This week’s interview features Jean-Charles Schaeffert, a.k.a. JC Volumic on Sketchfab, 3D artist. You probably came across his model of the Playstation 4 which has almost 600k views as of now! 

#1 Could you introduce yourself to our readers: Who are you and where are you from?

Hello! My name is Jean-Charles Schaeffert, 31, CG artist for 10 years, living in Le Mans, France.

#2 Can you tell us about what aspects of 3D you specialize in?

I’m specialized in 3D modeling, I love all its aspects, from box modeling to digital sculpting. I also love to produce textures, setting lights and materials in order to get a good render. I produce 3D contents for all types of media such as image rendering, motion design and real-time.

#3 How did you first get started in 3D? What attracted you to it in the first place?

It’s a long story. As many boys (and girls) of my generation, my first contact with 3D was PC gaming, with games like Doom, Quake, etc…
Some of these games allowed you to build your own levels.
I remember spending nights with the first Unreal Engine. With my level of English at the time, I was trying to understand how it works by testing, testing and re-testing…
When I was able to play on my own maps, I understood the “freedom-feeling” to create in 3D!

#4 Do you have any academic training or are you self-taught?

I’m a self-taught. I worked in an Engineering office after my studies, designing machines in 3D.
At school, I was fascinated by creating machines, objects, etc… in 3D
But a few months after leaving school and starting work in the industry it was very boring. That was more mathematics on papers than pure modeling. I missed something : Creating freely.
I took 3D lessons in a little Art-Workshop during a year, after hours.
I knew that it was what I always wanted to do, modeling!
The following year, the teacher hired me to work in his 3D company and here I am, ten years in the 3D industry.
Finally, I think being a self-taught is an opportunity, I’m learning everyday.

#5 You do a lot of vehicle modeling, how do you go about starting a project of this type? Lots of car-engineering research?

References research is very important! Not only in car modeling. A lot of research allows you to immerse yourself, get a better understanding of the forms and volumes of an object or character. It’s a lot of observation. There’s a ton of reference photos on the web, you can also easily find vehicle blueprints.

#6 How did you come across Sketchfab and how does it help you in your career?

I was searching for a solution to share my work pieces on the web.
More than a simple render shot, showing a model by orbiting around it is very important.
And I discovered Sketchfab. That was exactly what I was searching for!
Easy, handy and “share-able” everywhere !
So I started uploading some of my work and embedding models on my website. That’s perfect to show off your work! And Sketchfab’s team is really reactive and listen to the community and its needs!

#7 How you go about starting a project, do you follow the same creative path for every project?

I think that all projects are unique. There’s a ton of ways to start a project, the most important thing is to be rigorous and organized (it implies a lot of note taking^^).
I can start from a paper sketch or attack directly in 3D, it depends of the project. There’s no good or wrong manner to model or deal with a 3D scene, there are many ways.
But you’ll have to set boundaries from the start and set up a goal to achieve or understand the clients demand. Otherwise the risk is to go in every direction.
It’s also important to explore new things, new workflows like when you do personal projects. When you are working with deadlines, there’s no time to experiment, you must go straight to the point.

#8 Of all your pieces currently on Sketchfab, which one are you the most proud of and why? Your favorite one?

Hum, Maybe the AR Monocle Concept for the Sketchfast #04 because that was a very cool challenge!
And there was some superb creations from the community! When will be the next Sketchfast?

#9 You are the 3D artist behind the most viewed 3D model on Sketchfab, what was it like to see your model’s view count skyrocket?

That’s very cool! 
I think it demonstrates the needs for the brands to communicate with this type of media! The users want to discover their future Phone, console, smart device or other, by manipulating them.
It’s a way for users to familiarize themselves an object or device without having to move from home and before the official release! Personally I think it’s a way for brands to create a link with their customers.

#10 What advice/tips would you give to someone getting started in 3D modeling?

