Friday, May 8, 2009

Champion the 3D Web using COLLADA Contest

(Cross-posted from the SketchUp API Blog)

Our friends over at the Khronos group are holding a Champion the 3D Web using COLLADA Contest. They're looking for the best 3D models, avatars, worlds, or simulations created using COLLADA. Prizes include cash awards and opportunities at a future Immersive Education Initiative in-world (virtual) events. The contest will run through July 15, 2009. Winners will be announced at Siggraph this year in New Orleans. The contest is sponsored by the Khronos Group and the Media Grid Immersive Education Initiative. Please check out the contest site for full details.

Using SketchUp to enter the contest
SketchUp can be used to create models for this contest. SketchUp Pro and the Pro trial version both export COLLADA (DAE) files directly. The free version of SketchUp can export Google Earth (KMZ) files which contain a COLLADA model. To extract a COLLADA model from a KMZ file follow these steps:

  1. Export your SketchUp model to KMZ.
  2. Change the file extension from ".kmz" to ".zip".
  3. Double-click on the ZIP file.
  4. Double-click on the "models" folder.
  5. Locate the DAE file. Copy and paste this file to your Desktop.
  6. Check your file's appearance in a COLLADA viewer like Swirl X3D Viewer©
  7. Submit your model to the contest.
Posted by Bryce Stout, SketchUp Product Manager
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6 comments:

  1. ZNOMay 8, 2009 at 11:02 PM

    competition appears to be US residents only .. hard to call it the 'best' 3D models.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Johan Van MolMay 9, 2009 at 7:07 AM

    Unfortunately, Free SwirlX3D Viewer seems to be Windows only... Are there any alternatives for Mac users? Regards, Skup

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sketchup Guide BryceMay 12, 2009 at 4:53 PM

    Hi Johan

    You might try source forge's collada viewer - http://sourceforge.net/project/shownotes.php?release_id=654325

    ~bryce

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnimandréMay 21, 2009 at 1:39 PM

    Hi! My name is Animandré!

    I looked for an explanation like this I just think about the scenes Sketchup export to another 3D modeling program that contained the Collada. In my case, the Blender!

    Thank you, thank you for your excellent explanation!

    ReplyDelete
  5. DFJuly 12, 2009 at 10:57 AM

    Every Collada viewer I've seen is, (very) unfortunately, rubbish. I wish that it wasn't so.

    Snow Leopard (10.6) will apparently include an Apple Collada viewer in Preview. I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The TeacherFebruary 9, 2010 at 7:32 AM

    If you look at my website under recent work you can insatll teh unity 3d viewer which displays 3d models in real time, its very high quality.

    http://www.good-3d-cad-architects.com

    ReplyDelete

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