Frequently Asked Questions


What is Seamless3d?

Seamless3d is a NURBS based general purpose 3D Animator/Modeller. It is designed to be easy to use for ages 4 and up without compromising the artist’s freedom to create models in their own unique style. Because Seamless3d supports nurbs animation, it is well suited for making high quality 3D animated movies and because Seamless3d lets the user edit polygons on the nurbs surface, it is also well suited for optimising models for real time graphics.

Is Seamless3d free?

Yes. Seamless3d is Open Source Software freely available to all under the MIT License.

Will Seamless3d time out some weeks after I install it?

No, Never!

Where can I download Seamless3d?

www.seamless3d.com/download

For security reasons always download Seamless3d from this site.

Is Seamless3d easy to learn and use?

How easy Seamless3d is to learn will depend on what you want to do and how you approach things. Many make the mistake of trying to do something that is out of their depth when there is so much fun to be had doing what is easy to do. There are applications that do it all for you but you never get a sense this way of having artistic freedom over your content. This is why I think it is much more fun to begin making a simple model as shown in the Creating an Animated Character Step by Step tutorial and advance your artistic and technical skills from there. This does not mean you have to wait until you have perfected your modelling skills before you can start making movies. I have enjoyed watching movies on YouTube that are no more than a sequence of still images with narration. To be happy it's important to be satisfied with where you are knowing you can only get better so long as you keep making new content, never wait for it to happen.

Can worlds be made with Seamless3d or is it just for avatars?

Because Seamless3d is a general purpose 3d editor containing many options, it is versatile and well suited to both tasks.

Can I animate models using Seamless3d?

Yes. Seamless3d has all the features an artist needs to create and edit exciting animation sequences.

What is a smls file?

A smls file is a Seamless3d native file. smls files are text files and so can be edited in a text editor much like a VRML file. Like a VRML file they are typically gzipped. smls format can contain Seamless3d native nodes and native seamless script and can also contain a number of different types of VRML/X3D nodes. For more information on the Seamless3d Modelling language see: The Seamless3d Language.

When I upload a file saved as a wrl/x3d file why do I get error messages in my VRML/X3D browser and why are there non standard nodes in my file?

You can not currently export by doing a "save as", you must select the Scene node in the scene tree to export. See Exporting the Scene as a Wrl which explains the basics in exporting a Scene and please see the Scene node for more export options.

Can I make H-Anim avatars with Seamless3d?

I an unaware of any modeller that can match Seamless3d's support for H-Anim. It is one of the few modellers that can export HAnimJoint nodes and is probably the only modeller in existence that can export HAnimDisplacer nodes for morphing.

When exporting to H-Anim have the scene node's genHAnimNodes field ticked and one of the x3d options: outputX3DXML or outputX3DVRMLClasic ticked. When exporting CPMorpher nodes have the outScriptAsRoutes and genColorIndex fields ticked. Click the Scene node's output button to export. For some examples on exporting H-Anim, see browser_test.

Do I need a degree in computer science?

No. A background in computer programming will of course help in an understanding of all of Seamless3d's options but you don't have to know all of the options simply because the program has them. To make great works of art you just need artistic ability which comes from practice. Sculpting shapes and animating them revolves around dragging control points in 3d space, anyone can do this.

Does Seamless3d support scripting?

Yes, Seamless3d has a very fast built in script compiler but please bear in mind it is at a very early stage in development .
Simple lines of scripts are automatically inserted for key-frame animation and for more advanced tasks scripts can be manually written, see:

Can I import blaxxun avatar studio avatars into Seamless3d and then edit them?

Yes. For instructions see the tutorial:
Importing Blaxxun Avatar Studio and Seamless Avatars

Who wrote seamless3d?

Me, thyme (AKA Graham Perrett) thyme@seamless3d.com

At what stage is Seamless3d in its development?

Seamless3d has been in development for over 10 years. It has the essential features for making 3D art. There are now many up to date robot demos and 3D modelling/animation tutorials that allow anyone to take baby steps from the simplest of animations to making sophisticated works of art. Because the robot demos are not simulations, they verify Seamless3d is a modeler capable of creating content here and now on your computer.

Do you have a roadmap for the future of Seamless3d?

Roadmaps can get in the way of creative development and make work a chore if followed rigidly. Because nothing has to be approved by a committee I am free to take advantage of opportunities as they arise. This is my current list of priorities:
I want the Seamless3d standard to follow in the same open spirit as C++. When I read Barjarn Stroustrup say he was careful not to patent or trademark anything to do with C++, this appealed to me greatly.
I think it seriously reduces the chances of success for a standard if an individual or an organization owns the standard and reserves the right to file a lawsuit against anyone who uses the standard not to their liking.
For a developer to invest time and/or money in supporting a standard they are likely to want the assurance that they are free to innovate if the standard does not meet their needs.

Seamless3d keeps getting updated so isn't this a problem if I learn how to use it and you keep changing things?



The Seamless3d design has stabilised over the years. Most new changes are limited to new features and bug fixes rather than changes to how the program must now be used so there should be very little if any pain when upgrading to a new version. I strongly recommend keeping up to date because this way new changes wont come as a big surprise and the tutorials as they get updated will be kept relevant.

