E-commerce retailers and adtech platforms are aggressively introducing 3D interaction on their websites to increase customer engagement. But do they create every model on their own? And if not, how do organizations ensure that 3rd party suppliers, and manufacturers adhere to their quality standards?

3D artists who regularly collaborate with them also need to check whether their creations can be reliably deployed in key use cases across diverse devices. Noone wants their hard work to get rejected for minor errors in the glb files.So let's explore a highly convenient tool, called a glTF asset auditor that can help 3D artists get their work published without technical hiccups.

But before that…

What is a glTF File?

GL Transmission Format is an open-source 3D file that can seamlessly work on static models, and animations. glTF is widely used in video games, web applications, and AR/ VR platforms. glTF is based on JavaScript Object Notation, and is quickly rising in prominence.

For instance, Google is exploring using glTF for its 3D advertisements, and Facebook allows you to create interactive 3D posts using the glTF format. What’s more, you can also embed glTF files in documents like Microsoft Word or PowerPoint files.

What is a GLB file?

If you are a 3D artist, a glb file is another one of your closest allies. But did you know that GLB files are called the JPEG of the 3D asset world?

GLB stands for GL Transmission Format Binary file and it is a standardized file format used to share 3D data. It is popularly used file format in Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), games, and web applications because it supports motion and animation.

Broadly speaking, it can contain information about 3D models, lighting, nodes, materials, and animations. When you open a glb file format, you are able to visualize and interact with a complete 3D scene.

GLB files encode data in a binary format. It includes a JSON part, hosting the original information data of the glTF file along with its settings, and a binary buffer to support any additional files.

glTF vs. GLB

A glTF asset auditor can evaluate both .glb and .glTF file formats. But to know the functionalities of this auditor, let's take a look at the broad differences between these 2 formats.

GLB is a subset of glTF. As mentioned before, while GLB is binary, glTF is based on JavaScript Object Notation.

However, glTF stores critical data like textures, shaders, or animation data in external files . But GLB files can store this data internally,eliminating the need for support files.

What does a glTF asset auditor do?

The main function of a glTF asset auditor is to check a 3D file against a given use case. There are several different 3D commerce retailers and advertising platforms who do these checks internally. But unless 3D artists carry out these hygiene checks from their end before submission, their work can get rejected continuously.

So, if you want to publish content on Amazon, or want to upload ads on Google, there are different requirements around file size, texture size etc.

This blog is a comprehensive walkthrough of X, an open source glTF asset auditor that will help you measure your 3D models against specific metrics and make relevant changes. By doing this, you can greatly reduce the chance of your models facing a rejection at the publishing stage.

Navigating through the Auditor

The glTF asset auditor is a typescript package that contains different available tests for checking a 3D file. Your 3D models are run against a requirements schema in JSON format.

In this schema file, you can specify which checks you want to run your model against, and also what the passing values are. The metrics you can set for testing are:

• File Size
• Triangle Count
• Material Count
• Node Count
• Mesh Count
• Primitive Count
• Clean Origin for Root Node
• Beveled Edges
• Non-Manifold Edges
• Dimensions
• Dimensions (product within tolerance)
• PBR Safe Colors
• Texture Map Resolution
• Texture Map Resolution Power of 2
• Texture Map Resolution Quadratic
• Texel Density
• 0-1 UV Texture Space
• Inverted UVs
• UV Overlaps
• UV Gutter Width

Once you have specified the tolerance values, you can also download the JSON file for these specifications in case you need to use the same ones for future tests.

It is important to note that not all values may be relevant to your requirements, hence you can also choose to skip the ones you do not consider important.

Alternatively, you can also set the test to default, in which the model is run against 3D commerce recommended values based on Asset Creation guidelines.

Next comes the Product Dimensions box where you can upload a JSON file with the dimensions of your 3D model. This can be checked against the values as specified in the schema. This is an optional box and you may choose to skip filling these details if you deemed fit. This box aims to be useful when the product is part of an asset creation pipeline where you have a repository containing details of every product you create.

And finally, it is time to upload your 3D model. The asset auditor is able to read .glb and .glTF formats. Once you upload the final file, it may take a while to generate a report depending on the file size and level of detailing. Some of the checks can be slow for files with a lot of triangles. That’s because the glTF format only stores geometry as distinct, independent triangles with independent vertices. If you have requested for a computation of shared edges, Beveled Edges and Non-Manifold edges the resulting XYZ edge computation may take up some time. However, typical run time without these computations is under 5 seconds, which shoots up as you increase the number of checkpoints.

So, sit back, and get ready to receive an in-depth assessment of your creation.

Audit Report

The glTF asset auditor sends back the result of each test as Pass, Fail, or Not Tested along with some additional information. You can go ahead and make the changes pointed out, and submit your project without fear of rejection!

You can also download the final report as a JSON or a CSV file for future reference.

Future Proofing your 3D Models

By making it possible to set up a rigorous Asset Quality Assurance to be applied consistently across companies, the amount of 3D model reworking can be greatly reduced.

This promotes greater compatibility and ease of use for all your clients, and more control over avoidable supply chain friction and increased costs.