#79: Holographic 3D Models

3D models are used in just about every industry today. We may recognize the prevalence of 3D models in films and video games, but they're also present in the medical field, in architecture, and engineering. Across the board, professionals visualize representations of characters, models, and structures this way because they relate better in three dimensions than two.

The only problem is that many of these professionals are still viewing 3D models on 2D screens, so we wanted to help.

We made a 3D Model Importer tool that enables users to experience 3D models as holograms in their Looking Glass.  It loads gltf's, glb's, and obj files. This gives those who make 3D models an avenue for viewing them in true 3D without headgear.

To demonstrate the capabilities of the 3D Model Importer tool, we've been downloading our favorite 3D models from Sketchfab and bringing them to holographic life in the Looking Glass. For some of these models, it's the first time they've ever been visualized as a hologram.

It may seem like a no-brainer, but it can never be overstated that the best way to view 3D models is on a display capable of giving you a natural viewing experience while still communicating all of the visual properties that make objects feel 3D to us in real life.

In a world where it seems your only two options are viewing 3D content on a 2D screen or strapping a headset over your face, experiencing 3D content in the Looking Glass presents a third option: view models as simply as you would if the real thing were right in front of you.

**this is part of our “100 Days of Holograms” series, where a few of us in the team at Looking Glass Factory post one new wonderful or weird (or both!) use for the Looking Glass holographic display being conjured around the world each day.