Miscellaneous
1) Basic View Point Tutorial

What this tutorial will do for you:
• Provide the links to download necessary software.
• Give basic instructions to convert your model to .mts format.
• Give basic instructions on how to preview your model.

What it will not do:
• Give complete instructions for using ViewPoint Technology.
• Give instructions for putting ViewPoint Technology on your website.

What this tutorial assumes:
• That you have a basic familiarity with MilkShape 3D, and that you have
• The ability to export models into Wavefront .obj format (included with MilkShape).
Let's Get Started

To begin with, you'll need 2 pieces of software that are freely available from ViewPoint for non-commercial use:
• ViewPoint Scene Builder (4.4 Mb exe), and
• ViewPoint Publisher (2.37M exe)
Both programs come with instructional .PDF's should you wish to use the technology beyond just converting your models for uploading onto the PolyGod website. Which is why the downloads are somewhat large.

The ViewPoint Scene Builder is where you will add in your model (using .obj format) for converting into .mts/.mtx format. The .mts is a file which contains all the information about your model, texture information, etc... The .mtx is an XML file which contains procedures for what to do with the model, texture, etc... when someone is viewing it.
The ViewPoint Media Publisher creates all the files necessary to view a model in the .mts format from a webpage, including the webpage. *Please Note: without obtaining a ViewPoint Broadcast Key (registration license), any files you upload onto a server "will be" viewable, however the ViewPoint watermark will be displayed as well.* Although it's not necessary to obtain the ViewPoint Publisher, we thought it might be helpful if you could see your model within a webpage to identify any problems that might occur.

To make things easier, we suggest that you set up a temporary folder where all the necessary files will be placed until you are comfortable with the process. Make a copy of whatever model you wish to test and place it into that folder (.ms3d format). Start MilkShape 3D and open the .ms3d file you stored into your temporary directory. Click File > Export > Wavefront .obj. Save your exported .obj into your temporary directory. *Note: if you want your model to appear textured, you'll need to place a copy of the texture you used into the temporary directory as well.

When you first start up the ViewPoint Scene Builder, your screen should look like:

On the right hand of the Scene Builder you will find all of the command options. These are the default options, there are others available as we'll see in a moment. Look for the command option entitled "Add OBJ...". Click on "Add OBJ..." then navigate your hard-drive to the temporary directory where your model is stored. Once you click "Open", your model will be loaded into the ViewPoint window along with the texture applied to your model. As I've done here:

Now click on the "Tab" button and select "Publish" from the drop down menu.

Scene Commands Changes to

Notice near the bottom of the command list, there is a new option called "Publish". Click on "Publish" and you will be prompted to save your information. Type in a name for the .mts/.mtx and click "Save". Now click on "Quit" since we're done with the ViewPoint Scene Builder. Look on your hard-drive under the temporary directory you set up earlier. You should see 5 or 6 files (depending on whether you have a texture): 1) the original .ms3d, 2) an .obj file, 3) an .mtl file (material list for the .obj), 4) an .mtx file, 5) an .mts file, and 6) a texture file (if you used one).

At this point, your model is now ready for upload onto the PolyGod website. But lets say you'd like to preview your model in .mts format before you upload it. That's where the Viewpoint Publisher comes in. Start up the ViewPoint Publisher, your screen should look like:

Under "HTML Template" you'll notice that I have "generic.html" selected. ViewPoint Media Publisher comes with several templates you can choose from when viewing your model on a webpage. You can experiment with some of the other templates, but for our purposes we'll use the generic one. (To change it, just click on "generic.html" and a drop down list will offer you some other choices.) You can also change the size of the viewport window that ViewPoint uses to display your model by altering the "Plug-In Width and Height". Let's leave it set to the default for now. Next is the "BROADCAST KEY" line. This you won't have to worry about unless you intend to upload the files onto your own site. (Not covered here) What we're mostly concerned about here is at the very top. The "Select MTX/MTZ" button. Click on it, navigate your hard-drive to find the "yourmodel.mtx" that you created earlier with ViewPoint's Scene Builder. Once found, click open. You will then be prompted to give a name for the .html file that will be created. Type the name in and click "Save". And there you have it! Navigate your hard-drive to the temporary folder you created earlier and you will find a new .html file there. There will also be a new folder created called "yourhtmlname.resources". (This contains a javascript file and images used by ViewPoint which are required) Now double click the .html file that was created and you should see your model, proudly displayed using ViewPoints incredible technology. You might have to play around with the Height and Width values to get it too display properly.