WordPress has been dubbed the most popular free web development platform on the internet, and for good reason. With over 60million of the 1.2 Billion active websites in the world being WordPress, the platform stands as a contender against other website development options. And while the incredible number of users is good for shareholders of the company, businesses may find that there is an issue with such popularity, primarily in the aesthetics and diversity of the sites. Since there are 60 million WordPress sites live, businesses must make themselves less ambiguous. While using custom HTML and converting it to a WordPress Site is an option, this goes a bit against the premise of the platform. Using plug-ins is more beneficial and expedient for the user, especially for those using the free platform. Here are 5 3D plug-ins which are sure to give your site some unique spunk.
1. Responsive WordPress 3D Carousel Slider
Slideshows and graphics are popular amongst blogging sites. These shows are a great way to deliver shareable content within a small area. The issue is that there is a mass amount of sites which use the standard button slider/light box delivery method for their slider and slideshows. A solution to this would be the 3D Carousel Slider plug-in for WordPress. As this is responsive as well as 3D, the user gets the visual aesthetics of depth on the site, they get interaction from the cards and the gain information about the slide. For the developer, you get SEO, easy navigational controls for the slider without the standardized look, and more chances of interactivity and sharing of the content presented. The 3D Carousel Slider can be found at WonderPlugin.
2. Model Viewer
Gaming sites and those who wish to find a place within the gaming industry must have a portfolio to show potential leads. And while you could have renders of your 3D Models, it is more beneficial to have your models directly loaded into WordPress. The 3D Model View allows you to import Collada DAE, OBJ, and OBJ/MTL files. There are options to let you configure the background and the lighting as well as the cameras, position, and scale of the object. For the game developer, this allows you to quickly place your low poly models in the site, rearrange the angle (should you have a client say “I wish there was a ¾ view” or “it would look better if this was an action pose”). While you cannot animate the character in the plugin at this time, it does allow you to quickly rotate, scale, and light (ambient) a scene.
3. WordPress Plugin: 360 Product Rotation
E-commerce sites, as well as those who specialize in 3D modeling, may find that the 360 Product rotation plug-in is a great addition to their site. The Plugin takes the render source file for the model and then compiles those images into the 360 product rotation. Keep in mind that you will need to have a 3D model, as this is not a modeling program or a rendering program, but more of a static image compiler.
Customizable features of the 360 Product rotation include the width, height, frame, iframe_styles, ga_enabled, ga_tracking_id, ga_category, and ga_label.
4. WordPress 3D Printing
This is not a free plug-in, but one which is worth taking a look into. The WordPress 3D Printing app allows you to import .stl files into your WordPress site and then order 3D prints of the model. You can test the plug-in prior to purchasing with your own models. A 360 rendering of the model shows up on a viewport with measurements and options below. There are size limitations for the print tray, but over all, it allows for the 3D artist to offer potential clients 3D prints of their models.
In addition to the 3D modeler, those who have WordPress sites dedicated to certain media and fanfare may find that they can acquire a 3D model from a site such as CGTrader and then offer the print on their site. For example, if you were to have a WordPress site for Game of Thrones and wished to have small replicas of the swords used in the show, you could offer the .stl files and have your viewers order the prints directly through the 3D Printing Plugin.
5. Image Parallax
If you are an expert on compiling layers but need a bit of help in configuring your animations for a parallax effect, then the Image Parallax plugin is for you. You will need to ensure that your layers are the same size, and you will have to do a bit of tweaking on the animation, but it does beat the necessity to have a web developer design the parallax features. Image Parallax can be found in the searchable plugins on WordPress.