Sketchfab now counts over 150,000 3D images uploaded to its site. Its popularity has grown since raising $2 Million last December, after which they announced integration with Adobe Photoshop (Sculpteo also recently announced similar integration), and have been quick at integrating with hardware as they get announced.
Their Kickstarter integration has allowed campaigns to render a 3D image of their prototype that users can look at, spin around, and, starting today, those 3D Images are getting annotations. Annotations allow uploaders to add context to their image – explanations about functionalities, tips, etc.
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One of Kickstarter’s most recent French succeses, the Hexo+ drone, is among the first users of Sketchfab’s annotations feature. As you can see above, the annotations are interactive within the 3D model, and allow Hexo+ to not only show off its product, but include feature listings and benefits directly inside the image, meaning that wherever this model gets embedded (like on our site) Hexo+ is guaranteed to convey their message.
Annotations are certainly in – (Rap) Genius recently raised $40 Million for its “annotations platform,” a move that led investor and prolific technologist Ben Horowitz to call the company a platform for “the explanation of everything.”
Sketchfab’s goal from day one has been simple – do for 3D Images what YouTube did for Video, what Soundcloud did for sound – and their ability to add features like this are akin to YouTube’s subtitling features that made it a complete solution for the end-user’s 3D needs.