Which format should I choose when I publish my 3D model?

School and Business plans only^*

When you publish a 3D model from the BioDigital Human web app, the model gets packaged in what we call the Human Viewer, or simply the Viewer. The Viewer, which was built to let you load and interact with 3D models in a browser or an application (all without a login!), can be published in two formats:

1. An embed code/iframe
2. A standalone link/URL

When to publish an embed code

An inline frame, better known as an iframe, is used to display external content within a web page. The content inside an iframe can take many forms: an image, an advertisement, a video—or a 3D model from the BioDigital Human!

As a rule of thumb, if you would like your 3D model to be displayed within an existing webpage (in other words, above or below text and other media), select Copy Embed Code when you publish it. This will generate an iframe, which you can then paste into your webpage just like you would with a YouTube video.

When to publish a link

Because the Viewer is essentially small webpage, it can operate independently from other webpages or applications, and it therefore can be opened in your browser as a standalone link, or URL.

If you would like to direct learners directly to one of your 3D models and do not need it to be embedded into a webpage, select Copy Link when you publish it. This will generate a link that you can paste into a webpage, email, or document.

Tip: If you are providing a link to a 3D model instead of embedding it into a webpage, you may want to publish a 2D image of the model and then hyperlink the image to the 3D model. This is how we recommend integrating 3D models into PowerPoint, where iframes are not supported.

Learn More

For instructions on how to embed an iframe into common applications and learning management systems (LMS), see our collection of embedding how-tos in Integrating 3D Models.

^*Publishing models requires a School or Business plan. Learn more in What subscriptions do you offer?