Soft8Soft has released Verge3D 4.0, the next major version of its toolkit for converting 3ds Max, Blender or Maya scenes into browser-based 3D web applications.

The update adds a built-in texture compression system to reduce memory use on mobile devices, and refactors the installation process to separate the core application and demo scenes.

Convert 3ds Max, Blender and Maya scenes into interactive browser applications
Aimed at game development, e-commerce and online marketing, Verge3D converts Blender, 3ds Max and, most recently, Maya scenes into interactive content that can be viewed in a browser.

It integrates directly with the host application, enabling users to create 3D geometry, materials and animations normally inside the software, then export them in glTF format.

Interactive functionality can be added via JavaScript, either by writing code directly or by using Puzzles, Verge3D’s visual programming environment.

Being based on WebGL, the resulting interactive application should display natively in most web browsers, without the need for plugins.

Users can also publish projects as native iOS and Android apps, or Windows, Linux or macOS desktop apps.

New in Verge3D 4.0: structural and performance improvements
Verge3D 4.0 is largely an under-the-hood update, with key changes including an overhaul of the installation process to separate the core application from the demo scenes and user settings.

The change is intended to make it easier to update to new versions of the software.

In addition, Verge3D can now compress textures automatically when exporting a project – users have a choice of the UASTC and ETC1S algorithms – reducing memory usage by 4-6x.

The reduction in memory usage may be significant on mobile devices, particularly on iOS, where insufficient memory can lead to large scenes crashing.

Other changes include an unrestricted 360-degree rotation mode for the view camera, new demo scenes, and updates to newer versions of the underlying three.js and Google Blockly libraries.

Application-specific updates include support for line rendering of splines in the 3ds Max and Maya editions, and support for morph target animation in the 3ds Max edition.

Pricing and availability
Verge3D 4.0 is available for 3ds Max 2020+, Blender 2.83+ and Maya 2019+.

The software can be trialled for free: for production, a personal licence costs $290, a team licence costs $990, and an enterprise licence – which gets you source code access – costs $2,990.

Read more about the new features in Verge3D on Soft8Soft’s blog

 
Editor’s note: in the light of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, readers may wish to know that Soft8Soft has its R&D office in Moscow, although the company is headquartered in Estonia.

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