Can I open wrl files and edit them in Seamless3d?

Yes you can open wrl files the same way you open smls files. Seamless's scene tree window allows the user to edit VRML files with much the same level of control one can expect from a text editor but with much greater ease because opening and closing brackets are taken care of automatically and Seamless wont let the user insert a node to a location that is illegal. I have found most wrl files generated by 3d studio max and spazz3d/flux/vivaty studio open straight into seamless without a problem. Hand edited files are less likely to open because they are more complex and tend to contain bugs but this can be done if one knows how to work with Seamless. Seamless3d should be able to open any VRML97 node and ROUTEs but this does not mean all standard nodes will have functionality in the 3d window but it does mean they can be edited. The main problem facing Seamless being used in place of a text editor is it cant yet deal with External Protos and there are other issues in regard to all types of Protos and Inline nodes that need to be addressed. Plus Seamless is more likely to crash on you than a simple text editor but depending on the task and how well you know seamless, seamless can speed up VRML/X3D editing considerably.

Where can I download the source code for Seamless3d?

The source code for the Seamless3d is available here.

If I create something with Seamless3d do I (the artist) own the copyright to it or do you (the developer of Seamless3d) own it?

You the artist ownes the copyright to any art work you create with Seamless3d.

Should I first learn html or some other kind of computer language before I attempt to learn Seamless3d?

Although knowing another language may help it is not necessary to learn some other language in order to learn Seamless3d. I recommend that if it is 3d that most interests you then learn Seamless3d first.

Should I learn how to paint and draw 2d images before I create 3d art?

Although 3d art ends up being a 2d bitmap on your computer screen and if you can draw or paint well you will probably find it relatively easy to create 3d art, many of the issues and techniques a 2d painter has to deal with are irrelevant to the 3d artist. It makes little sense to first master being a 2d artist if being a 3d artist has greater priority.

Will you debug the things I make when they dont work?

I will always want to help others understand seamless3d but I will not do anyone's work for them that is too advanced for them. Always take small enough steps when something is new so that you don't get to far out of your depth. Remember that anger is over rated as a problem solver in the movies and that it pays to be patient with computers in order to get any where with them. Anger may help us deal with a savage beast that wants to eat us but when was the last time anger ever helped you solve any problem with a computer? If you are trying to solve a problem while feeling frustrated you know you are doing it the wrong way and that the solution is to stop and relax. When I seem to be getting no where I find it helps to take a break for a while to get a fresh mind on the problem. I don't know how many times I have found stubborn bugs right away after a meal. It is way to time consuming for me to look for bugs in lengthy examples written by others. So when you have a bug that you are stuck on that must be solved, simplify your code to the absolute bare essentials so that you have a simple example that has your bug isolated to just a few lines of code. If after doing this the bug still does not reveal it self send this example to the seamless3d forum with a precise explanation of what the example is so that someone can help.

Can I send you an email?

All emails specific to Seamless3d are welcome but if possible please help seamless grow by sending your posts to the forum so that your questions and answers may in turn help others and encourage others to post questions and bug reports.

How can I join the Seamless3d forum?

You no longer need to register an account to post a message on the Seamless3d forum you can even remain anymounis if they wish. The Seamless3d forum avatars use gravatar so if you already have a gravatar account you only need to specify your email address when you post which will be kept hidden from the public.

If Seamless3d crashes is there any way I can retrieve my lost content?

Yes. Go to the folder:

My Documents\Seamless3d\Application Data For Seamless3d\Recover
In here there will be all the smls files that get backed up after each command.

Can I suggest a feature for you to add to seamless3d?

Sure but please understand the design of Seamless3d is my prerogative, think of it as my work of art. I much appreciate feedback but I am generally not interested in anyone's critical view if they have not taken the time to learn what seamless is about. I do not find any motivation from writing an application that is trying to mimic some other application that you may love but can not afford, that is not why I am developing Seamless3d. Everyone has their own view on what is important but no one likes a bloated application that tries to please everyone. I have many ideas of my own that I want to see fulfilled and my time is limited.

Anyone is free to use the Seamless3d source code and fork it to take a different path if they wish.

I have run Seamless3d on my computer so will you run this native exe I have written and take a look at it?

Sorry but No reputable supplier of software will do this. Because my computer is the supplier of Seamless3d It would be most irresponsible for me to run a native exe program from a friend's computer via the net. 100s could get infected this way. For me to assume that it is safe because you have told me you have checked your program with a virus checker is not sound policy. Virus checkers can only find registered viruses. It is too easy for a computer to be infected without the owner realising it. So please don't take this personally or think I am suspicious of your intentions, it is just standard policy and common sense.

I love what you are doing. Will You collaborate with us on our great project that is going to revolutionise 3d in an awesome way?

Sorry because I am committed to the development of seamless3d and because I have many of my own exciting projects that have been left unfulfilled for over a decade I can not afford the time that would be needed to commit my self to anyone else's project. If you only want some help with your project or just want to inform others of it, instead of emailing me please post to the Seamless3d forum where it will be welcome.

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