The Embedded Player (What Visitors See)
The embedded player is the small 3D view that shows on your own website after you publish a model with the Embed tab. This page describes what your visitors can do with it. Embedding is a Pro feature. Visitors never get your file.
What a Visitor Sees
- The page first shows a picture of the model. Nothing heavy loads yet, so your page stays fast.
- When the frame scrolls into view, the message "Loading 3D" shows and the live 3D model replaces the picture.
- If you chose Load on click instead of when scrolled into view, the visitor sees a Load 3D model button and clicks it first.
- A toolbar of small buttons shows at the bottom left. A STEPFILE.com link sits in the bottom right corner on Pro. Pro Plus and Pro Max show no link.
The Toolbar
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fit | Frames the whole model in view, keeping the direction you are looking from |
| Reset view | Goes back to the starting view you set when you made the code |
| Zoom in | Moves closer in a step |
| Zoom out | Moves back in a step |
| Measure | Opens the measuring panel. Shown only when you left Visitors can use Measure ticked |
| Full screen | Fills the screen. Shown only when the visitor's browser allows it |
Turning and Zooming
- Drag on the model to turn it.
- The mouse wheel zooms only after the visitor clicks or taps the model. This lets people scroll the page past the model. Holding Ctrl while using the wheel always zooms, which is how a trackpad pinch works.
- On a touch screen, dragging up and down scrolls the page until the first tap on the model.
- Moving the mouse off the frame turns wheel zoom off again.
- If you ticked Slowly turn until touched, the model spins on its own. It stops when the visitor touches it or presses a toolbar button.
Measuring in the Player
Press Measure to open a small panel. The measuring file loads the first time it is pressed ("Getting ready to measure..."). There are four tools:
| Tool | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Point to point | Click a first point, then a second one. The straight distance shows |
| Edge length | Move over an edge to light it, then click it |
| Diameter | Click a round edge or a round face. The diameter shows, with the radius |
| Between faces | Click a flat face, then a second flat face. The gap shows if they are parallel |
- Units has three choices: the owner's setting (the panel names it), Inches, fractions to 1/64, and Millimetres.
- Clear (X) removes the measurements. The X key and Esc do the same. With nothing left to clear, Esc closes the panel.
- The X button at the top of the panel closes it.
Tips
- Set the starting view in the Embed tab's code options, then Reset view brings every visitor back to it. See The Embed Tab.
- Untick Visitors can use Measure if you do not want people reading sizes off the model.
- Press Esc or the X to close any message.
If Something Goes Wrong
- "This model is no longer available here." The embed was turned off or deleted, or the plan dropped below Pro. Visitors see the picture and this sentence.
- "The 3D model could not be loaded." A Try again button appears. Click it. If it keeps failing, check the embed is On in the Embed tab.
- "The 3D view was interrupted." The browser lost its 3D drawing. Try again reloads the frame.
- "Measuring could not be loaded." Click Try again.
- "No edge there. Click right on an edge of the model." Click closer to the edge.
- "Not a round edge or face. Click a hole, a rim or a round face." Pick a hole, rim or round face for Diameter.
- "That is not a flat face. Click a flat face." Between faces works on flat faces only.
- "Not parallel". The two faces are not parallel, so the panel gives the angle between them instead of a gap.