If you are a real beginner you need to start step by step, and to be patient.
You cannot master all aspects of 3D from day one. It implies a lot of tests, trial and error, but you’ll get better if you persevere!
I started with tutorials from 3DTotal, there are some for every level.
There are other websites like : Polycount, Game Artisans, CgArchitect, Youtube is also an endless source of video tutorials!
The best advice I would give : always restart from scratch! For example if you need to model a head, restart from scratch, every time you’ll refine your workflow and you’ll get more and more efficient.
Talking about software, Blender is free and more and more powerful, ideal to start at home.

#11 At this point, what are your thoughts regarding 3D printing? Have you already 3D printed one of your models?

I did a few tests myself, like for a 3D printed version of Viktor (3D model embedded above) :

I think that 3D printing will change the way we consume!
It’s gonna change a whole lot of things and ask a lot of questions, like on intellectual property and licences for example. In any case, it is going to be a fascinating subject!
Like with virtual reality there will be an impact on our every day life.
Talking about VR, will there be any possible interaction with the Oculus? I’d like to test some architecture scenes in VR…

Thanks again to JC for taking part in our interview series. Be sure to check out his profile on Sketchfab, and his personal website

Want more interviews ? Check out our last interview with Maxence Leret d’Aubigny (Ahurig), 3D artist and our entire series here.

We had a chance to chat with Josh Harker at the New York 3D Printshow in February. His latest project “Mazzo di Fiori” is ending tomorrow on Kickstarter, so we took this occasion to publish the quick interview we made with him on the exhibition floor, with the floral sculpture as a background. You can check out the full floral series here, and the assembled Mazzo di Fiori below.

Mazzo di Fiori by Joshua Harker on Sketchfab

Although the sound is very bad (sorry about that! poor iphone recording… :) it’s great to learn more about his creation process and how he got involved with 3D printing.

"A lot of the subjects I was trying to make in 3 dimensions as a sculptor couldn’t be made in any other way [then 3D printing]"

Josh Harker Interview from Sketchfab on Vimeo.

We already backed the project a few days ago, you have until tomorrow to do the same!

Read our latest interview with Volumic

Our entire interview series

Yesterday, Apple announced that the next version of iOS, iOS8, will support WebGL. This means Sketchfab will work “out of the box” on any iOS device: iPad, iPhone…

Sketchfab on an Iphone

When we started Sketchfab 2 years ago, we took the bet that WebGL would become THE standard to display 3D graphics in a browser, as it was meant to scale on any platform. This was the surest way for us to build a product which scales: make it once and for all, for the browser.

But when we started, WebGL was far from being a standard. It was mainly supported on Firefox and Chrome only. IE finally announced WebGL support earlier this year, and now with the Apple announcement, their is no more barrier for displaying 3D models in full glory on Sketchfab EVERYWHERE. 

Sketchfab on an iPad

Get iOS8 beta

The good news is that as we kind of knew this had to come eventually, we made the new version of Sketchfab completely mobile ready. Here are some screenshots of the mobile version.

/alban, co-founder and CEO

This week we meet with Juan a.k.a Moxstudios. He’s a gifted 3D artist with some impressive models on Sketchfab!

#1 Could you introduce yourself to our readers: Who are you and where are you from? 

My name is Juan Carlos Montes and i’m a Puerto Rican artist living and working freelance in Chicago. 

#2 Can you tell us about what aspects of 3D you specialize in?

I consider myself a handy man of design. I love to do many things animation, drawing, graphic design but i think the discipline i enjoy the most is 3D modeling. 

#3 How did you first get started in 3D? What attracted you to it in the first place?

I started working in 3D 12 years ago using a program called Arena Design. It was pretty basic but it helped me understand a lot about 3D. The aspect i liked the most was creating forms i could rotate 360 degrees.

Army Turtle by moxstudios on Sketchfab

#4 Do you have any academic training or are you self-taught?

I’m self taught and try to always keep up to date.

#5 You’re also an illustrator, does that influence your workflow?

Yes it does, 100%, since it helps me visualize an idea easier.

#6 How did you come across Sketchfab and how does it help you in your career?

I discovered Sketchfab through Blendernation. It’s an excellent tool to promote myself as an artist through my work.

