1. Introduction
What is RapidCompact ?
RapidCompact is the fastest and most efficient optimization platform for 3D models worldwide. Over 1 million 3D models have been optimized with RapidCompact already, with thousands more adding to that every day. With RapidCompact, anyone from individual artists to large enterprises, can automatically optimize and convert complex 3D models to lightweight interactive models for use on websites, blogs, e-commerce stores, videogames, augmented reality, virtual reality and much more. The browser based Web Cloud Portal allows simple and easy use, while the REST API offers the option to automatically process large numbers of 3D models by using RapidCompact's various API endpoints programmatically (for the latter please view the Developer Documentation).
The powerful RapidCompact core software, running in the cloud backend, not only optimizes geometry data but also PBR materials, scene nodes and additional 3D data (no animation support at the moment). Using the RapidCompact (patent pending) MB Target option you can even reduce 3D models intelligently towards a specific target file size.
More about RapidCompact and the guidelines for best practice on the preparation of the input 3D model data can be found in the RapidCompact Asset Guidelines.
Schematic view of how RapidCompact transforms a source model to various target platforms.
3´20 min Video - RapidCompact Quickstart
2. The RapidCompact Cloud Portal
The RapidCompact Cloud Platform (app.rapidcompact.com) is an interactive browser-based Web Interface where you can upload, manage, optimize, download and share 3D models.
HEADER & MAIN NAVIGATION
HELP MENU (LEFT)
The help menu right next to the RapidCompact Logo includes various options for finding help. The first is a 3 min. quickstart tutorial video that shows the basics to get you up and running fast. Furthermore the help menu contains a link to further tutorials on youtube, this documentation, the public online forum, an option to submit a support ticket and the about screen that shows information on the latest RapidCompact version and a link to its change log.
ACCOUNT SETTINGS (RIGHT)
The account settings can be found on the right side by clicking on the grey round icon with the initial letters from your account name. The account settings include your profile settings and subscription plan, information about the available online storage in your plan, your available rapid points, statistics on your rapidpoints usage, api tokens and web hooks (explained in the developer documentation).
MAIN NAVIGATION (MIDDLE)
The main navigation has four sections:
- Upload Models - Upload source 3D models with drag and drop or a file selection dialog
- Source Models - Manage source models, resize, apply and edit presets and start optimizations
- Optimized Models - Review and manage optimized models and create 3D viewer embeds for websites
- Published Models - Embed & share optimized 3D models with a customizable 3D Web Viewer
01 - UPLOAD MODELS
ADDING FILES
In the uploads section you can upload one or multiple 3D model files at once using the drag and drop area or the select files dialog. You first have to add files and then click the ´Upload´ button on the bottom right to start the uploading process. Please do NOT close the page while uploading, otherwise your uploads might be incomplete.
REMOVING FILES
You can either remove all files with the ´Remove all´ button on the bottom of the page or remove individual files with the ´X´ icon on the left of each file before the upload has started. When the upload has started you cannot remove individual files anymore, you can just cancel the entire upload process.
RENAMING FILES
Before starting the upload you can rename each file using the edit name icon on each item, next to the filename. These name changes won´t change the names of the files themselves, but the names which will be used on the RapidCompact cloud interface to manage the 3D models.
1´18 min Video - How to upload 3D models to RapidCompact:
02 - SOURCE MODELS & OPTIMIZATION
The Source Models section is where you can manage 3D models, select and edit presets and start optimizations.
SOURCE MODELS LIST
The source models list includes all uploaded source models with thumbnails, names, tags, model IDs, file size, polygon count, status and actions. Each item can be opened with a click to view detailed information on the model, its textures, size and downloadable files.
0´46 min Video - How to manage source models:
TAGS
Tags are a powerful system to label and manage models. Some tags are added automatically (e.g. ´high poly´) during upload and import, others can be added manually. Tags can be searched through the search bar by typing a tag or by clicking on the tag itself.
ID, FILE SIZE and POLYGONS
Each item in the list shows a small rendered thumbnail, the model name and information on MODEL ID, FILE SIZE and POLYGON COUNT.
STATUS & ACTIONS
The status column shows information when models are being optimized and processed. A progress bar appears when a model is being processed and a label with the preset name appears when a model has finished processing. The checkmark icon on the right side defines the selection of source models either for optimization or for deletion.
DETAILS VIEW
Each model item contains further detailed information which can be viewed by clicking on the item itself. The detailed view shows information on the geometry, materials and textures of a model, a larger preview rendering, a rescale area that allows scale adjustments and the downloadable source and optimized files (if processed).
DETAILED SOURCE MODEL INFORMATION
The left side displays detailed information on the source model itself, including filename, format, file size, upload date, tags and a box with details on geometry, textures, materials and other related 3D model attributes.
