Frequently Asked Questions


 
What is Seamless3d?
 Seamless3d is a very powerful and practical tool that can enable anyone who wants to make quality 3d animated content for the web a reality.

 
Is Seamless3d free?
Yes.


Will Seamless3d time out some weeks after I install it?
No, Never!


Where can I download Seamless3d?

www.seamless3d.com/download

For security reasons always download Seamless3d from this site.


Is Seamless3d easy to learn and use?
How easy Seamless3d is to learn will depend on what you want to do and how you approach things. It is hard to imagine a program any easier than seamless3d to begin with, if you simply tug vertices to make shapes (the Immediate way). One could make original impressive content with this simple technique alone if given enough time. However seamless3d also lets the user generate perfect computer generated curves using techniques that require the user to be more intellectually oriented and which will take more time to learn before they can be used with ease. If you are going to compare seamless3d to some other program that can generate a complete animated model with in minutes after the installation of the program, Seamless3d on the surface might appear much harder than is necessary to operate but it is unrealistic to expect fast results from any program if both quality and creativity is your goal.


Can worlds be made with Seamless3d or is it just for avatars?

Because Seamless3d is a general purpose 3d editor containing many options, it is versatile and well suited to both tasks.


Can I animate models using Seamless3d?

Yes. Seamless3d has all the features the artist is going to need to create and edit exciting animation sequences.


What is a smls file?

A smls file is a Seamless3d native file. smls files are text files and so can be editied in a text editor much like a VRML file. Like a VRML file they are typically gzipped. smls format can contain Seamless3d native nodes and native seamless script and can also contain a number of different types of VRML/X3D nodes. For more information on the Seamless3d language see: The Seamless3d Language.


When I upload a file saved as a wrl/x3d file why do I get error messages in my VRML/X3D browser and why are there non standard nodes in my file?

You can not currently export by doing a "save as", you must select the Scene node in the scene tree to export. See Exporting the Scene as a Wrl which explains the basics in exporting a Scene and please see the Scene node for more export options.


Can I make H-Anim avatars with Seamless3d?

To export Seamless native nodes to H-Anim tick the genHAnimNodes check box in the Scene node and tick one of the x3d options: outputX3DXML or outputX3DVRMLClasic and then click the output button. See Exporting the Scene as a Wrl for the basics in exporting a Scene.


Do I need a degree in computer science?

No. A background in computer programming will of course help in an understanding of all of Seamless3d's options but you don't have to know all of the options simply because the program has them. With artistic ability there is nothing stopping you from making great works of art using the straight forward technique of tugging vertices one at a time to create shapes and the straight forward technique of posing models and sampling them to create animation. Such techniques are intuitive and powerful but are going to take time before you have the skills to create a masterpiece, the same way its going to take time for an artist to draw or sculpt well. However we can take a few short cuts by taking advantage of some of the options that are a little more challenging of our intellects but only if we want to and remember learning new concepts and techniques can be learnt at a leisurely pace over time if we remain patient.


Does Seamless3d support scripts?

Yes, Seamless3d has a very fast built in script compiler but please bear in mind it is at a very early stage in development .
Scripts are automatically inserted for key-frame animation, see: Beeline to Animation

Short scripts can also be inserted more directly, see: Switching Animation On & Off in 3D


Can I import blaxxun avatar studio avatars into Seamless3d and then edit them?

Yes. For instructions see the tutorial:
Importing Blaxxun Avatar Studio and Seamless Avatars


Who wrote seamless3d?

Me, thyme (AKA Graham Perrett) thyme@seamless3d.com


At what stage is Seamless3d in it's development?

Seamless3d is still being developed and there are still many loose ends left untied but never before have so many of it's features been documented. The ever increasing number of software robot demos that show how seamless can be used to create content serve as a reality check for Seamless3d's capabilities. The robot now shows the entire making of a sophiticated avatar using immediate editing. It is hoped before the end of this year 2007 there will also be a robot demo that will show the complete making of an avatar using build nodes.


Do you have a roadmap for the future of Seamless3d?

Knowing the nature of creative development I think it is impossible to be able to predict where seamless3d will be in a year from here. For a list of my more immediate tasks see my priorities list on the seamless3d forum. Feel free to offer an opinion if you think any of my priorities should be rated higher or lower or if you think there are any priorities absent in the list but please understand my priorities are ultimately my prerogative. Anyone is free to use the Seamless3d source code and fork it to take a different path if they wish.

Most of the effort so far has focused on developing a WYSIWYG editor for creating VRML/X3D and POV-Ray content but it is inevitable that other applications will emerge such as a specialized 3d viewer that can take advantage of seamless3d's powerful built in compiler and editors with simplified interfaces for specific tasks such as making avatars or for placing objects in a world. I want these more specilised aplications to be able to used by anyone from just about any age by keeping the interface dead simple. These more specialized applications will not replace the existing general purpose 3d editor they will compliment it. The general purpose editor will be able to open the files saved by the specialized apps so that a seamless path will be there for the complete beginner to move onto more advanced tasks.

Over the years I have from time to time worked on the seamless3d multi-user server which remains a goal of mine to work for the seamless3d viewer.

I want to continue my work also on 3d movie and real time 3d game development.

When time can be found I want to write an Messa3d/OpenGL version of seamless so that it can later be ported to Linux. Seamless3d is not designed to be dependent on any one operating system, nor is it designed to be dependent on any low level graphics platform.

