We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new Human Viewer experience. We have listened to your valuable feedback, conducted extensive user testing, and made significant improvements to enhance the discoverability and usability of key tools and deliver an unparalleled user experience for all learners.
Read about the updates below.
Streamlined chapter navigation
We have introduced a new chapter navigation menu that unites the “next” and “previous” chapter arrows, the chapter title, and the progress indicator (e.g., 1 of 3). This menu has been strategically placed in the upper-left corner of the Viewer1 to ensure learners can easily 1) discover the next chapter and 2) identify where they currently are in a tour.
Depending on the size and aspect ratio of the Viewer on a given device, this menu may take one of two forms: column navigation or floating navigation.
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Column navigation. In this layout, the chapter navigation menu is found inside the new Chapters tab in the information panel. Here you will also find a revamped chapter list where learners can follow along with their progress through the tour. The column layout is used when the Viewer's width is greater than or equal to (≥) 960 pixels.
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Floating navigation. In this layout, the chapter navigation menu stands alone, and the chapter list is available as a drop-down under the chapter title. The floating layout is used when the Viewer's width is less than (<) 960 pixels.
Impacts on publishing
The floating chapter navigation menu has two important implications on your published models:
- Given that they are a key component of the new chapter navigation menu, chapter titles can no longer be disabled in tours. Even if you deselect Show Information Panel in your publishing settings, the chapter title will appear in the floating chapter navigation menu in order to effectively orient the learner to where they are in the tour.
- When the Viewer’s width falls below 960 pixels and floating navigation is activated, the information panel containing the chapter description and any additional chapter content (e.g., legend, images, video) collapses into an
button to the right of the chapter navigation menu. Selecting this button will expand the information panel at the bottom of the Viewer. To disable this button at smaller sizes, deselect Show Information Panel in your publishing settings.
Easier-to-access tools
Most of the tools in the Viewer, including those that were previously tucked away in the blue menu, have been relocated to make them easier to find and use.
Exploration toolbar
- Our primary exploration tools—Selection Tools, Layers, Anatomy Explorer, and Draw—are now one click away in a unified toolbar in the upper-left corner of the 3D scene.
Note: The "Explore" button has been renamed Selection Tools, and "Anatomy Tree" and "Search" have been consolidated into a single Anatomy Explorer button. - As secondary tools are introduced, these will collapse into the More Options menu, which can be accessed by clicking on the three dots at the bottom of the toolbar. The primary exploration tools listed above will also collapse into this menu when the Viewer height falls below 480 pixels to leave more space for the 3D model.
- When a model has been modified in the Viewer, the Undo/Redo/Reset buttons will now appear underneath the toolbar in the upper left to make them easier to access and reduce the need for visual scanning.
Quiz button
A standalone Take Quiz button next to the chapter navigation menu makes it much more obvious to the learner when a quiz is available2 in the current model.
3D navigation controls
Recenter 3D Model is now the only 3D navigation control available by default. Given that all of the other 3D controls—Change to Pan Mode, Zoom In, and Zoom Out—can be triggered by the mouse, keyboard shortcuts, or finger gestures, these have been consolidated into an expandable menu to reduce unnecessary clutter.
Fullscreen button
A dedicated Enter Fullscreen button in the lower-right corner allows learners to expand the Viewer into a fully immersive experience in one click. Not only does this give them more room to explore the 3D model, but it also provides the added benefits of the column navigation layout, including the new dedicated chapter list.
Media bar
The Viewer’s animation and audio controls have been consolidated into a free-floating media bar at the bottom of the 3D scene. The media bar is collapsed by default but can be expanded by clicking on the left-facing arrow next to the play button in the lower-right corner (see images below for reference).
Additional updates to the media bar include:
- A wider scrubber that offers more precise control, especially with short animations.
- The introduction of a timestamp that tells you how much time is left in the animation.
- A more intuitive design that resembles video players familiar to most learners.
Impacts on publishing
1. Toolbars
First, the Toolbars section of your publishing settings has been reorganized for consistency with updated placement of the tools in the Viewer itself:
- Fullscreen is now a standalone option
- Selection tools (previously “Explore tools”) is now listed under Menu
- “Anatomy Tree / Search” is now Anatomy explorer
2. Menu
If you had disabled the Menu option prior to this update, you will notice two changes in your published models:
- The Selection tools button is now hidden, when it was previously visible.
- The Enter Fullscreen button is now visible, when it was previously hidden.
If you take no action, the changes above will be preserved.
If you would prefer to revert back to the previous experience (i.e., re-enable Selection tools and disable Enter Fullscreen) you can either a) republish your model with these options selected and deselected, respectively, or b) follow the instructions below to update your model’s embed code or link:
- Locate the following string in the URL and remove it:
&ui-menu=false - Add the following strings to the end of the URL (with no spaces between them):
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&ui-tools=true(re-enables Selection Tools) -
&ui-fullscreen=false(disables Fullscreen) -
&ui-search=false(disables Anatomy Explorer) -
&ui-whiteboard=false(disables Draw) -
&ui-help=false(disables Help)
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A more informative 3D interaction prompt
Our new “summary” interaction prompt not only tells the learner that your model, tour, or quiz is three-dimensional and interactive, but it additionally displays its title. Offering the learner this additional context will prime them for the interactive 3D experience and help them understand the connection between the 3D content and their broader learning objectives.
There are three versions of the summary prompt, depending on the content type you are publishing:
- Model (single chapter). Displays the model title, followed by a button that says "Interact in 3D."
- Tour (multiple chapters). Displays the tour title and number of chapters, followed by a button that says "Begin Interactive Tour." See example below.
- Quiz3. Displays the quiz title, followed by a button that says "Take Quiz."
Impacts on publishing
To enable the summary prompt when you publish your model, open the Loading Experience section and select Show summary from the 3D Interaction Prompt drop-down menu.
To switch to the summary option in a previously published model, you can either a) republish your model with this option selected as noted above or b) follow the instructions below to update your URL:
- Locate one of the following strings in your published embed code or link:
&initial.button=true&initial.hand=true&initial.play=true&initial.none=true
- Replace the text between
initial.and=truewithsummary, so it now reads&initial.summary=true.
Tools fade out when embedded
When the Viewer is embedded into a webpage, select UI elements will now disappear from view under certain conditions to reduce the cognitive load on the learner.
The exploration tools in the upper left and the 3D navigation controls, fullscreen button, and media bar in the lower right will fade out and disappear when:
- The mouse cursor is inside the Viewer and has been inactive for over 3 seconds, unless the cursor is actively hovering over a toolbar or control.
- The mouse cursor leaves the Viewer.
The chapter navigation menu, Take Quiz button, and information button will not fade out at any time.
More content accessible from the label list
We have expanded the capacity of the label list in the information panel to include all of the additional content that labels can now contain—descriptions, images, videos, and video captions. When additional content is available for a given label, a drop-down arrow will appear to the right of the label title. Select the label and the content will appear in both the label list and the 3D model itself.
1With one exception: On mobile devices, the chapter navigation menu will appear at the bottom of the Viewer to make it easier for thumbs to reach.
2The "Take Quiz" button will still only appear in models that were saved as View & Quiz in Studio.
3To use the new "summary" interaction prompt, your quiz must either be a) saved as Quiz only in Studio or b) saved as View & Quiz and published in Assessment mode.