ERRORS & WARNING
Below the source model information you´ll find two rollouts, one for ERRORS and another one for WARNINGS. Each sections displays more detailed information if a model caused problems during upload and import (into RapidCompact). This information should be included if you´re submitting a support tickets and want to refer to the model, as it will help us to provide better and faster support.
RESIZING
In some cases a source model might be sized incorrectly. For such cases you can easily resize a model by adjusting the size value on the top right size. The icon next to the bounding box should help to more easily understand if a source model is far off size (e.g. 100 times too big or small).
OPTIMIZED FILES
Below the resizing area the optimized files will appear. This rollout only contains optimized models and will be empty if you haven´t optimized anything yet. Once the source model has been optimized, the processed models will appear here. You can click on an optimized model and will be redirected to the 3D viewer of that model to review it or create a 3D web viewer embed.
DOWNLOAD SOURCE FILES
The rollout below contains the source models that you have uploaded in their original state. This way you can manage your models and keep them in one place, download files whenever and wherever you are.
OPTIMIZATION SETTINGS & PRESETS
The OPTIMIZATION SETTINGS area on the right side allows selection, viewing and editing of parameters used for optimization. The top section includes three tabs: APPLICATION, DEVICE and CUSTOM, each with their own presets. Application and Device include fixed factory presets, created by us, while the Custom tab includes editable presets created by yourself.
All factory presets are fine tuned settings towards the requirements of specific target platforms, devices or software eco-systems.
APPLICATION PRESETS
Application presets are made for specific target software applications, based on their respective technical requirements:
- Apple Reality Composer
- Facebook SparkAR
- Snap Inc. Lens Studio
- Adobe Aero
- Microsoft Office 3D
- Microsoft HoloLens
- Game Engine
- Metaverse Platform
DEVICE PRESETS
Device presets are tailored for specific hardware devices, based on their respective technical requirements:
3D Commerce Publishing Target Presets:
- Single-Item Mobile AR/3D Web Catalogue View
- Banner AD View
- Web-based Planning Tool
- Single-Item Desktop 3D Web View
CUSTOM PRESETS
The custom presets tab is empty by default, but you can add your own presets here. As a free user you can add 1 custom preset while as a professional plan user you can add up to 10 custom editable presets.
Editing and creating presets is explained further below in the PRESET EDITOR section.
1´16 min Video - How to assign and to create custom presets:
HOW TO START OPTIMIZATIONS
If you have selected a preset, the level (high, mid, low) and one or more models from the list, the OPTIMIZE SELECTED MODELS button will appear active. If no model is selected from the list, the button will be inactive.
Click on the OPTIMIZE SELECTED MODELS button to start the optimization process.
Once clicked, the models will be added to the processing queue and the status bar on the top right will show the progress, which model is currently being processed and what percentage of the total processing queue has been finished.
You can add new combinations of models and presets any time and they will be added to the queue.
Custom Preset Editor
The custom preset editor offers you the possibility to dive deep into the core optimization features, view detailed factory preset settings and create your own custom presets that fit to your specific needs and requirements.
The preset editor can be opened with the EDIT SETTINGS button on custom presets and the VIEW ALL SETTINGS button on factory presets. From within factory presets you can create a copy of a preset and save it as your own custom preset for further editing and adjustment.
The editor is divided into four main parts: LIMITS, GEOMETRY, MATERIALS & TEXTURES and OUTPUT.
PRESET NAME & DESCRIPTION
In the top area the preset name and description can be changed. The description will appear in the info section on the main preset area below the high, mid, low buttons.
OPTIMIZATION LIMITS & SMART TARGETS
In the Limits section your can dial in either "Face Target" (ammount or percentage of polygons, pixels) or use a MB Limit and let the software decide the face and texture resolution based on the given file size limit. The target "Texture Size" can also be specified for each texture channel (PBR Material).
Alternatively both limits can be set together resulting in meeting the requirements of the setting which imposes a stricter limit to the output (example: if 1000 faces and 1MB are set, the output might be smaller than 1MB but satisfies the 1000 face requirement).
In addition you can also use the new "Smart Targets" and define the output screen space resolution of the model. As this process tries to give the most accurate deviation to the input model in relation to the target amount of pixels (visual quality driven metric), it is recommended to limit the output file size using the MB target and/or limit the output polygon count and texture size using the "Face Count" and "Texture Size" options respectively.
