General
Q: What is TurnTool ApS?
A: TurnTool ApS is a company developing real time 3D graphics software focused on the Internet.
Q: What is the TurnTool technology?
A: The TurnTool technology is a real time 3D technology. This tool contains two elements:
The TurnToolBox is a plug-in for 3D Studio Max, Autodesk Viz, Cinema4D , ArchiCAD, MicroStation etc. The plug-in will be available for more 3D applications along the way.
The TurnTool Viewer is the smallest browser plug-in for interactive web 3D solutions. This enables the viewing of the TNT files.
Q: Is TurnTool subscription software?
A: NO, not any more
Q: How is the pricing of TurnTool?
A: The TurnToolBox is the 3D developers Tool. It works for free. If you wish to provide 3D solutions without the floating watermark logo you have the following licensing options:
Full Version
TNT files created with a fully licensed TurnToolBox has no floating watermark logo over the scene.
Educational version
If you are a student you have the option of purchasing the educational version. This version has a static logo lower right corner and no redirection as the free version. If you are representing an educational institution please contact the sales department (sales@turntool.com) for special pricing.
TNT files are licensed for their entire lifetimes. There are NO additional license fees.
Q: I have a question about TurnTool! What do I do?
A: We highly recommend using the TurnTool user forum. Here you can get help and share your experiences with other TurnTool users, including the TurnTool staff. Visit the forum. If that isn't what you are looking for then visit the company section for a listing of contact options.
Q: How is TurnTool different from other 3D technologies?
A: The TurnToolBox is a minimal interface plug-in for 3D applications. This means that you work within the application environment that you already know and at the press of a button your scenes are ready for the internet. It is also possible to do interactive architectural visualizations with TurnTool, as well as character animations. TurnTool has its own physics engine and supports Character Studio effortlessly.
The TurnTool Viewer is one of the smallest 3D viewer plug-ins available and enjoys full hardware acceleration for staggering visual quality and performance.
TurnTool is know to be easy to get started with, yet powerfull enough for even the most complicated tasks.
Q: Do I need 3rd party software to create TurnTool scenes?
A: You will need a copy of 3D Studio Max, Cinema4D, ArchiCAD or one of the other supported 3D programs to model your TurnTool content. The TurnToolBox is a plug-in for all of these applications. TurnTool will be available for more 3D applications along the way. If your 3D program isn't supported yet you should sign up for the newsletter or ask the support team (support@turntool.com).
Q: Are TurnTool solutions Java-dependent?
A: No. The TurnTool Viewer is an ActiveX control and does not depend on Java to function.
Q: I can't afford it. Can I use it on my website anyway?
A: Everyone is free to make TurnTool content and show it on their websites. In fact we encourage showing off TurnTool - licensed or not.
Licensing TurnTool has the added benefit of removing the TurnTool logo from the scene in cases where it is undesirable, but it is still perfectly legal use the free TurnToolBox for commercial purposes.
Q: How do I license my TNT files?
A: Once you have downloaded and installed the TurnToolBox you will be able to produce your own TNT files and see the result online or offline with the TurnTool Viewer.
The TNT files produced with the free version of the TurnToolBox are not licensed and will have a logo floating over the scene when displayed.
To create TNT files without the logo you will need a full license.
With a TurnToolBox license you are free to make as many TNT files as you like for as many clients as you like. You are able to export TNT files from any 3D application listed under System Requirements. The TNT files produced will be fully licensed forever. The TurnToolBox license exists in two versions - Full and Educational.
Getting technical
Q: What are the TurnTool Viewer system requirements?
A: The system requirement of the TurnTool Viewer can be found here.
Q: How come the TurnTool Viewer isn't installed automatically?
A: To automatically download and install the TurnTool Viewer, your browser needs to support and allow the running of ActiveX controls.
In the Internet Explorer:
At Internet Options, under the Security tab, the 'Download signed ActiveX controls' and 'Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins' options need to be either enabled or in prompt mode. These are both enabled by default.
In FireFox: Installation should happen automatically, but you might have to restart before the TurnTool plug-in is enabled
Q: How large is the TurnTool Viewer?
A: The initial download is only 133K. If all components are required the maximum amount of data downloaded will be 498K.
Q: How do I embed the TurnTool Viewer in an HTML page?
A: Please refer to the TurnTool manual.
Q: How long does it take to download the TurnTool Viewer?
A: The download times range from seconds to a few minutes, depending on the connection.
Connection type / Estimated download time:
T1 / 3 - 5 seconds
Cable, DSL / 10 - 20 seconds
56 K / 1 - 2 minutes
28K / 2 - 3 minutes
Download the TurnTool Viewer here
Modelling
Q: How do I optimize my scene for real time display?
A: Top 10 real time modelling tips for optimal rendering quality and speed:
1. Keep an eye on the polygon count.
2. Use textures with side lengths that are powers of 2 (2^n: 1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128,256,512,1024 and so forth). Resize existing ones using your favorite paint program.
3. If your scene has a low frame rate, then perhaps you should consider disabling the 'Real time Anti-aliasing', which TurnTool uses as default. This will lower the quality of the rendered image, but it will improve the render speed. The 'Real time Anti-aliasing' flag can be found in 'Scene Display' panel in the TurnToolBox.
4. The physical size of the textures (side lengths) is much more important than the image file size on disk, performance wise. Be economic with the sizes of textures.
5. Avoid using a large texture when the same result could be achieved with a smaller tilable texture.
6. Use the correct light-mode for your scene. If there are no moving light sources, you should choose the "static lighting" light-mode. If you are using vertex color, then select the "Vertex Colors" light mode. And if you are using baked texture, then choose the "Baked texture (No Lighting)" light-mode. Remember that the light-mode can be configured for each object individually.
7. Only use a transparent background when it is needed.
8. Use uncompressed bitmaps as textures. Compressed images such as JPEGs will only lower quality, not size.
9. Use invisible bounding boxes with as few faces as possible for collision geometry. This reduces the amount of calculations.
10. When an effect is hardly noticeable, such as an insignificant amount of the specular material component, then disable it completely. In the specular case, set it to zero.
Other
Q: Who implements TurnTool solutions?
A: You do! But if you don't have the skills to work for HTML templates and scripting our resellers will be happy to help you. You can also get a lot of inspiration and help in the forum or here.
Q: I am a 3D content developer. How can TurnTool benefit me?
A: TurnTool is a tool that gives you the opportunity to create exhilarating 3D graphics and animation both online and offline using the 3D suite that you already is comfortable with. The plug-in will be available for more 3D applications along the way. In addition TurnTool gives you access to a host of utilities, documentation, tutorials and other support resources.
But most important: TurnTool is easy to use and the solutions are easy to sell and buy.
