Sketchfab

Last updated

Sketchfab
Sketchfab logo.svg
Sketchfab screenshot.png
Type of site
3D models platform
Available inEnglish
URL sketchfab.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationFree (Optional)
Users 6,000,000
Launched
  • March 10, 2011 (original)
  • 2012 (current)
Current statusActive

Sketchfab is a 3D asset website used to publish, share, discover, buy and sell 3D, VR and AR content. It provides a viewer based on the WebGL and WebXR technologies that allows users to display 3D models on the web, to be viewed on any mobile browser, desktop browser or Virtual Reality headset.

Contents

The company behind it is today based in Paris and New York City. Sketchfab took part in the Spring 2013 TechStars New York City startup accelerator program, [1] raised $2 million in December 2013 and $7 million in June 2015.

On July 21, 2021, Epic Games acquired Sketchfab. [2] It was later announced that Sketchfab will be phased out and merged into Epic Games's new marketplace called Fab. [3]

Service

Viewer

The main product of Sketchfab is a 3D, Virtual reality (VR) and Augmented reality (AR) model viewer. It enables users to move freely around or inside the 3D scene using mouse, touch manipulation, VR or AR. In addition to static 3D models, the viewer is able to play and control 3D animations. Viewers can enable the VR mode to see the model in Virtual Reality headsets or the AR mode to insert the model within the real world via a mobile device.[ citation needed ]

The 3D viewer is used on the Sketchfab website and mobile apps, [4] [5] but can also be embedded on external websites, notably on Facebook, [6] [7] Twitter [8] or Wordpress. [9]

Portal and marketplace

Sketchfab provides online and mobile community portals, where visitors can browse, rate, download or buy [10] user generated 3D models.

Users of Sketchfab have profile pages, premium users can customize and share their models privately. [11] Sketchfab users can choose to make their 3D model files available for download under Creative Commons licenses [10] or to sell them in the Sketchfab store. [12] [13] With content available for sale or download, Sketchfab is positioned as a 3D model marketplace and as a 3D printing marketplace since some models are compatible with 3D printing.

3D asset management

Sketchfab offers to paying enterprise customers a dedicated platform to share, manage and collaborate on 3D assets. [14] [15]

Native applications

A selection of Sketchfab models are available within a native application for the following VR headsets: Google Cardboard, [16] [17] Samsung Gear VR, [18] HTC Vive [19] and Oculus Rift. [20]

The mobile application can be used to view the 3D models in Augmented Reality leveraging the ARKit APIs [21] on iOS and ARCore [22] on Android.

Model upload and download

3D models can be uploaded to Sketchfab from its website or directly from various 3D software, using plugins [23] (for example for 3ds Max [24] or SketchUp [25] ) or natively (from Blender [26] [27] [28] or Adobe Photoshop [29] ).

Sketchfab offers an API allowing developers to integrate functionality for searching and downloading Sketchfab's Creative Commons licensed 3D models into their applications. [30]

Technology

Sketchfab relies on the WebGL JavaScript API to display 3D on web pages in all major modern web browsers. It does not rely on third-party plugins.

Sketchfab implements the WebVR JavaScript API [31] [32] [33] to provide a Virtual Reality mode of its viewer on compatible VR headsets.

The 3D viewer uses the open-source OSG.JS JavaScript library, [34] a library created and largely maintained by Sketchfab employees. [35] Rendering is achieved using classic real-time rendering or physically based rendering. [36] [37]

Company

Sketchfab was initially created by entrepreneur and 3D developer Cédric Pinson under the domain name ShowWebGL in early 2011. [38] [39] He was joined in early 2012 by Alban Denoyel, and they relaunched the site under the name Sketchfab in March 2012. [40] Pierre-Antoine Passet joined as CPO[ clarification needed ] in September 2012.

