Model Viewer in my portfolio?

[WipEout]

So I'm thinking of using Wild Pockets' model viewer in my website as an alternate means to view my portfolio models. What do you guys think? It would require a quick plugin installation for the viewer to see the model, but I think it'd be pretty cool for anyone viewing my work to be able to pan around it in real time. Of course, I would maintain the tried-and-true image gallery (going to switch to that flash-based lightbox thing soon), but I just like the idea of potential employers checking out my models within a game engine.

So: yes? No?

Here's a link to the engine/site (http://www.wildpockets.com/), if anyone else is interested. It's a free browser-based game engine (in beta right now), seems pretty simple to drop your own work into it and view in real time, let alone make your own games, though I've yet to really play with it. I think someone on Gamestepper might have pointed it out, I can't remember right now.

[alsoknownasOTiS]

i think having the ability to actually pan/rotate/zoom around a model in real time is a great idea..as long as you can use that engine well easy on the site then go for it...

this may be a better alternative though

http://www.sophie3d.com/website/index_en.php?page=2h6m1124

[WipEout]

That does look like a great alternative, and it nixes the idea of forcing viewers to download a new plug-in (which is the biggest reason I hesitate on this idea). But in order to get rid of their own title in the top corner of the viewport I'd have to pay something like $350. Or go the illegal route and screw with their flash coding to jimmy up my own version...

[alsoknownasOTiS]

hmm yea i didnt think about the watermark...if you could remove it i think it'd be worth it...i think it'd be ok with the watermark too though...thats just me though....yes id rather not have it but its not the end of the world..

[spurn]

i think having that ability is worth the watermark... no employer is going to go "OMG YOU DIDN'T MAKE THAT VIEW YOURSELF!??!?!?!" or complain that it's annoying

i mean look at lightbox, plenty of people use it, and employers here and there say how they like it or don't like it, but it's never a bad thing. that entire concept is a tell, even if they don't have a watermark visually on the viewing

[James]

I tried that sophie 3D thing and got it working, its just kinda of... meh. It seems to only fully support procedural textures and VERY basic diffuse maps. I tried and tried and tried and my models looked like crap everytime I loaded it up with the sophie 3D player.

Its nice if you're just showing modeling and thats it, like no textures. Aside from that, its not really that great. You have to fake all the shadows, there are wierd transparency issues, sometimes parts of a model wouldnt show up along seams that weren't even there. It made no sense lol.

I think its a good idea, just not fully there yet. I haven't tried wild pockets yet, but if I was going to put something on my portfolio site that required a plugin download, I would just go with Unity Engine since it supports everything including lighting, shadows, normal maps... like everything right there in the browser with a quick plugin dl, you dont even have to restart the browser.

So thats my 2 cents :D

[matthewparis]

So I'm thinking of using Wild Pockets' model viewer in my website as an alternate means to view my portfolio models. What do you guys think? It would require a quick plugin installation for the viewer to see the model, but I think it'd be pretty cool for anyone viewing my work to be able to pan around it in real time. Of course, I would maintain the tried-and-true image gallery (going to switch to that flash-based lightbox thing soon), but I just like the idea of potential employers checking out my models within a game engine.

So: yes? No?

Here's a link to the engine/site (http://www.wildpockets.com/), if anyone else is interested. It's a free browser-based game engine (in beta right now), seems pretty simple to drop your own work into it and view in real time, let alone make your own games, though I've yet to really play with it. I think someone on Gamestepper might have pointed it out, I can't remember right now.

From what I've seen of Polycount critiques on peoples portfolios. The biggest thing that seems to be a turn off is any action that slows down peoples ability to see your work. Making people have to download something to their PC seems like a big slowdown. What's wrong with Multiple photos from different angles on the model?

[WipEout]

Nothing-- that's why I intend to keep them foremost on I site. But I wanted to include the model viewer below the lightbox gallery (that I will soon be incorporating), for those that want a realtime view of my work. Plus, it shows experience with placing models in a game engine (in WildPockets' case), which some developers smile upon. Although that is a very minor concern on my part.