iJewel3D Docs

Appearance

Importing 3D Models ​

iJewel Playground supports all popular 3D formats, making it easy to bring your jewelry designs into an interactive, real-time environment.

Supported File Formats ​

.OBJ / .OBJ + .MTL.GLB / .GLTF.3DM (Rhino).FBX.STL

Recommended Format for Jewelry

For jewelry workflows, the 3DM format is highly recommended. It supports layers, which Playground reads automatically — based on standard naming conventions, default materials are applied instantly, letting you view your jewelry in a photorealistic way right from the start.

STL Limitations

STL format does not support materials, making it unsuitable unless your model uses only a single material. Additionally, STL files often have unsmoothed normals, which can reduce the visual quality of jewelry models.

Import Methods ​

You can import files into Playground in two ways:

1. Drag & Drop ​

Drag your file(s) directly into the Main Canvas Area. When you first open Playground, the welcome screen provides a clear drop zone:

Drag and drop files onto the canvas

2. Browse & Select ​

Click the Import File button in the toolbar to open a file dialog and select the file(s) from your computer.

Import file button

TIP

  • You can drag & drop multiple files at once to import them together.
  • Drop a folder or zipped folder with multiple 3D files — Playground will automatically process its contents (including subfolders).
  • For OBJ + MTL files, make sure both are dropped together to correctly apply material data.

Drop Options ​

Before importing, you can configure how models are placed in the scene. These settings are located in Viewer → Drop Options.

Drop Options panel
Auto Scale
Automatically adjusts the model's proportions (defined by Auto Radius) to fit the scene.
Auto Radius
Defines the radius by which the model proportions will be scaled.
Auto Center
Ensures the model is positioned at the exact center of the canvas.

TIP

Keep Auto Scale + Auto Center turned ON when importing single models. This ensures that even off-center or incorrectly scaled models are normalized for an optimal starting view.

Turn OFF Auto Scale / Auto Center if you want to preserve the original size and relative position of your models. For example, if you import two separate files (e.g., the shank and the head of a ring), enabling Auto Scale / Auto Center may rescale or reposition them incorrectly, resulting in misalignment.

Correct alignment — parts assembled properly
✅ Auto Scale OFF — correct alignment
Misalignment — parts shifted due to Auto Scale
❌ Auto Scale ON — misalignment

Sample Models ​

Playground provides a few built-in sample models for quick testing. Perfect for exploring workflows before importing your own designs.

Load sample models

See the Quick Start guide for more details.

Import Options for Jewelry ​

Once a jewelry model is imported, Playground will prompt you with a few options to help you get started faster.

1. Default Materials ​

Based on the layer/material names assigned in the imported file, Playground will attempt to assign default materials automatically. Click Yes to apply the suggested materials. Default Materials popup

Default Material Mapping

  • Metal 01, Metal 02, ... → Assigned default Metal materials
  • Gem 01, Gem 02, ... → Assigned default Gem materials

2. HDR Map for Gem/Metal ​

If a model has both gem/diamond and metal materials, Playground will prompt you to apply a separate HDR environment map for each category. HDR Map popup

Recommendation

It is generally recommended to use a separate HDR environment map for gems/diamonds and metals. This allows finer control over the look and realism of your jewelry.

3. Default Material Configurator ​

If default layers are assigned for metals and/or gems/diamonds, Playground will prompt you to create a material configurator — enabling interactive switching of gem and metal materials in the embedded viewer. Material Configurator popup

Editing Configurator

The default configurator can be edited later if you wish to change materials or modify the configurator settings. See Material Configurator for details.

INFO

These Import Options appear as pop-up prompts immediately after adding a new model, before it is fully loaded into the Scene Hierarchy.