#7 Of all your pieces currently on Sketchfab, which one are you the most proud of and why? Your favorite one?

Probably the H.R. alien tribute. I like the end result plus it looks great in sketchfab.

H.R Giger Tribute Alien by moxstudios on Sketchfab

#8 Where does your creativity come from?

Well creativity can come from anywhere from a coffee stain to looking at the anatomy of insects and animals.

#9 What advice would you give to someone with an illustrator background getting started with 3D?

To start with the most basic 3D, getting to know a little about each area and then setting up personal challenges to create more complicated models.

Thanks again to Juan for taking part in this interview, be sure to check out his work on Sketchfab and on his website.

Want more interviews? Check out our last interview with JC Volumic and our entire series here. How do you guys like our interview series? Any suggestions?

We’re thrilled to announce that our new Lightwave exporter is out! Your LW life is about to be easier, and the upload process as seamless as it possibly can be. With this new exporter, Lightwave users can upload models to Sketchfab directly from the software.

Download the exporter here.

if you don’t feel like watching the tutorial, here is a step-by-step for installing the exporter:

• Download the exporter here (you’ll get too files .py and a folder containing the exporter)
• Copy and paste them in your Lightwave 11.6.3 folder (path is Lightwave > support > plugins > scripts > Python > Layout > Master)
• Now when you’ll launch Lightwave you’ll be able to access the plugin interface by going under the utilities tab > master plugins > add layout > Python-Sketchfab
• Before to upload a model you can fill in those different fileds : Title, description, tags, enable private if you have a pro account with us. Plus fill in your API key (you can find it in your password settings).
• Uncheck rotate vertical axis
• If your object contains sub-patches, click “Yes” to freeze them
• Click upload, you’re done!

Note : If you get the error “object contains NGons”, you need to get your object triangulated (can be done in modeler before to upload).

Spider made with Ligthwave by codyburke3d on Sketchfab

All thats left is for you to go download it! We can’t wait to see your Lightwave models around the platform, and as always don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions to support@sketchfab.com

Just a few months after publishing our Unity exporter, we are announcing today a pretty sweet addition to that: you can now embed Sketchfab models in Unity forums! Here is the official Unity announcement about it, and a dedicated showcase thread.

The workflow is super simple:

1) when you are in the text editor of a thread, just click on the media icon:

2) paste the url of your Sketchfab model:

3) …tadam! Your model is embed in full, live, real-time 3D glory, inside the post :) You can even embed a 3D model in your Unity forum profile, like we did.

Berkut by rkotchapong on Sketchfab

Go ahead and try it out!

The team behind CG Cookie and Blend Swap have launched a new initiative: the Blender Market. As the Blender community continues to become more and more professional, there’s an increasing demand for high-quality assets and tools that are well maintained. The Blender Market aims to fulfill this need while still giving back to the Blender community.

Blender Market’s Jonathan William comments:

The Blender Community has always been very good about sharing. Whether sharing great models on Blender Artists, advanced scripts in IRC, or useful resources on Blend Swap. But one problem we’ve always had is keeping track of, maintaining, and sustaining the development of these resources for professional use. Working artists and studios need assurance that an asset or tool will be actively supported.

The Blender Market hopes to improve this by creating a dedicated place for artists to find the resources and tools they need. On day one we already have a strong collection of models, shaders, scene setups, and add ons! Go find what you need!”

The Blender Market fully supports Blender by allowing vendors to donate a percentage of their sales to the Blender Development fund. In addition, 5% of the sales during the first 90 days of business will be donated as well.

One of the main sections of the Market is the Models category. And what better tool to help sell a 3D asset than with Sketchfab real-time 3D? Check out some of these models:

Shoes Pack, by AVI:

Medieval Street Props, by Rob Tuytel:

We’re excited to be part of this adventure and wish the Blender Market the best of luck!

The weekend is here, and with the soccer world championship having just kicked off you have two choices: watch television all weekend, OR design the most awesome trophy the world has ever seen (ok, or design a trophy while watching television). Win eternal fame, a Sketchfab PRO account or a Shapeways $50 3D printing voucher. 

