we’ve downloaded have worked well within ZapWorks Studio.
3. Downloading a model
The blue ticks denote models we've already licensed and tested in Studio. One that worked well was this Goldfish model so we’re going to download it now.
If we click on the thumbnail for the model we are shown some additional information, such as the file type and file size. We also have the option to download it and save it to our computer as we have already licensed it.
By clicking on the cloud icon we can download the model.
4. Understanding the files
After unzipping the downloaded file we can see the OBJ file alongside an MTL and MDL file, as well as a folder containing all of the textures. We will be focusing on the OBJ file, the MTL file (known as a material library file) and the base color textures.
Models exported using 3D software may support the additional normal and specular maps but ZapWorks Studio only supports the base color texture files at the moment.
5. Importing the OBJ
Now we’re ready to open ZapWorks Studio and create a new blank project. The process of importing OBJ files is a little different to POD or FBX in the sense that you need to select both the OBJ and MTL file and drag and drop them both into the import box at the top of the Media Library at the same time.
We will then be taken through the usual import process: choosing a name for our model and importing the necessary texture files. We just need to drag the files in, you can either drag the files in one at a time or drag multiple in and Studio will allocate them correctly, based on their name. As mentioned previously, Studio only supports the base color texture files, so only asks us for these.
Once we've done this we can click 'Finish' to complete the import process. Studio will then import the model, which can take a minute or so, depending on the complexity of the model.
6. Viewing the model
Once imported, the model will appear in the Symbol Definitions panel. Double-clicking on the symbol will enter it and the model will be shown in the 3D view.
Within the 3D view we have a few controls in the bottom right to be able to; zoom, rotate and position the model.
As we are dealing with an OBJ model we don’t have to worry about animations as OBJ files do not support animation.
7. Lowering texture resolution
One final thing to check is the size of the texture files within Studio. By right-clicking on the image files in the Media Library and selecting properties we can resize the width and height. Models displayed using Zappar rarely need to have texture files larger than 1024 x 1024 pixels.
With this in mind, we will lower the fish base color image from 2048 x 2048 to 1024 x 1024. As the eye base color image is simply the black circles for the fish’s eyes we can reduce the resolution by a greater amount without reducing the visible quality, going from 2048 x 2048 to 128 x 128.
Note that textures need to be a power of 2 in both dimensions (e.g. 128 x 128) however they do not need to be square (so 256 x 128 is fine).
8. Next Steps
This model is now ready to go into one of our experiences. For more information on adding the model to the parent symbol and playing the animation, please see our 3D documentation.
Hopefully that was helpful, any questions, feel free to get in touch with us at support@zappar.com, or check out the forum.