Mesh Export API

Visualize iModels across platforms

---

The Mesh Export API enables direct streaming of iModels into major visualization platforms including Cesium.js, Three.js, Unity, and Unreal Engine. Utilizing the OGC 3D Tiles format this API enhances performance for large scale 3D modeling, while facilitating dynamic cloud streaming. It supports versatile visualization across VR, web, desktop, and mobile, making it ideal for detailed, high-quality 3D projects in engineering, mapping, and more.

Features

---

• Generate 3D Tiles from the latest or any specific version of the iModel for dynamic visualization.
• Ensure fast, direct streaming across the globe by leveraging a Content Distribution Network (CDN), enhancing accessibility and performance.
• Seamless integration with Cesium's visualization tools, which are optimized for rendering OGC 3D Tiles across various platforms.
• Apply filters to the list of generated tilesets to refine scope and details, enhancing dataset management and selection.

OGC 3D Tiles

---

OGC 3D Tiles is an open specification initially developed by Cesium and later adopted by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). This format is specifically designed for the efficient streaming and rendering of large-scale 3D geospatial datasets, including buildings, terrain, and point clouds. It offers optimal performance for 3D visualization by using features like hierarchical levels of detail (HLOD) and spatial data structures. Learn more about the specification on the OGC 3D Tiles page.

iTwin Viewer integration

---

The iTwin Viewer now integrates the Mesh Export API service by default, providing an enhanced user experience with significantly faster loading times. This integration allows for the efficient streaming and visualization of iModels, resulting in loading times that are up to 20 times faster than previous technologies. By leveraging the Mesh Export service, the iTwin Viewer ensures that users can quickly and seamlessly interact with complex 3D models, improving overall performance and usability.

Cesium.js integration

---

The integration of the Mesh Export API with Cesium.js allows you to visualize iModels in Cesium.js easily by leveraging Cesium's powerful 3D visualization tools.

For a practical example, refer to the iModel Mesh Export Service - Cesium Sandcastle.

iTwin Unreal SDK

---

The iTwin for Unreal plugin leverages the Mesh Export API and the Reality Data API to stream iModels and reality data from the iTwin cloud into Unreal Engine for high-fidelity visualization and consumption. The plugin and its built-in blueprint API allows Unreal Engine developers to create custom applications which can expand upon the capabilities provided by the plugin out of the box.

For more information and to get started with the iTwin for Unreal plugin, visit the iTwin Unreal Plugin GitHub repository.

Unity and Omniverse integrations

---

The Mesh Export API can be leveraged in Unity and Omniverse through the use of Cesium plugins for these platforms. To achieve these integrations, developers can obtain the URLs where the tiles are stored from the Mesh Export API, and connect them with the Cesium plugins. The Cesium plugins will then automatically load the tiles, enabling efficient streaming and visualization of iModels within these platforms.

For more information, you can refer to the following resources:

• Cesium for Unity
• Cesium for Omniverse

Samples

---

Coming soon.