Anything goes: you can incorporate your team’s mascotte, make it the most futuristic trophy ever or give it bling overload.

Remember: you only have 72 hours to share your creation with the rest of the community.

Rules

• Design your own trophy
• Start your entry from scratch
• Upload your final entry to sketchfab.com and add #soccerfast to the title, by Monday 2/10 @ noon EST
• One final entry per user

Prizes:

• 1st: a Sketchfab PRO account for a year and a $50 Shapeways 3D printing voucher
• 2nd: a Sketchfab PRO account for a year
• 3rd: a $50 Shapeways 3D printing voucher

Winners will be voted by the community, good luck!

Brazuca Soccer Official World Cup 2014 by yimit on Sketchfab

ESTADIO ARENA PANTANAL / CUIABÁ by soy502 on Sketchfab

At the moment, there’s no way to manually set axis constraints, but it’s a feature we’re looking to add in the future. Thanks for your feedback!

A big thank you to everyone that participated in Sketchfast #9 this weekend! In just 3 short days we had 10 great world cup trophies redesigned.  

The official voting has begun - poll below. Please choose your 3 favorite creations, in no particular order. You have until next Monday 6/23 at noon to vote. Best of luck to all of the participants! 

An embedded gallery of the entries, which can also be found here

We’re happy to announce that we just added a great new feature to the Sketchfab website: if you follow an artist you will now receive an email whenever he or she posts new work. You won’t miss a thing anymore!

Do keep this in mind when posting test work, as your followers might see that, too (Pro users have the ability to upload private models and these will not send out notifications, of course).

One other thing: we’re working hard to make it even easier to follow activity on Sketchfab and to manage these kinds of emails (like unsubscribing from them). So stay tuned, there’s more goodness coming your way.

So go on, follow some great artists and try it out for yourself!

Maid by deretta on Sketchfab. Deretta has 75 followers, can you beat that? ;-)

Guten Tag und herzlich Willkommen!

Today we tip our hat to the German part of the Blender community as their most popular forum, BlendPolis, has added support for Sketchfab!You may well recognize some of the art there as we have quite a few of their members in our midst already.

To learn how to publish your work there, please read this announcement by forum host Thomas Dinges.

If you’d like to embed Sketchfab on a forum that you host or frequent, please get in touch with me on bart@sketchfab.com and I’ll work with you to make it happen!

Bart
bart@sketchfab.com

Hero by unbekanntespezies on Sketchfab

As many modern and nimble companies, the Sketchfab team is split between various locations: Paris and NYC are the two top ones, but we also have Toulouse (in SOFA - South of France :), as well as the UK, Netherlands, Canada… all over the place! 

We managed to gather part of the team in Paris last week, great opportunity to catch up and finally celebrate our V2 release and 100k milestone. We thought this was a good occasion to share with you a day with the team and a look at the company from the inside. Plus some very cool Paris addresses :)

We started by a karting race contest, won by Marc:

Kart by Maurice S. on Sketchfab

We then went to a bowling place near the Arc de Triomphe, Cédric was the winner this time:

Then we went to our regular afterwork bar, le Sully:

We ended the day at one of our favorite bistrots in Paris: le Bistrot des Victoires. If you go there, don’t miss ou the “Entrecôte grillée au thym de la garigue”, we call it the fireworks :)

That’s it! We just hope that next time we’ll be able to gather the entire team, and do more events with you our community as well!

/Alban, co-founder and CEO

A big thank you to all of the participants in our Sketchfast #9 contest! We asked you to re-design the World Cup trophee and one more time you amazed us with your creativity.

We asked the community to vote for their favorite entries, see below for the winning submissions, and thanks again for all of the hard work you put in. We hope you were still able to watch the games ;)

1st Place - a Sketchfab PRO account for a year and a $50 Shapeways 3D printing voucher

world cup Throphy #soccerfast by aaronligthart on Sketchfab

2nd Place - a Sketchfab PRO account for a year

HSP3D #soccerfast by hsp3d on Sketchfab

3rd Place - a $50 Shapeways 3D printing voucher

FIFA world cup #Soccerfast by R0m1R on Sketchfab

See you for the next Sketchfast!

