February 2007: "With Web 3D slowly becoming more common, TurnTool has emerged as a leader in 3D software development for the internet. Its software the TurnToolBox is best known within the architectural industry, generating superb interactive walkthroughs, but its use can go far beyond this, encompassing product marketing and online games"

Originally a plug-in for 3ds Max and VIZ, TurnToolBox has recently been upgraded to support Cinema4D, ARCHICAD and Microstation. Being a plug-in confers the advantage of a familiar interface to work with, and after a very quick download and install, you are ready to start exporting your models and environments into the world of web3D.

What immediately strikes you about TurnToolBox 3 is its simplicity and ease of use, with only a couple of minor features of 3ds Max (the version reviewed here) not supported in the export. Unique advantages over most of its competitors immediately jump out – it has its own physics engine, it effortlessly exports information from Character Studio, and it can take full advantage of hardware support.

These advantages are partly due to the fact that TurntoolBox does not rely on Java technology like many web 3D development tools, but instead requires the download of an ActiveX controller.

                      TurnToolBox was developed by game programmers and contains useful features for increasing the size of the resulting web 3D. For example, a LookAt constraint, which enables an object to constantly face the camera, is so simple, but incredibly useful for populating a scene with foliage or people, and is often overlooked by TurnTool competitors. Multi-texturing is supported, and by combining a diffuse map with a reflective map, a very impressive reflective material can be achieved. The plug-in also gives you a lot of control over the optimisation of the resulting web 3D.

LESS NEED FOR SCRIPT

The main addition for the new version of the TurnToolBox is support for HTML templates. Normally, interactivity is added to web 3D projects by means of scripts, usually written in JavaScript in the HTML files in which the TurnToolBox objects are embedded. Any addition decreasing the need for such code should attract more creatives to the software and is therefore a huge step forward.

                      An HTML template can be set at the click of a button: two examples are Move and Simple Architect. The move template generates an online scene where the user can dynamically drag and position the 3D objects, with all the collisions between the objects calculated. The Simple Architect template enables the user to look around a construction by switching between different cameras. However, interactive functions such as a user playing and pausing separate animations still have to be scripted manually, so the addition of HTML template to help with this feature would have been useful. Nevertheless, the online support and TurnTool´s active forum mean that nonprogrammers can still get to grips with scripting for more advanced interactions.

                      At nearly $1,000 for a six-month license, plus an additional start-up fee, TurnToolBox 3 isn’t cheap – although it is free to use commercially if you don’t mind a watermark appearing on your work. But with its hardware support and nice unique features, TurnToolBox is able to create exceptionally impressive, expansive real-time online scenes which can be tailored towards the machine they are run on. With its physics engine, Character Studio support and customisable collision detection, it is also an obvious choice for online game developers.

VERDICT:

PROS

- Simple to learn for basic use

- Hardware support

CONS

- No dynamic shadows

- Pricey

Range Features                  : 9

Value for money                 : 6

Overall                                : 8