Startup accelerators

The startup was part of the third batch of the French startup accelerator Le Camping in June 2012. [41] It was later selected into Mozilla's WebFWD accelerator program during that same year. [42] The year after, Sketchfab was selected in the Spring 2013 TechStars class in New York City. [1]

Fundraising

In February 2013, Sketchfab raised an angel round of 370,000 euros. [43] [44] Less than one year after, in December 2013, Sketchfab raised $2 million from Balderton Capital with Partech Ventures, Borealis Ventures, David Cohen and existing angel investors also participated in the funding. [45] [46] [47] In June 2015, Sketchfab raised a $7 million Series A led by FirstMark Capital. [48] [49] [50] In December 2018, Brendan Iribe, the original CEO and co-founder of Oculus invested in Sketchfab. [51]

Awards

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual reality</span> Computer-simulated experience

Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment, education and business. VR is one of the key technologies in the reality-virtuality continuum. As such, it is different from other digital visualization solutions, such as augmented virtuality and augmented reality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Parisi (software developer)</span>

Tony Parisi, one of the early pioneers in virtual reality and the metaverse, is an entrepreneur, inventor and developer of 3D computer software. The co-creator of Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), he has written books and papers on the future of technology. He works on WebGL and WebVR and has written two books on the former, and an introductory book on virtual reality programming. He is the chief strategy officer at Lamina1. Parisi is also a musician, composer and producer working on multiple projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leap Motion</span> Former American company

Leap Motion, Inc. was an American company that manufactured and marketed a computer hardware sensor device that supports hand and finger motions as input, analogous to a mouse, but requires no hand contact or touching. In 2016, the company released new software designed for hand tracking in virtual reality. The company was sold to the British company Ultrahaptics in 2019, which rebranded the two companies under the new name Ultraleap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oculus Rift</span> Virtual reality headsets by Oculus VR

Oculus Rift is a discontinued line of virtual reality headsets developed and manufactured by Oculus VR, a virtual reality company founded by Palmer Luckey that is widely credited with reviving the virtual reality industry. It was the first virtual reality headset to provide a realistic experience at an accessible price, utilizing novel technology to increase quality and reduce cost by orders of magnitude compared to earlier systems. The first headset in the line was the Oculus Rift DK1, released on March 28, 2013. The last was the Oculus Rift S, discontinued in April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reality Labs</span> Virtual and augmented reality products company

Reality Labs, originally Oculus VR, is a business and research unit of Meta Platforms that produces virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) hardware and software, including virtual reality headsets such as Quest, and online platforms such as Horizon Worlds. In June 2022, several artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives that were previously a part of Meta AI were transitioned to Reality Labs. This also includes Meta's fundamental AI Research laboratory FAIR which is now part of the Reality Labs - Research (RLR) division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugo Barra</span> Brazilian computer scientist

Hugo Barra is a Brazilian computer scientist, technology executive and entrepreneur. From 2008 to 2013, he worked in a number of product management roles at Google, including vice president and product spokesperson of its Android division. From 2013 to 2017, he worked at Xiaomi as vice president of global operations. From 2017 to 2021, he worked as vice president of Virtual Reality and head of the Oculus division at Meta Platforms. In May 2021, he left Meta to join health technology startup Detect as CEO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Cardboard</span> Discontinued virtual reality platform

Google Cardboard is a discontinued virtual reality (VR) platform developed by Google. Named for its fold-out cardboard viewer into which a smartphone is inserted, the platform was intended as a low-cost system to encourage interest and development in VR applications. Users can either build their own viewer from simple, low-cost components using specifications published by Google, or purchase a pre-manufactured one. To use the platform, users run Cardboard-compatible mobile apps on their phone, place it into the back of the viewer, and view content through the lenses.

Blend4Web is a free and open source framework for creating and displaying interactive 3D computer graphics in web browsers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samsung Gear VR</span> Virtual reality headset by Samsung

The Samsung Gear VR is a virtual reality headset developed by Samsung Electronics, in collaboration with Oculus VR, and manufactured by Samsung. The headset was released on August 21, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan Iribe</span> American game programmer and founder

Brendan Trexler Iribe is an American game programmer, entrepreneur and co-founder of Oculus VR, Inc. and Scaleform. He is the managing partner at BIG Ventures, an early-stage venture fund.