Thank you for participating in our Backpack #3DST, and congrats to Digitage, the winner! They picked the theme for the next 3DST: Antiques. You can follow the submission thread here.

Little addition: the winner of this 3DST will win a $25 Shapeways 3D printing coupon! A unique chance to get your scan printed.

Rules, as usual:

• 3D scan something ANTIQUE by Thursday, July 3rd. Antiques can be a lot of things: a used object, piece of furniture, old fashion stuff…
• Share it on your own Sketchfab account on Thursday, July 3rd, with #3DST8 in the title
• The author of the model getting the most likes by the following Thursday is featured, wins a $25 Shapeways 3D printing coupon and gets to chose the following theme.
• To know everything about #3DST including great tutorials, check this blog post.

Good luck!

Looking for cool content to try your Oculus? Access more than 100,000 Oculus-ready 3D models on Sketchfab, right from your browser! 

VG Remix - Skyrim can be viewed with your Oculus headset

There is no interface for this yet, so here’s how it works: Just add /embed?oculus=1 (for a dk1) or /embed?oculus=2 (for a dk2) at the end of any Sketchfab model url.

Example: https://sketchfab.com/models/b819181e3ca84671afb06541a6dd402d/embed?oculus=2

Note that Sketchfab isn’t communicating with the Oculus sensors yet (working on it!), as of now we’re only optimising models to be viewed with a VR headset. So if you move your head, the model will stay static, you’ll need to use Sketchfab’s navigation options to move around. You can set the view mode to FPS at bottom right corner, for walkthrough navigation instead of orbit mode.

Now plug your Oculus (or borrow one to a friend or colleague!) and start browsing Sketchfab to look for a great model, add the url parameters, click play and enjoy!

Here are some great galleries to browse from : our staff picks page features some of the best work on Sketchfab, this folder features great scenes from our Video Games Remix contest in partnership with Polycount.

Oculus Rift by Mestaty on Sketchfab

You’re a student. Your poor. And you just ate your last bag of Ramen noodles.  

You just procrastinated your final project by re-creating an awesome asset you saw in Skyrim. But as you click the Sketchfab UPLOAD button, you secretly think, “Golly Gee, I sure do wish I had a PRO plan. Awe shucks.”

Sadly, the extra ten dollars a month could buy you, oh, 500 bajillion bags of Ramen noodles.  So sad.  

Dino Student by vituel on Sketchfab

Worry not! Sketchfab has your back.  

We believe as future professionals, students should get access to the best resources available…even if they can’t afford to buy great tools. That’s why we’re giving students at our Partner Schools a free Pro Account.

Free? Yup. We said free. Just go here to sign up.  

What if your school isn’t on our list of partners? Or are you already signed up with Sketchfab, but want a free student PRO account? Worry not. Email us at students@sketchfab.com, and we’ll get you started.  

How Can Students Use PRO?

A Sketchfab PRO account is like a regular account…only supercharged with an extra-caffeinated can of Red Bull.

• Up to 200 MB per Model (Goodbye 50 mb limit, woohoo!)

• Sketchfab.me (Your personal portfolio website)

• Get contacted by potential clients or employers (A “contact me” button on your profile)

• 24-hour support (Thank you, Community Support James!)

• Appear in the PRO Directory (Finally!)

• Get a PRO Badge
  

• Tons of upcoming PRO features (All for you!)

Dude. Email us. Seriously.

Questions? Wanna become your school’s ambassador?  Feel like discussing which video game obsession dropped your GPA by a full point?  Or whether or not the plural of Lego is Legos?  (Community Support James has strong opinions on this subject.)

Shoot us an email at students@sketchfab.com! You can email us about anything.

Tell us what you’re up to.

And enjoy your free student PRO account! You’re welcome :)

It’s a beautiful afternoon as I write this post at the Dineen coffee shop in Toronto.