GEOMETRY
ASSET SIMPLIFICATION MODE
Independently of the LIMITS we can continue with the Asset Simplification Settings. The first choice here is between 5 differend Simplifiction Modes (These modes are based on API equivalents) :
| Mode | API equivalent | Description |
| Atlas Baking | "rebake" | Aggregates all UVs and creates a unified layout, bakes all information to new UVs. |
| Preserve Tiling | "preserveTiling" | Preserves input's tiled UVs and textures. Non-tiling UVs will be aggregated and baked as in "Atlas Baking" mode. If ao is enabled will be baked into a new 2nd UV set. |
| Preserve Mesh & Material Nodes | "rebakepreserveNodes" | Preserves all mesh and material nodes. Aggregates all UVs per material and bakes information to these new UVs. Can lead to a high number of output texture maps and draw calls! |
| Preserve UVs | "preserveUVsAndNodes" | Preserves all mesh, material nodes and all input UVs. Process might stop and deliver slightly higher mesh resolution if face or vertices target is very low. |
| Drop Textures to Material Colors | "dropTextures" | Averages the color of input texture maps and converts to material colors. Avoids baking and textures. Results in very low file size, but might produce more draw calls than "Atlas Baking". |
Depending on the chosen mode the optimization outcome can be quite different in terms of visual fidelity but also in terms of performance; here is a chart illustrating the different modes and their (dis)advantages:
As you can see the default Atlas Baking delivers average visual quality output and quite good performance optimization. If your input content comes with a limited amount of meshes and materials (draw calls) and already has optimized UV layouts and textures, we would recommend the Preserve UVs mode as it preserves the visual fidelity and otherwise only improves performance by reducing polycount and/or texture resolution.
FURTHER TOPOLOGY SETTINGS
- Topology Settings (Mesh Decimation Settings)
- UV & Atlas Settings
By default the settings are optimized for a average to good quality in terms of mesh, UV and texture optimization and focussed on fast computation performance. In the following an overview over the settings and possible consequences:
| Setting | Min/Max value | Consequences |
| Polygon Distribution Method | 0 / 1 (Adaptive vs Equalized) | Adaptive gives the best polygon distribution (less on flat angles, higher on details & more organic shapes surfaces) |
| Vertex Merging Distance | 0 - 0.1 (Range) | Vertex Collapses during Decimation. If you not know what this is, we recommend default value. |
| Boundary Preservation | 0-1 (Range) | Preservation of Mesh Boundaries. If you not know what this is, we recommend the default value. |
MATERIALS & TEXTURES
| Setting | Min/Max value | Consequences |
| Baking Quality | 1-3 (Medium vs Low vs High) | The higher the more baking passes, thus the better the quality but the longer the computation. |
| Bake Normal Map | On / Off | Bakes normal map from input geometry + input normal maps if existing. Improves lowpoly mesh surface appearance. |
| Bake AO Map | On / Off | Bakes ambient occlusion maps. This improves visual fidelity, but increases computation time. If used with "Preserve Tiling" mode, 2nd UV set will be utilized |
| UV Creation Method | 0 - 1 (Hard Surface vs Organic) | Different Auto-UV layout methods. The Organic variant might take a lot longer to compute and results in less charts. Not recommended for any hard surface assets such as furniture. |
OUTPUT, EXPORT & COMPRESSION SETTINGS
The last section covers mesh & texture output formats as well as mesh and texture compression methods. The mesh compression method (draco, dracoLossy) is only available for glTF/GLB and the texture compression can be chosen in the texture formats drop down.
For supported 3D Output formats & compression methods please refer to our Asset Guidlines.
03 - OPTIMIZED MODELS & 3D VIEWER
The Optimized Models section is where you can manage and download your optimized 3D models and create custom 3D web viewers for embedding to websites and e-commerce stores.
DOWNLOADING OPTIMIZED MODELS
All optimized models are available for download through the download icon on each model.
1´06 min Video - How to manage and inspect optimized models
RapidCompact even has a built-in 3D viewer system that makes embedding your 3D models into website simple and easy. To open the 3D viewer, just click on one of the 3D model items in the gallery.
CUSTOMIZING 3D VIEWERS FOR WEBSITE EMBEDS
First you will see information on the optimized model, but if you click on the right upper button ´SHOW EMBED SETTINGS´ you will be able to adjust many settings to customize the display of your interactive model.
The customization settings include:
- HDRI, Lighting
- Shadows
- Camera setup
- Logos
- Augmented Reality
CREATING EMBEDS AND PUBLISHING 3D MODELS
Embedding a customized viewer is simple with an iframe. To publish your viewer click on the upper right corner </> icon, give the viewer a name and click ´Create Embed´.
2´25 min Video - How to create custom 3D viewers for embedding in websites
04 - PUBLISHED MODELS
All published 3D viewers (embeds) will appear in the Published Models section. Here you can copy their respective urls, share links, view iframe codes and statistics on how often 3D models have been viewed on your website or wherever you published the models with the viewer.
If you feel that we haven´t covered topics that you would like to see, please let us know by submitting a support ticket.
Thank you!