Web-based 2D and 3D visualizations have become increasingly popular, and the market provides richer utility for them in response to these changes. When done well, developers can enable users to share designs from the marketplace with other clients, developers, or anyone else in an easy, user-friendly manner.
When developers consider the cost of third parties providing this service, a common question arises: why not do it themselves? This extends the subsequent discussion of starting from scratch entirely, or leveraging software toolkits to ease the development burden.
After discussions with professionals including the lead developer of HOOPS Communicator , we felt we could delve deeper into this topic.
Well in this article, we also give the pros and cons of buying HOOPS Communicator and building your own visualization system (with or without Three.js).
Who is suitable for HOOPS COMMUNICATOR ?
HOOPS Communicator is a 3D streaming server and web-based rendering engine designed to provide various visualization capabilities primarily to engineering application developers.
When comparing HOOPS Communicator directly to DIY options and Three.js, your first consideration is cost.
In some cases, HOOPS Communicator is not for everyone, and a DIY option may be better suited for your use case. This seems like a lower cost option for the vast majority of visualization needs. But having said that, DIY options can also come with significant costs.
The vast majority of people who choose HOOPS Communicator do so by purchasing an edition of its platform and pairing it with HOOPS Exchange for a more comprehensive feature set. This software package is called the HOOPS Web Platform .
We'll give an overview of what it offers, then discuss how it compares to Three.js and DIY.
1. Function overview
HOOPS Communicator is perfect for those looking for a quality, easily scalable option for relatively fast web visualization capabilities. The toolkit is capable of handling large numbers of models and processing large files in quick succession, with easy navigation through complex multi-part assemblies, smart streaming and server-side rendering, and all the highlights of this SDK. You can view a demo of these features using the demo viewer provided by Tech Soft 3D.
HOOPS Communicator is easy to use and can be used to handle engineering-specific workflows, including architectural data, model trees, and other functions critical to engineering applications.
As an analogy, Three.js is a pre-built engine and Communicator is a complete car. Although a lot of work can be done with only one engine, the amount of work to be done is enormous.
Compared to many other paid alternatives, HOOPS Communicator is fast, and its powerful graphics and deep customization options allow for great performance even on older and outdated systems.
2. Data conversion and storage
Tech Soft 3D does not host the data for you. This allows you to have complete control over your data, which many businesses value, but you need to set up the cloud infrastructure of your choice. When paired with HOOPS Exchange, users can feel the leading data conversion technology. This will allow your application to access over 30 CAD file formats.
3. Reliable development support
Finally, one of the most important things to consider when discussing HOOPS product support vs DIY options is development support.
The latter simply doesn't have the developer support that any commercial distribution can provide. With HOOPS, a partnership between Tech Soft 3D and its partners, you get reliable development support that is not possible with DIY options.
4. Limitations of HOOPS Communicator
HOOPS Communicator is an engineering-focused SDK that supports comprehensive engineering capabilities out of the box. It adopts a partnership model and works on rapid solutions to development problems. HOOPS Communicator is not hosted by Tech Soft 3D, but on your own infrastructure. It's not a low-cost option, but usually effectively pays for itself by saving development time/cost.
Apply for HOOPS trial 
http://x7pfmmn259623uby.mikecrm.com/l9292M9 HOOPS Chinese website http://techsoft3d.evget.com/
Who is suitable for three.js or DIY ?
For those looking for a cost-effective, fully customizable product with the right development team in hand , the DIY option of 3D web visualization can be tempting. Here we'll focus on the from-scratch, fully DIY option (often using WebGL) and the more practical Three.js option. We will mainly focus on the latter.
1. Complete DIY/WebGL
To get around this: even with WebGL, it's rarely built completely from scratch for a number of reasons.
The three major elements are cost, time and skills . Going down this path takes a skilled development team a long, long time and expends a lot of resources. In many cases, the full build time to build an application from scratch can be years, and it's not cheap.
Quite simply, this may only work for those with very niche use cases, long time-to-market, or large organizations that can invest the time and money to make it happen. These benefits include absolute control, customization and optimization, and being free from a licensing perspective.
2. Three.js
Three.js is an open source JavaScript library and API. For developers looking for 3D and 2D web visualization capabilities, Three.js will be the tool for the "kinda DIY" option.
While HOOPS Communicator is specifically focused on engineering applications, Three.js is more of a blank slate for building web visualization tools for other industries.
Three.js is an excellent resource for developers in the game field . The library provides many features including shadows, advanced rendering and effects common to the area.
In many use cases, developers may want to use DIY solutions, which is a popular direction. Developers looking to save on licensing costs and do deep customization will find this a great option.
3. Limitations of Three.js
As with any choice, Three.js has its downsides. This option won't hit the market as quickly as licensed options. While the Three.js forums are great and have a great community, paid developer-to-developer support can resolve issues quickly and speed up development.
If you have a team to create what you need, Three.js is a flexible, popular tool that helps developers craft a customizable, powerful product. Teams should consider their go-to-market timelines and expectations, as well as their budget for team experience.
Three.js is a flexible base for many 3D visualization use cases, offering a level of customizability even beyond what the SDK can provide. It's free to start and has a strong community to help you grow, but it doesn't have engineering apps out of the box and you have to develop it yourself from scratch.
Empowering Options with DIY and More Resources
Overall, comparing the different options available to developers for web visualization is crucial for you to gain a clearer understanding of which option is best for you.
For some, licensing options can offer faster time to market and affordable costs. But for others, their industry or schedule calls for a more customized DIY approach.
Knowing the exact current needs is critical to taking the right action. Below is a video that goes into more detail about the features of HOOPS Communicator and what it can do for you.
Finally, we provide a 60-day free trial of HOOPS and Chinese technical support, during which you can have a deeper understanding and experience of the powerful functions and conveniences of HOOPS. Click here to apply for a HOOPS trial~