WebXR Device API is a Web application programming interface (API) that describes support for accessing augmented reality and virtual reality devices, such as the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Google Cardboard, HoloLens, Apple Vision Pro, Magic Leap or Open Source Virtual Reality (OSVR), in a web browser. The WebXR Device API and related APIs are standards defined by W3C groups, the Immersive Web Community Group and Immersive Web Working Group. While the Community Group works on the proposals in the incubation period, the Working Group defines the final web specifications to be implemented by the browsers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kubity</span> Cloud-based 3D communication tool

Kubity is a cloud-based 3D communication tool that works on desktop computers, the web, smartphones, tablets, augmented reality gear, and virtual reality glasses. Kubity is powered by several proprietary 3D processing engines including "Paragone" and "Etna" that prepare the 3D file for transfer over mobile devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual reality headset</span> Head-mounted device that provides virtual reality for the wearer

A virtual reality headset is a head-mounted device that uses 3D near-eye displays and positional tracking to provide a virtual reality environment for the user. VR headsets are widely used with VR video games, but they are also used in other applications, including simulators and trainers. VR headsets typically include a stereoscopic display, stereo sound, and sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes for tracking the pose of the user's head to match the orientation of the virtual camera with the user's eye positions in the real world.

Virtual Desktop is remote control software for Android-based virtual reality headsets. It allows users to control a PC over a wireless LAN from the headset, including the ability to stream VR games and software.

glTF 3D scene and model file format

glTF is a standard file format for three-dimensional scenes and models. A glTF file uses one of two possible file extensions: .gltf (JSON/ASCII) or .glb (binary). Both .gltf and .glb files may reference external binary and texture resources. Alternatively, both formats may be self-contained by directly embedding binary data buffers. An open standard developed and maintained by the Khronos Group, it supports 3D model geometry, appearance, scene graph hierarchy, and animation. It is intended to be a streamlined, interoperable format for the delivery of 3D assets, while minimizing file size and runtime processing by apps. As such, its creators have described it as the "JPEG of 3D."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual reality game</span> Video game played in virtual reality

A virtual reality game or VR games is a video game played on virtual reality (VR) hardware. Most VR games are based on player immersion, typically through head-mounted display unit or headset with stereoscopic displays and one or more controllers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poly (website)</span> 3D object library created by Google

Poly was a website created by Google for users to browse, distribute, and download 3D objects. It was launched in 2017 and intended to allow creators to easily share and access 3D objects. It featured a free library containing thousands of 3D objects for use in virtual reality and augmented reality applications. On December 2, 2020, it was announced that Poly would be shutting down on June 30, 2021, with the ability to upload 3D models to be suspended on April 30, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verge3D</span> Real-time renderer and toolkit software

Verge3D is a real-time renderer and a toolkit used for creating interactive 3D experiences running on websites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oculus Go</span> Untethered virtual reality headset by Oculus VR

The Oculus Go is a standalone virtual reality headset developed by Meta Reality Labs in partnership with Qualcomm and Xiaomi. It is in the first generation of Facebook Technologies' virtual reality headsets, and the company's first device in the category of standalone VR headsets, which was a new category at the time of the Go's release. The Oculus Go was unveiled on October 11, 2017 during the Oculus Connect developer conference, and released on May 1, 2018. Xiaomi launched their own version of the headset in China as the Mi VR Standalone on May 31, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oculus Quest</span> Virtual reality headset

The first-generation Oculus Quest is a discontinued virtual reality headset developed by Oculus, a brand of Facebook Inc., and released on May 21, 2019. Similar to its predecessor, Oculus Go, it is a standalone device, that can run games and software wirelessly under an Android-based operating system. It supports positional tracking with six degrees of freedom, using internal sensors and an array of cameras in the front of the headset rather than external sensors. The cameras are also used as part of the safety feature "Passthrough", which shows a view from the cameras when the user exits their designated boundary area known as "Guardian". A later software update added "Oculus Link", a feature that allows the Quest to be connected to a computer via USB, enabling use with Oculus Rift-compatible software and games.

