Creating a 3D model for 3D App Launcher

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Bored about the classic 2D tile for representing you Windows Mixed Reality app in the Cliff House? Go to the next level:

Use a 3D model that characterizes and differentiates your app!

 

Here is a summary of the steps to achieve this.

1. Make your model ready for Windows Mixed Reality

  • From your favorite apps/tools, export a 3D model as glTF 2.0with the .glb extension (As an exemple, I took a model from 3D Remix and exported it by Paint 3D)

    ⚠ The model must have less than 10k triangles. If you get a red cross instead of the 3D Launcher, this could be the root cause

  • Download the WindowsMRAssetConverter.exe from the glTF-Toolkit on gitHub - https://github.com/Microsoft/glTF-Toolkit/releases

  • Simply use the WindowsMRAssetConverter.exe tool with your model (.glb file) as parameter:

 

2. Add your converted model as content to the App project

  • Build your Windows Mixed Reality project from Unity generating the Visual Studio C# Solution

Unity Settings for building the C# Visual Studio solution

  • Open the built Windows Mixed Reality C# solution in Visual Studio. Right click on the UWP project in the SOLUTION EXPLORER window and choose ADD / EXISTING ITEM…

Right click on the project / ADD / Existing Item...

  • Make sure that the BUILD ACTION for the added .glb file is set to CONTENT

Build Action: Content

 

3. Use your converted model in the App manifest

  • Open the Package.appxmanifest with a text editor (or right click on it in Visual Studio and then VIEW CODE)
  • Add the uap5 schema in the Package item at the begining of the file:
 xmlns:uap5="https://schemas.microsoft.com/appx/manifest/uap/windows10/5"
  • Also add uap5 in the IgnorableNamespaces list:
 IgnorableNamespaces="uap uap2 uap5 mp"

The Package.appxmanifest file will start like the following:

uap5 schema

  • Modify the DefaultTile element to integrate a uap5:MixedRealityModel element like:
 <uap5:MixedRealityModel Path="MyModel_converted.glb"/>

The entire uap:DefaultTile element will look like this

MixedRealityModel in DefaultTile element

 

4. Build and deploy the app for testing

  • Build your UWP project either in x86 or x64
  • Lastly, deploy the app to the local machine (Right click on the project in SOLUTION EXPLORER and then DEPLOY;

Deploy app

 

Here is the result when we place the App tile in the Cliff House 🎊🎉 (Tomato model from Remix 3D )

3D App Launcher

 

Happy 3D App Launcher modeling 😉

@sbovo for the 💻 🎮 Windows AppConsult team.

 

References