# 3D Thing

> 3D Thing turns any 3D model into a link that anyone can open in a web browser. People can spin it, zoom in, walk inside it, change colours and options, measure it and leave notes. There is nothing to install.

## What it is
A website with a 3D editor and viewer, made for sharing 3D models. You bring a model that was made in another program. 3D Thing does not design models from scratch. It makes them easy to share, explore and customise.

## Who it is for
Anyone who makes or sells something that can be shown in 3D. For example: products and online shops, furniture and home, machinery and equipment, exhibitions and events, architecture and interiors, real estate, cars and vehicles, jewellery and fashion, museums and education, design studios and creators. It is not only for buildings or interiors.

## Examples
- Products and online shops: A lamp maker puts one model on the product page. Shoppers choose the shade and the base, the price updates, and the page knows the exact choice.
- Furniture and home: A sofa company lets shoppers try five fabrics and two leg styles, then send the combination to their partner as a link.
- Machinery and equipment: A pump manufacturer sends a buyer abroad a link. The buyer turns the pump round, measures the pipe fittings and reads a pin on the maintenance door.
- Exhibitions and events: A stand builder sends an exhibitor a link to their 6 by 6 metre stand. The exhibitor walks the aisle in the browser, tries two graphic panels, pins a note on the counter and approves the design. The builder keeps a dated record.
- Architecture and interiors: A studio sends a family a link to their future kitchen. They walk through on Sunday, switch to the evening look and pin a note where the socket should move.
- Real estate: A developer puts a link in the listing for a flat that is not built yet. Buyers see the layout from above, walk from room to room, and arrive at the viewing knowing the plan.
- Cars and vehicles: A bike or car dealer shows one model in every paint colour and wheel size, with the price for each combination.
- Jewellery and fashion: A jeweller shows a ring that can be gold or silver, with a round or a square stone, and the customer zooms in on the setting.
- Museums and education: A museum turns a clay pot into a link. Students spin it, click through saved views of its markings and read a pin on each one.
- Design studios and creators: A game artist sends a character to the team. Each person pins their comment on the exact spot, such as the left hand or the belt.

## How it works
1. Bring a model. Open a GLB, glTF, FBX or OBJ file, or send it from Blender with a plugin. The plugins for 3ds Max and SketchUp are in preview. Models from Revit, Rhino or Archicad are saved as one of those file types first, because 3D Thing cannot open their own files. AutoCAD 2019 and newer save none of them, so a drawing goes through a 3D program that reads DWG first.
2. Set it up once. Choose the first view, add colour, material or size options, and add notes if you like.
3. Share the link. Send it in a message or an email, or put it on your own website. A link can have a password and an end date. It can be view only, let people change options, or let them leave notes.

## What people can do with a link
- Spin, zoom and look at the model from any side.
- Walk inside it at eye height. Touch screens get a thumb joystick.
- Switch between four views: Around, Overview, Floor plan and Walk.
- Change colours, materials and parts, and see a running price.
- Measure distances.
- Leave notes pinned to an exact spot, with up to 4 photos. No account is needed.
- See real sun and sky for any place, date and time.
- Approve a design with a name and one ticked sentence, and download a record of every decision on it. It is a clear paper trail, not a legal signature.

## What it is not
- Not a renderer. It does not replace the images and videos you make now.
- Not a room planner or a modelling program. You do not build things from a catalogue.
- Not something the viewer has to install. They only need a browser.

## Try it
- [Home](https://3dthing.in/): what 3D Thing is and a live model to spin
- [Ideas for your industry](https://3dthing.in/use-cases): what people share with it
- [Everything it can do](https://3dthing.in/features): every feature, in plain words
- [Free viewer](https://3dthing.in/inspector): no account, and the file stays on your computer
- [Plugins for Blender, 3ds Max and SketchUp](https://3dthing.in/plugins): send a scene from the program you use
- [How it compares](https://3dthing.in/compare): other ways of sharing 3D
- [Help for embedding on your own site](https://3dthing.in/docs): publish, share and embed