References

  1. 1 2 Eugene Chung (April 2, 2013). "TechStars NYC 2013 Class". TechStars. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Sketchfab is Joining the Epic Games Family". Sketchfab Community Blog. July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Announcing Fab, the Next Phase for Sketchfab" (Press release). March 22, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Sketchfab on the App Store". App Store. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Sketchfab - Android Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  6. ↑ Alban (February 26, 2015). "Facebook now supports Sketchfab 3D embeds! - Sketchfab Blog". Sketchfab. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  7. ↑ Stott, Rory (March 2, 2015). "Embed Your 3D Sketchfab Models on Facebook". ArchDaily.
  8. ↑ "alban denoyel on Twitter". Twitter. September 16, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Sketchfab 3D and VR Content". Support. February 27, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Sketchfab launches a Download Option and reaches 200k 3D files". Sketchfab. October 30, 2014. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Plans & Pricing - Sketchfab". Sketchfab. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  12. ↑ "We're launching the Sketchfab Store in Beta - Sketchfab Blog". Sketchfab Blog. January 17, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  13. ↑ Dillet, Romain. "Sketchfab launches a store to become a stock photo site for 3D models". TechCrunch. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Sketchfab for Teams". Sketchfab. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Sketchfab launches team platform to share and collaborate on 3D models". TechCrunch. May 12, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Sketchfab VR for Cardboard - Android Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Sketchfab VR on the App Store". App Store. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Sketchfab VR". Experiences | Oculus. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Sketchfab VR on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Sketchfab VR". Experiences | Oculus. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  21. ↑ Dillet, Romain. "Sketchfab's app might be the best way to try ARKit". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Announcing Sketchfab AR on Android - Sketchfab Blog". Sketchfab Blog. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Sketchfab Exporters". Sketchfab.
  24. ↑ Klaas Nienhuis. "Sketchfab - Autodesk 3ds Max - Autodesk Exchange Apps". Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  25. ↑ Alexander Schreyer. "SketchUp to Sketchfab.com Uploader - SketchUp Extension Warehouse".
  26. ↑ Bart (March 24, 2014). "Sketchfab is the first 'Commercial' Add-on Bundled with Blender". BlenderNation.
  27. ↑ "We now ship with Blender!". Sketchfab. March 24, 2014. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Blender 2.70: Addons". Blender Wiki. Archived from the original on May 16, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Major Update to Adobe Photoshop CC Brings 3D Printing to the Design World" (PDF) (Press release). Adobe. January 16, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 1, 2014.
  30. ↑ Chin, Monica (March 20, 2018). "3D creators now have access to a massive new object library". Mashable. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Experience Virtual Reality on the web with Chrome". Google. February 9, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  32. ↑ "WebVR - Bringing Virtual Reality to the Web". webvr.info. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Desktop WebVR (Vive, Oculus)". Sketchfab Help Center. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  34. ↑ "OSG.JS". osgjs.org. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  35. ↑ "cedricpinson/osgjs". GitHub. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  36. ↑ Bart (March 4, 2015). "Sketchfab releases Physically Based Rendering". BlenderNation.
  37. ↑ "Physically Based Rendering".
  38. ↑ "ShowWebGl.com Whois Record".
  39. ↑ denoyel, alban (January 12, 2019). "How Sketchfab got started". alban denoyel. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  40. ↑ "SketchFab.com Whois Record".
  41. ↑ "Le Camping Season 3".
  42. ↑ "Portfolio WebFWD".
  43. ↑ Liam Boogar (February 25, 2013). "With 20,000+ users on board, Sketchfab raises a 370K€ Angel round for its YouTube of 3D". Rude Baguette.
  44. ↑ "Sketchfab on AngelList". 2013.
  45. ↑ John Biggs (December 6, 2013). "3D Model Sharing Service Sketchfab Raises $2 Million". Techcrunch.
  46. ↑ "Sketchfab raises $2m to scale its "YouTube for 3D files"". Balderton Capital. December 5, 2013. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014.
  47. ↑ Ricardo Bilton (December 5, 2013). "Sketchfab raises $2M to make itself the 'YouTube for 3D design'". VentureBeat.
  48. ↑ Alban Denoyel. "Sketchfab raises $7 Million to build the place for 3D, VR and AR on the web". Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  49. ↑ "Get your 3D printers ready: Sketchfab raises $7 million to be the world's 3D file hub". VentureBeat. June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  50. ↑ "Welcoming Sketchfab to the FirstMark Family! | FirstMark Capital - New York City Venture Capital". firstmarkcap.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  51. ↑ denoyel, alban (December 17, 2018). "Happy to share @brendaniribe (co-founder and former CEO of @oculus) recently joined the @Sketchfab journey as an investor. Great to have you on board, Brendan!". @albn. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  52. ↑ "Finalists 2012, Pioneers Festival". Pioneers Festival. 2012.
  53. ↑ Mike Butcher (January 22, 2013). "The Europas – Europe's Tech Startup Oscars – Showcases A Booming European Scene". TechCrunch.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.