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3d Model Lighting inside PowerPoint

Anonymous
2019-05-01T08:20:06+00:00

Hello,

Lately Microsoft published guidelines for inserting 3d models into Office applications, here:

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/3d-content-guidelines-for-microsoft-03a7b493-d549-4f1a-9735-f2457adf6261

Thank you for this guide! I've been looking for such guidance for months, and didn't find anything similar. All my knowledge on 3d in PowerPoint was based on trail and error.

However there is one issue that I still cannot find an answer for:  How can I turn OFF the default PowerPoint lighting while inserting a 3d model to PowerPoint?

My 3d models are "baked" meaning that they don't need an extra light, the light is baked into the textures (which is a common practice in all modern computer games) and I just want to turn off that light. So actually what I need is ZERO environment lighting, and have my models show off their baked lighting on the textures. (In some other 3d platforms such as UNITY and UNREAL it is much more complicated - I guess it should be simple here)

By the way - my models look great in Microsoft's 3d Viewer - where I have control over the environment, but when the same model is inserted to PowerPoint - the PowerPoint light "burns" it, by adding light to the pre-baked textures.

I even tried to save them from the 3D viewer - hoping that the light settings will be transferred to PowerPoint, with no luck.

I looked everywhere inside PowerPoint, even found the in the Format tab under material some options that had a little effect on it.

Again I'd like to praise the new guidelines , but at the same time to ask Is there any one who knows who I can ask about this? Or where I can  read about it.

Thanks,

Gidon

Microsoft 365 and Office | PowerPoint | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-05-01T18:31:46+00:00

    Hi Gidon, 

    My name is Michelle, and I'm a Program Manager in Office in charge of 3D support. Thanks for reaching out with this issue, and think we have a workaround for you to try, which will disable the document default lighting. There currently isn't any friendly UI to manipulate lights in Office, so we suggest manipulating the XML directly to edit/add/remove lights in a document.

    Here are the steps to try:

    • Insert a 3D model into a PowerPoint doc (pptx)
    • Crack open the .pptx file with an XML editor (or rename the .pptx to .zip and use a normal text editor), find the “ppt/slides/slide[n].xml” doc containing the model
    • Find and remove the lighting sections, which will all begin with "am3d:ambientLight" and "am3d:ptLight", for ambient and point lights, respectively.
    • Save the changes and rename the .zip file back to .pptx
    • Open back up in PowerPoint

    We think that if you remove all of the point lights, or the point lights plus the ambient light, then the model will look more like you intended.  The lights are properties of a 3D model, and will stick with the model as it is copied/pasted around between slides or apps, so there isn't a good way to clone these lights to other 3D models with UI.

    Here is a link to the XML schema for the am3d namespace (Office Model3D file format) for reference. There is no documentation for the Model3D schema at this site unfortunately.  We did write documentation a couple years ago, but it seems it was not published yet to the official spec for Open Office XML, ECMA-376.  It might be out there in the public domain somewhere, but couldn't find it with a cursory search. 

    Please let us know how it goes! 

    Regards, 

    Michelle

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-05-02T06:56:41+00:00

    Michelle!!!

    THANKS!!!!! It worked. You rock (literally):

    If I erased the Ambient as well, the model goes black. So I only erased the am3d:ptLight. (The black in the model is a bug in my model)

    Thanks a million. Is there a Community that discusses only professional 3d Issues?

    3D in PowerPoint is becoming really interesting and I have some creative commercial projects where I am planning to use 3d.

    When I have my projects completed I would be happy to share them with you. 3D is REALLY creative, and opens up many opportunities.Gidon

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-05-01T09:23:01+00:00

    Hi Gidon,

    Welcome to Microsoft Community and thank you for posting your query.

    We understand if have the lighting features in 3D Model of Office application it will make the 3D Model more nice but unfortunately the features is not in Office application now. So that we would like to invite you vote for this post  Add lighting effects for 3D models and submit your feedback in PowerPoint UserVoice. Microsoft welcomes your feedback on its products. Many features have been designed or upgraded based on customers’ comments. And you votes may let the product group pay more attention to it.

    Appreciate your understanding.

    Regards,

    Clark

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-05-02T14:40:36+00:00

    Hi Gidon, 

    That's Fantastic!! Glad it worked out.

    We don't have a formal Pro 3D Forum, but that's not a bad idea. I'll look into it :)

    Would definitely like to keep in touch and see how your other projects turn out, as well as hear about any other feature ideas you would like to see in the future. Feel free to email me directly at mimaisle@microsoft.com

    Best of luck! 

    Michelle

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-05-02T07:14:13+00:00

    Thanks Clark,

    Voted for that.

    And Michelle helped me a lot.

    Thank you Microsoft!

    Gidon

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