Load a 3D Model in Silverlight 5 Beta

By

Aaron

– May 9, 2011Posted in: Microsoft, Silverlight, Technology

Silverlight 3D Model Importer Project

If you’re looking for a quick way to get a 3D model loaded using the Silverlight 5 Beta, check out the Silverlight 3D Model Importer project on CodePlex by Simon Ferquel. You can export content from an XNA GS4 project:

var interopModel = InteropModel.FromXnaModel(model); // and serializes it into a file using (var fs = File.Create("model.bin")) using (var writer = new BinaryWriter(fs)) { interopModel.Save(writer); }

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var interopModel = InteropModel.FromXnaModel(model);             // and serializes it into a file using (var fs = File.Create("model.bin")) using (var writer = new BinaryWriter(fs)) {   interopModel.Save(writer); }

Then import it back into Silverlight using InteropModel.FromBinaryReader(). Here are some examples:

An animated Tank

A bump mapped Lizard

Babylon Project

Related, David Catuhe has added OBJ format and updated model support to the Babylon Toolkit. He blogged about the toolkit updates here.

Tags: 3d, microsoft, model, silverlight

About Aaron

Aaron is the founder of Spicy Pixel and works in the technology industry on nifty projects that he likes to write about. The contents of this website represent personal opinion and not necessarily those of his employers or sponsors.

6 Comments

1. Log in to Reply

   Taz

   Posted May 11, 2011 at 2:35 PM

   Hi,

   Could you please let 3D newbies know what are the intended way to make a 3D Silverlight Game? Today we create 2D apps this way: draw graphics using Expression Blend/Design then we use code to animate the XAML elements by playing with Canvas.Left and Canvas.Top and the built-in animations, transformations.. etc, what are the equivalents to make 3D stuff?

   Please write a tutorial about drawing the models, importing them to Silverlight, animate them, rotating, scaling, moving the camera.. etc, I just want to know the basics and the best practices. Thanks in advance.

2. Log in to Reply

   Simon

   Posted May 12, 2011 at 8:32 AM

   Hi Aaron, thank you very much for sharing the project !

   Please let me know if you get any feedback about it. @Taz you should have a look at Xna tutorials, as the APIs are very similar

3. Log in to Reply

   Antonio Simoes

   Posted September 30, 2011 at 1:07 PM

   I am trying to view the samples, but I’m always getting an error in my browser when the loader reaches 100%:

   Unhandled Error in Silverlight Application Could not Load Type ‘System.Windows.Controls.DrawingSurface’ from assembly ‘System.Windows, version=5.0.5.0, Culture = neutral etc etc etc

   • Log in to Reply

     Aaron

     Posted September 30, 2011 at 1:25 PM

     There were breaking changes between Beta and RC. You need to rebuild the project and fix up the references. DrawingSurface is no longer in System.Windows.dll but instead in System.Windows.Xna.dll.

     See http://aarononeal.info/?p=203

     • Log in to Reply

       Antonio Simoes

       Posted September 30, 2011 at 3:34 PM

       hmmmm interesting, but what about the online samples that are around and I can’t see them?

       Example: http://www.simonferquel.net/blog/sl3dmi/tank.html

       • Log in to Reply

         Aaron

         Posted September 30, 2011 at 4:30 PM

         If those haven’t been updated to comply with the SL5 RC changes then you will not be able to view them.