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Comment by eerikkivistik | Hacker News Reader

Developer here, would love to get some feedback and answer any questions you might have. The app is available on iOS, Android and Web (https://3dc.io/download). There is also a gallery of user built content (https://3dc.io/gallery).

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Thanks for making this and sharing it on HN; I like the simplicity of it! The way that selection works really confused me, though. Here's what happened:

I made two objects. I clicked on one, which clearly indicated it as selected. I tried to deselect that object by clicking on the grid outside it, but nothing happened. OK, fine, let's try a different strategy -- selecting the second object (thereby deselecting the first) by clicking on it.

After clicking the second object, it went back to looking like neither was selected. Huh? So I clicked again on the first object to select it... and the second object got selected?! Then I realized that both objects had been selected! I found this behavior so odd that I came here to write this feedback.

FWIW, here's how I think it should work: clicking an item should deselect all the other items unless you're holding the shift key. Selected items should be clearly marked -- don't just dim the deselected items: this keeps the "all selected" and "none selected" states from looking so similar.

Hi! You make a good point, that the current behavior might not make sense on desktop. We started out on Android and iOS and there "tapping" on objects makes a whole lot more sense. We should probably revisit the entire controls logic in the future. In the meantime, try it out on mobile, might feel more fluid.

I was confused on selection patterns too. But now that you mentioned that it was meant to be used by 'tapping' (started out on touch devices), selection behavior makes much more sense. Tap to select, tap again to deselect. Tap another item to add to current selection. Thanks!

What about holding the finger on the first object, then tapping on the second for extending the selection?

I'm seeing the same behavior on mobile (surprised it worked so well on my ancient phone!). Make two items, tap the first item, then tap the second one. It still looks confusingly like nothing is selected.

Yeah, the behavior is the same, I meant it feels more natural on the phone :) I'll add it to our backlog, to take a look at it and maybe rethink the selection logic.

Your rotation widget is nonstandard compared to most other 3D editors. See for example Blender[1] or Maya's[2] widgets (which are both basically the same).

It's also kind of confusing as it seems like pulling one axis' rotation manipulator actually rotates about a different axis. So pulling on X rotates about Z, Y about X, and Z about Y.

[1] https://wiki.blender.org/index.php/User:Simtron/Doc:2.6/Manu... [2] https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/maya/learn-explore/ca...

Agreed, the controls need a rework. They are the legacy of the prototype version we built a while back.

I think pulling the pins is fine, but the shape should rotate around the pin's axis. I would suggest associating pulling it out with a clockwise rotation.

- Camera rotation is way too slow for my tastes.

- Tools should have keyboard shortcuts.

- It's rather ambiguous, say, what the subtract tool subtracts from.

- Scaling tool must include a Ctrl or Shift modifier key to scale all axes.

- Tools must bring up a precise control box as, say, Blender does.

- Information about object positions, scales, and tri-count would be great to have.

- Not sure if I missed it, but there ought to be a vertex-level editing tool.

All in all, it seems like a basic toy rather than something that allows you to have a great deal of freedom. Can be improved upon if the toolset is extended and allows for a higher degree of control.

Hi, our desktop features including hotkeys etc. have been lagging behind, since we started as a mobile-first tool, but they are on the roadmap. You are correct in the conclusion that it is more like a basic toy, we try to keep things as simple and minimal as possible to attract people with no 3d design background. However, we plan to add features to support more experienced people on our platform.

I'll add some information about the development stack as well. First and foremost Three.js, that made getting a prototype up and running in a weekend viable.

For mobile, we use Cordova and package the app up for various platforms.

On top of Cordova we run a lot of custom code to smooth out the filesystem and streaming of data to and from the engine that relies heavily on Three.js internally.

We also built a custom IOC container to manage the ever increasing amount of components and integrations.

The iOS app is a pleasure to use. I would love the ability to input numerical values via keyboard for things like dimensions, positions, rotations, etc. Another user mentioned the non– standard rotation widgets, however I actually enjoy the rotation tool in its current form.

I would also like to express my appreciation for the ability to save/import/export files instead of locking those functions behind in-app purchases.

Overall, great job! Thank you for creating this.

Thank you. Numerical input is on its way, probably a month or so.

First, thank you! I use the ipad version.

Some needed features:

- precise editing

- manual entry of dimensions

- different materials and transparency

- library of common items such as batteries, usb ports, etc

- sub-mm scale

- pencil support for ipad pro

- precise editing (planned)

- manual entry of dimensions (planned)

- different materials and transparency (planned)

- library of common items (had multiple extremely long arguments about this, still no consensus on this)

- batteries, usb ports, etc (?)

- sub-mm scale (for 3D printing?)

- pencil support for ipad pro (not currently planned, if there is demand we could add it)

Thank you for replying!

The sub-mm scale would be to accurately model small things. When making a case for a raspi0, for example.

Makes sense, we will consider adding a few decimal points.

The web app works great in Chrome for Android, which is awesome. I downloaded the native Android app, too; it looks like it targets an API less than 23. It's not a huge deal but it'd be cool if that got updated ️

We have wanted to upgrade to 23 ourselves for the new permissions API, but a lot of our users are still on Android 4.*, so we decided to keep compatibility for now. Although it is a pain in the ass if we need a new permission for say a texture feature, since half our user base gets left behind on an old version by not auto-upgrading.

You can target a target a newer API version than your minimum version, and branch your behaviour at runtime.

True.

One feature I didn't see would be a way to specify a desired size. To be to type 50mm to get an object at that length would be helpful. Similar to when using the ruler in Tinkercad.

Overall, it seems pretty interesting. But, models should be in some sort of layers-like menu, like what blender has, that way you can easily select overlapping or embedded models.

Great work so far!

Lots of work to go if you're going to differentiate yourself from the leader (i.e. Tinkercad).

Add tools that allow manipulation of edges and faces and you'll achieve that.

I would love to have some info on particular object size and ability to set sizes/rotations precisely, so I can do some simple modeling for 3d printing.

Check back in a month or so, going to release 2 large updates.

Yes, it's in the pipeline and will be added quite soon.

What are use cases for this tool? It's too simplistic. No shapes other than (combined) primitives, no textures.

One of the most interesting use cases so far has been in education, where the low learning curve provides a frictionless experience in studying design as well as materialising one's ideas. Thus, lowering the barrier of entry for younger creators. (Another developer here)

3DC enables anyone to start creating in just a few minutes. No previous professional 3D experience needed. It's designed like LEGO for the digital world. By combining the primitives, one can start fast and gradually come up with ever more complex designs.

A lot of people build and sketch prototypes. There is basic constructive solid geometry via the subtract tool for some more complex stuff. As for textures, we will be adding them in the next update.

I don't use facebook. Mind offering other options to sign up or log in?

Yes, we are adding more login options in the next update. But in the meantime, you can simply skip the login, it is not required. Fun fact, I don't use Facebook either, so I don't have an account myself.

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