"Save and compress" intended usage - just for webserving?
Hi
I am new to this software but I like it so much. One thing I like a lot is the possibility of viewing the model as a webpage.
That said, I am a bit lost with the different options for this.
There is a "Export to html5" plugin, and there is also a "Sweet Home 3D JS Viewer" which we can use to show .sh3d files in a webserver.
1) What are their pros and cons? Is one option preferrable to the other? Which one is better choice (easier to launch without problems) if I want to send my home model to someone with very limited computer skills?
2) For JS viewer, the README.TXT says us to use "File > Save and compress" menu item to limit SH3D file size. This looks reasonable, to reduce download times.
But, other than that, is there any advantage/disadvantage in compressing our SH3D files? What is the impact of using "Save" vs "Save and compress" in the day to day work with our plans? Why files are not being compressed by default when we save? Is compressed version slower because it has to be unzipped?
France
Joined: Nov 7, 2005
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Re: "Save and compress" intended usage - just for webserving?
Actually, a SH3D file is a ZIP file which can be compressed more or less without losing data like any ZIP file (it's not the same as a JPEG image where the more you compress a file the more you lose some details). As compressing takes much more time than not compressing, the default Save operation creates an uncompressed SH3D file whereas the Save and compress menu item creates a highly compressed SH3D file. At the opposite, I don't feel like a compressed SH3D file is really slower to reopen.
The Export to HTML5 plug-in was born before Sweet Home 3D JS Viewer. The first versions of the plug-in transformed SH3D files to view them in a browser, but now they both use the same file SH3D format (in Sweet Home 3D 5.5, SH3D files evolved with a new Home.xml entry for this purpose). Nevertheless, the plug-in performs a few additional operations in the goal of reducing the home file: - it always generates a compressed home file, - it reduces the texture images used in your home to 256x256 pix images when larger (and sky textures to 1024x1024 pix max) - it produces a Home.xml entry without unneeded information for the 3D view - it doesn't save furniture icons and background images. - it produces a HTML file configured for the saved home.
The good thing with Sweet Home 3D JS Viewer is that you handle only one file for your home. On the contrary, the plug-in produces a smaller form of your home file containing less data. As some smartphones / tablets refuse to view home files larger than 10 MB, you may prefer this plug-in solution if you want to handle home files as small as possible. In all cases, the JavaScript files are the same in both solutions.
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Emmanuel Puybaret, Sweet Home 3D developer
