Active for over a decade, SketchFab is a platform for distributing 3D models. When describing it to others I often find myself calling it “YouTube for 3D models”, because the interface and functionality are very similar.
Like YouTube, SketchFab allows creators to distribute work and consumers to access it. There are two tiers at both ends of the distribution chain; with free and paid options. Users who upload can use a free version, with limits on features. A subscription unlocks those features and enables creators to upload more often, access 3D editing features and, crucially, charge consumers to download their work. Consumers can access free models, but access to more sophisticated content often comes with a charge. As the fees are set by creators rather than the platform, they can sometimes be very high (mostly reflecting the quality of content uploaded by creators to SketchFab).
Any model uploaded to SketchFab can be viewed in the app, on the web and – crucially – in VR.
SketchFab is not unique as a repository for 3D models (3D Warehouse, the sibling of SketchUp, is another example) – but it is the clear leader at a consumer level in terms of quality and range of content. There are dedicated 3D model repositories for game assets too (ArtStation, the Unity Asset store, Unreal Engine Marketplace, TurboSquid) – but SketchFab’s remit is more general.
However, SketchFab was acquired by Epic Games in 2021 and, in 2023, it was announced that the platform would be merged into a central “game asset” store alongside Unreal Engine Marketplace and ArtStation. The new tool has not yet been launched (and I will review and reflect on it separately) though the current statements about the merger suggest that SketchFab will be shut down and replaced by “fab.com” and some of the functionality we discuss here may disappear.
Feelings
That SketchFab already exists and is, apparently, little known in the mainstream is testimony to the fact that VR has yet to really “take off”. Until consumers can make VR as easily as shoot video on their phones, I will continue to feel that. It’s current use is predominantly as a tool for game assets.
However, SketchFab is a mature platform – over a decade old – with access to a lot of content and rights systems to support it. Any platform that builds on it has a lot of potential. One fear is that in cornering a part of the market, Epic Games and Unreal will close down functionality that makes it interoperable with other platforms. At the moment a major selling point of SketchFab is that models can not only uploaded in just about any existing 3D object format, but converted to any of those formats too.
Also, tools like Polycam currently have direct connectivity to SketchFab. I worry that Epic will fence off connectivity and only continue to support their own tools (Unreal, Reality Capture) taking choice away from creators. There are even concerns about access, and where assets will be available. If the store becomes part of Epic game’s Unreal Engine, that will even restrict which tools creators can choose to author.
Evaluation
There’s little that’s “bad” to report about the experience of using SketchFab. As a creator, it is easy to upload models to the platform either using the web interface, via a dedicated app or from other apps (PolyCam, for example). While models upload, creators are able to fill in details about the model and, once complete, edit elements of the model view. I have used it predominantly to upload photogrammetric captures of objects.
One issue is that SketchFab treats the whole SketchUp environment as a model, which can make it difficult to set a starting view. For example, in our creation of a room in SketchUp, our imported space was very small in SketchFab and setting an in initial viewpoint was difficult as I was unable to change dimensions in SketchFab or “crop” into the model. This may have been user error (and a problem with SketchUp, rather than SketchFab).
One useful feature of SketchFab allows us to set multiple fixed camera angles on a model, and individually annotate each angle. Each annotation appears as a overlaid card that users can switch between sequentially. As all models can be viewed in VR, this enables us to easily create immersive infographics with 3D models, whether they have been built in a modelling tool (such as SketchUp) or captured photogrammetrically
As a user, SketchFab enables us to find models that can be used in projects. For example, in the Abbey Road Studio 2 prototype, I used SketchFab to find instruments, furniture and rugs to dress the space with. Again, this is valuable in a rapid prototyping workflow. SketchFab allows users to filter between free, creative commons licensed and paid models too.
Evaluation
The forthcoming merger of SketchFab with other game asset tools points towards a potential “boom” time for asset makers; assets being 3D models that can be used in games and VR. And as YouTube enabled individuals to monetise and make a living from creating video content, a merged version of SketchFab (with others) may do the same for 3D game assets and VR experiences.
I have been using SketchFab at both sides of the “pipeline”, as a creator and consumer and anticipate continuing to do so with the next iteration – “Fab”. It is a highly useful tool for creating a repository of models, arranged by collection, and building annotated 3D infographics.
Conclusions
This is ultimately the direction that VR journalism will/must take; a type of rapid construction that relies on existing assets, allowing creators to pull together stories with prefabricated parts (both in terms of 3D modelling and interactivity).