I’m also instant messaging a co-worker in New York City, about to get on a Skype call with our Community Manager in the Netherlands, and sending an email to our development team in Paris.

Some may think this isn’t an organized and efficient way to operate a growing company. To us, this is the future of work.

Many of the greatest companies in the 21st century, including Virgin, 37signals, and IBM have built successful businesses by providing people the freedom to work where they want, when they want and how they want. And many other 3D teams are organised this way too: Polycount, CGCookie, Allegorithmic… 

Here’s why.

You get SH#T done

Shorter commutes, private office, flexible work hours.

This all leads to: less time wasted, more productive work hours and increased happiness amongst employees.

In 2013, Stanford University conducted a study by randomly assigning employees at a call center to work from home and others to work in the office for nine months. The result was a 13 percent performance increase by those working from home, of which 9 percent was from working more hours.

People criticize working remotely because they find it difficult to measure the number of hours their employees are working. What they forget is that going into the office does not equal productive work.

“Office workers are interrupted—or self-interrupted—roughly every three minutes.” — The Wall Street Journal

In fact, once thrown off, it can take over 23 minutes for a worker to retrieve focus on their original task.

Give people the freedom to work where they want, and begin to re-think the 9-5 working style. By adopting a culture of trust and respect, you’re empowering individuals to not just show up, but to show results.

Work and retain the best people

We hear it over and over again: Always hire the best people.

The company’s that embrace telecommuting have a significant advantage over those that haven’t figured it out. For each candidate that is available to work in your city, there are hundreds more around the world that can do it better and cheaper.

Hiring top talent is already hard enough as it is, why limit the single most important ingredient for the success of your business?

It’s inevitable that more and more skilled workers will adapt to a remote working lifestyle, and it’s the companies that can accommodate the lifestyles of these talents that will become the market leaders in the future.

Remote has never been easier

The good news is, it’s now easier than ever to coordinate the work of individuals from around the world. As long as we have access to a lab top and the internet, there are hundreds of tools that have been created to make the process seamless.

Now I’m not suggesting that it’s a walk in the park. There are setbacks to working remotely that is simply easier with in-person interactions, such as training, instant feedback, and relationship building. So here’s how to make that all work.

1. Think output

Focusing on a results-orientated system is the initial step to take when going remote. At the end of the day, the output that we produce is the only tangible result we can present that brings the business forward.

I’m a huge fan of focusing on output because it forces me to prioritize my focus to tasks that will have the biggest impact, and helps me stay productive.

Too often we see this in today’s working environment:

• Person A takes 5 hours to complete a project, and Person B takes 30 minutes to complete the same project.
• Person A comes in early and stays late at the office, while Person B can leave the office earlier to recharge or plan new projects that will bring value for the company. Yet Person A is rewarded for their “hard work” and dedication, when Person B has accomplished the same outputs, if not more from being productive.

Systems such as ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) are being introduced to promote output work cultures, where employees are evaluated on performance, not presence. It has been implemented in companies such as Best Buy and Gap, where they’ve seen: 20 percent improvement in productivity, 90 percent decrease in turnover rates, and increased customer satisfaction.

2. Get SMART

Now that we’re focused on results, we need to set the right goals and metrics for ourselves.

Creating goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely are the five most important factors to consider. Investing the time to plan and write down your smart goals will do wonders for your output.

If you’re a coder, you could set a goal to release a certain feature in the next week. If you’re in sales, it could be calling 50 people a day with a target to close 10 per week.

I encourage you to set your own goals, as you’re the best person that knows your working style.

There’s no better feeling than waking up each morning and having a clear target for exactly what you’re going to accomplish that day, week, or month.

3. Communicate, communicate, communicate

I can’t stress this enough.

The caveat to working remotely is that we miss out on 70 percent of nonverbal communication such as facial expressions, voice tones and eye contact. Working from other sides of the world, communicating the smallest things are a must.

This is why we use HipChat at Sketchfab as our instant messaging tool to keep in regular contact in an informal manner. It allows me to be myself and have more natural flowing conversations with my
co-workers.

