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Model

Reads and draws a variety of 3D model formats such as OBJ and Collada (see complete list under notes)

Only tesselated polygons are drawn and surfaces that are not tesselated are converted before drawing

the model node is primarily used for drawing models, while its sister-node Canvas should be used for virtual projections.

Model Node

Model vs Canvas

SPARCK provides two nodes for displaying 3D geometry:

Model Canvas
Full-featured with materials, lighting, shadows Optimized for projection mapping
Use for scene decoration & visualization Use for projection surfaces
Works with Material & Light nodes Works with SpatialShadery & TextureProjectory
Shadow casting & receiving No lighting/shadow support
No texture baking Built-in texture baking

Rule of thumb: Use Model for objects that need realistic rendering (room models, props, calibration references), Use Canvas for models that represent surfaces you project onto.

Reference

The following properties can be configured for this node:

Property Type Description
file drag n' drop select the model file to draw. the file needs to be located inside the ~/_assets/_model folder. you can also drag'n drop file, which will be copied into the _model folder and autmatically selected.
parent - parent transformation node
RenderGroup - set the render group. Capture/Beamer/3DViewer have an equivalent in which you can choose which group to render.
position (local transformation) position x y z
rotation (local transformation) rotation x y z
scale (local transformation) scale x y z
normalize - normalizes the model
shader - link to Shader Node
material - link to Material Node
defaut texture - default texture
texture map - generates texture map
materialmode - choose material mode
autmaterial - can improove rendering result
color - object color
diffuse - diffuse color
specular - specular color
ambient - ambient color
emission - emission color
lighting - lets the model react to light sources
shadowcaster - lets the model cast shadows
depth - depth buffering
layer - depth layer (works best with depth-buffering off)
smooth - smooth rendering
angle - edge angle for smooth rendering
blend - enables blendmode
blendmode - choose blendmode:
  • alphablend
  • add
  • multiply
  • screen
  • exclusion
  • colorblend
  • coloradd
  • alphaadd
    		•
    displaylist - enables displaylist - can speed up drawing
    cachemode - choose cachemode:
  • vertexarray
  • displaylist
  • vertexbuffer
  • immediate
    		•
    cullface - choose cullface:
  • 0=Off
  • 1=Back
  • 2=Front
    		•
    drawgroup - if the model has drawgroups, choose.
    polymode draw..
  • polygons - only faces
  • lines - only lines
  • points - only vertices
    		•
    antialias - use antialias
    axes - show axes of the models origin
    nodeaxes - if modesl has nodes, show axes of the nodes
    matrixouput - ouputs the faces as a jitter matrix on the dumpout outlet
    fileWatch - watches the model file. when it changes, it will be autmatically reloaded
    publish transformation - publishes this mode transformation as a transformation node
    Inlet Type Description
    properties properties properties | use message [set <propertyPath> <value(s)>] (without node/<nodeName> at the beginning) to set internal properties
    main texture main texture
    Outlet Type Description

    Common Use Cases

    Room Visualization

    A common use for the Model node is displaying a simplified 3D model of your physical space in the 3DViewer:

    1. Create an accurate 3D model of your room/venue in external software
    2. Export as OBJ (preferred) and place in ~/_assets/_model/
    3. Set RenderGroup to show only in 3DViewer (not in Beamer outputs)
    4. This helps visualize projector positions, floor planes, and tracked objects in context

    Keep polygon count reasonable for good performance — the model is for reference, not projection.

    Lighting and Shadows

    Realistic Rendering Setup

    To enable realistic lighting on your Model:

    1. Enable lighting on the Model node
    2. Add one or more Light nodes to your scene
    3. Connect a Material node for advanced surface properties

    For shadows:

    1. Enable shadowcaster on the Model node
    2. Enable shadows on the Light node
    3. Configure shadow quality on the Light (lo/med/hi)
    4. Set appropriate shadowrange for your scene scale

    Performance Considerations

    The actual appearance of 3D objects is a combination of the material properties and the light colors in the scene. Multiple lights can be added up to a graphics card-specific maximum.

    For complex scenes, consider:

    • Using displaylist or vertexbuffer cachemode for faster rendering
    • Reducing polygon count in source models
    • Limiting shadow-casting lights

    Important Notes

    Supported File Types

    List of supported file types: - Wavefront Object Model File - .obj is the prefered file format. SPARCK likes it. - 3D GameStudio Model File - .mdl - 3ds Max 3DS Model File - .3ds - 3ds Max ASE Model File - .ase - 3D GameStudio Terrain File - .hmp - AC3D Model File - .ac - AutoCAD DXF Model File - .dxf - Biovision BVH Motion Capture File - .bvh - BlitzBasic 3D Model File - .b3d - CharacterStudio Motion Capture File - .csm - Collada Model File - .dae - Direct X Model File - .x - Doom 3 Model File - .md5 - Irrlicht Mesh File - .irrmesh - Irrlicht Scene File - .irr - Izware Nendo Model File - .ndo - LightWave Model File - .lwo - Milkshape 3D Model File - .ms3d - Modo Model File - .lxo - Neutral File Format File - .nff - Object File Format File - .off - Ogre3D XML Model File - .mesh.xml - PovRAY Raw Model File - .raw - Quake I Mesh File - .mdl - Quake II Mesh File - .md2 - Quake III Mesh File - .md3 - Quake III BSP File - .pk3 - Quick3D Q3D Model File - .q3d - Quick3D Q3S Model File - .q3s - Return to Castle Wolfenstein Model File - .mdc - Sense8 WorldToolKit File - .nff - Stanford Polygon Library Model File - .ply - Stereolithography Model File - .stl - Terragen Terrain File - .ter - TrueSpace COB Model File - .cob - TrueSpace SCB Model File - .scb - Valve SMD Model File - .smd - Valve VTA Model File - .vta

    File Locations

    ~/_assets/_model/          # 3D model files (.obj preferred)
~/_assets/_model/_calib/   # Calibration models for Beamer calibration

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    Last updated: 2025-12-01 | Edit this page on GitHub