# 3D - But I just want to look.



## Metryq (Jul 17, 2011)

Plastic model kits are great, but they take up a lot of room. Computer models, on the other hand, won't clutter your shelves. You're not artistic, or don't want to spend the time and money to learn a complicated 3D app just so you can look at some models? No worries, there are lots of free 3D models on the Web and free 3D apps for viewing them.

Google's *SketchUp* is probably the easiest solution. It is available for Mac and Windows, and the *Google 3D Warehouse* has almost every kind of model you can imagine—a large library of_ Battlestar Galactica_ ships, the Liberator from _Blake's 7_, the TARDIS inside and out,  Space Battleship Yamato, Thunderbirds, a Gunstar from _The Last Starfighter_—you name it. I've found many _Star Trek_ ship bridges, including one with multiple "scenes." (Scenes are camera preset positions, viewable by clicking the buttons across the top of the canvas.)

SketchUp models may not have the finest geometry, so you can try *TNGviewer*, another free 3D viewer for both Mac and Windows. TNGviewer reads many popular formats, including some "scenes." In this case, scenes are 3D models that may include some animation. (For example, a Lightwave object—LWO—is just a model, while a Lightwave scene—LWS—may have animation, and TNGviewer can display it.) Two caveats about TNGviewer:

TNGviewer may not be able to read all the texturing for a given model, so the geometry _may_ show up bright pink or other random colors.
The 3DS (3D Studio) model format seems to be a little quirky; exports into this format _may_ show up in a randomized, "exploded view" jumble. This is actually a problem with the 3DS format, and not TNGviewer.
There are many 3D model archives on the Web with free downloads. There are so many, in fact, that it is easiest to find them by Googling the name of the model you seek (e.g. "Space: 1999 Eagle 3D model"), although one might also search for "free 3D models," which will probably turn up more garbage. So I recommend looking for the specific model first, then expanding slowly to terms like "sci-fi 3D models" and so on.

I will briefly mention *Blender* because it is a free, multi-platform 3D app that will open many model formats. It has a scary interface, however, so unless you are interested in more than "just looking" at some 3D models, you may want to take a pass. As of this writing, the Blender interface is being completely re-written. Versions of the 2.5.x series have a limited import capacity. The older version 2.49 has a very long list of importers, which I assume will return when the re-write is finished.

Last but hardly least is *Celestia*, a "stellarium" app that allows the user to visit the planets and moons of our Solar system, or even other star systems—fictional, of course. The *Celestia Motherlode* has a library of many fictional ships, including a _Battlestar Galactica_ set with both Colonial and Cylon ships, the _Valley Forge_ from _Silent Running_, the _Lexx_, and even the "Bonestell" ships and space station imagined by Von Braun, Willy Ley, et al.

Have fun.


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## J Riff (Jul 17, 2011)

aw these progs make my ancient laptop shut down. What's wrong with 2D anyway?
The old ways are best. )


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## Metryq (Jul 18, 2011)

Sorry to hear it, JRiff. I guess you'll have to make do with the pre-rendered stuff over at *CoolVibe*.


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