I want the whole seamless3d standard to follow in the same open spirit as C++. When I read Barjarn Stroustrup say he was careful not to patent or trademark anything to do with C++, this appealed to me greatly.
I think it seriously reduces the chances of success for a standard if an individual or an organization owns the standard and reserves the right to file a lawsuit against anyone who uses the standard not to their liking.
For a developer to invest time and/or money in supporting a standard they are likely to want the assurance that they are free to innovate if the standard does not meet their needs.


Seamless3d keeps getting updated so isn't this a problem if I learn how to use it and you keep changing things?

Although seamless is frequently updated most of the updates do not affect the way the user has become accustomed to using it. Changes that will require some readjustment by the user are kept to a bare minimum and are only done when the need is pressing. The more you use Seamless3d the easier it will be to grow with it and be able to make sense of it's developments.


Can I open wrl files and edit them in Seamless3d?

Yes you can open wrl files the same way you open smls files. Seamless's scene tree window allows the user to edit VRML files with much the same level of control one can expect from a text editor but with much greater ease because opening and closing brackets are taken care of automatically and Seamless wont let the user insert a node to a location that is illegal. I have found most wrl files generated by 3d studio max and spazz3d/flux studio open straight into seamless without a problem. Hand edited files are less likely to open because they are more complex and tend to contain bugs but this can be done if one knows how to work with Seamless. Seamless3d should be able to open any VRML97 node and ROUTEs but this does not mean all standard nodes will have functionality in the 3d window but it does mean they can be edited. The main problem facing Seamless being used in place of a text editor is it cant yet deal with External Protos and there are other issues in regard to all types of Protos and Inline nodes that need to be addressed. Plus Seamless is more likely to crash on you than a simple text editor but depending on the task and how well you know seamless, seamless can speed up low level editing considerably.



Where can I download the source code for Seamless3d?

The source code for the Seamless3d is available here.


If I create something with Seamless3d do I (the artist) own the copyright to it or do you (the developer of Seamless3d) own it?

You the artist ownes the copyright to any art work you create with Seamless3d.


Should I first learn html or some other kind of computer language before I attempt to learn Seamless3d?

Although knowing another language may help it is not necessary to learn some other language in order to learn Seamless3d. I recommend that if it is 3d that most interests you then learn Seamless3d first.


Should I learn how to paint and draw 2d images before I create 3d art?

Although 3d art ends up being a 2d bitmap on your computer screen and if you can draw or paint well you will probably find it relatively easy to create 3d art, many of the issues and techniques a 2d painter has to deal with are irrelevant to the 3d artist. It makes little sense to first master being a 2d artist if being a 3d artist has greater priority.


Will you debug the things I make when they dont work?

I will always want to help others understand seamless3d but I will not do anyone's work for them that is too advanced for them. Always take small enough steps when something is new so that you don't get to far out of your depth. Remember that anger is over rated as a problem solver in the movies and that it pays to be patient with computers in order to get any where with them. Anger may help us deal with a savage beast that wants to eat us but when was the last time anger ever helped you solve any problem with a computer? If you are trying to solve a problem while feeling frustrated you know you are doing it the wrong way and that the solution is to stop and relax. When I seem to be getting no where I find it helps to take a break for a while to get a fresh mind on the problem. I don't know how many times I have found stubborn bugs right away after a meal. It is way to time consuming for me to look for bugs in lengthy examples written by others. So when you have a bug that you are stuck on that must be solved, simplify your code to the absolute bare essentials so that you have a simple example that has your bug isolated to just a few lines of code. If after doing this the bug still does not reveal it self send this example to the seamless3d forum with a precise explanation of what the example is so that someone can help.


Can I send you an email?

All emails specific to Seamless3d are welcome but if possible please help seamless grow by sending your posts to the forum so that your questions and answers may in turn help others and encourage others to post questions and bug reports.


If Seamless3d crashes is there any way I can retrieve my lost content?

Yes. Go to the folder:

My Documents\Seamless3d\Application Data For Seamless3d\undoCache
In here there will be all the smls files that get backed up after each command.


Can I suggest a feature for you to add to seamless3d?

Sure but think of Seamless3d as my work of art. I much appreciate feedback but the design of Seamless3d is my passion and prerogative. I am happy to implement a request like the scene tree window be scrolled by the mouse wheel but it is unlikely I am going to be able implement something that is not in tune with the many ideas I already have that are bubbling away in the pipe line which I want to see fulfilled first.

Anyone is free to use the Seamless3d source code and fork it to take a different path if they wish.


I have run Seamless3d on my computer so will you run this native exe I have written and take a look at it?

Sorry but No reputable supplier of software will do this. Because my computer is the supplier of Seamless3d It would be most irresponsible for me to run a native exe program from a friend's computer via the net. 100s could get infected this way. For me to assume that it is safe because you have told me you have checked your program with a virus checker is not sound policy. Virus checkers can only find registered viruses. It is to easy for a computer to be infected without the owner realising it. So please don't take this personally or think I am suspicious of your intentions, it is just standard policy and common sense.



I love what you are doing. Will You collaborate with us on our great project that is going to revolutionise 3d in an awesome way?

Sorry because I am committed to the development of seamless3d and because I have many of my own exciting projects that have been left unfulfilled for over a decade I can not afford the time that would be needed to commit my self to anyone else's project. If you only want some help with your project or just want to inform others of it, instead of emailing me please post to the Seamless3d forum where it will be welcome.

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