The beauty of working online is that it has forced me to articulate everything I communicate. 750 word long emails have to be shortened to 300 word emails, while getting the same message across. This has helped me keep my writing short and concise, which has transferred over to my speaking skills as well.

4. Create a company bulletin board

All this means is have a project management system or a “bulletin board” that allows each team member to see what everyone else is working on.
Sometimes we get so ingrained about our own tasks, that we forget what’s happening with the rest of our team members.

We use Pivotal Tracker, but there are several others that just as effective, such as Basecamp, Asana, and Trello. This helps me understand what the high-level priorities are for the company, and allows me to assign tasks to any team member without having to bug them about it.

5. Have regular feedback

It’s difficult to know if your work is producing the impact that your team members expect when working . You can never have too much feedback, because we can always improve our work, become better team members, and have greater impact.

Design a structure for individual regular feedback, whether it’s bi-weekly or monthly. Creating a culture for continuous improvement will allow members to feel that they’re personally improving, which leads to increased work engagement, and greater loyalty for the business.

Avoid using email and take feedback to video chats as much as you can. You can’t risk leaving out 70 percent of your nonverbal communication for something as personal as individual feedback.

In order to build a successful business in a talent shortage economy, we have to hire the best people — period. The opportunity to tap into a global talent market has never been more possible in the world that we live in.

The future of work is already here, it’s up to you to take advantage of it.

Designers all over the world use Sketchfab to share their work in real time 3D.  Why?  Our platform is the best way to share your designs and allow your fans to fully explore your models.  But did you ever wish your Sketchfab models could tell a story? Take your viewers on a mini-tour of your favorite parts?  Sounds crazy, right?

Wrong.  Totally sane.  With Sketchfab’s new annotations, you can mark different points on your model, record the best camera position, and add a description.  You can use annotations on any of your Sketchfab models, and they’re super simple to navigate.   

Try one now:

As of today, annotations are now available for all Sketchfab accounts. Free accounts can add up to 5 annotations (on each model) and PRO users can add up to 20.

How to Add Annotations to your Models

1. Go to your model and open the 3D settings page.

2. Switch to the annotations tab on the left side of the page.

3. Navigate to a location you’d like to annotate and double-click. This will place the annotation marker on the surface of your model.

4. Enter a title and a description for your annotation.

5. Your new annotations appears in the annotations bar. Click the camera icon to record the current camera settings for this annotation.

6. In the annotations bar, you can also easily edit previous annotations, delete them and even reorder them. Just grab one and drag it up or down the list.

7. Finally, don’t forget to save your new annotations. :)

Two more tips:

• Not happy with the location of an annotation on your model? Just grab it and move it to a better position!

• Hyperlinks in the description are clickable. For the best results, keep the links short by using a URL shortener: Sketchfab models all have a short URL under the ‘Share’ option. For external links, you can use a free service like bit.ly.

Don’t feel like reading directions? Watch this video tutorial on annotations instead! You can also check our dedicated Annotations FAQ.

Our Favorite Annotated Models

…for now.  Your newly annotated model could be the next favorite in our favorite list.

Education - Rat Brain

Scientific Illustrator Mieke Roth uses annotations to give in-depth information about specific areas of a rat brain in this model:

Art - Classic Racing Car 

JC Volumic gives you a tour of his classic racing car.  There’s some details  you might have missed without his annotations: 

Product presentation - Google Cardboard

Showing a virtual reality set in virtual reality :) It’s like a riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a dream. Fun tip: did you know you can browse this  with your Oculus? 

Business use - The Sketchfab Team!

The Sketchfab team is distributed over 6 different locations in North America and Europe. We’re so global!  Discover where we are:

Are you ready to try annotations?

This week, only annotated models will be added to our Staff Picks. So give annotations a try!  Don’t you want your work in the spotlight? We know you do. ;-)

Thanks for checking out our new annotations feature!  And remember, as always, email us at hello@sketchfab.com if you have any questions

or praise.  We totally love praise. Enjoy!