Saving and sharing scenes#

This section explains how to save a 3D scene and share it with others using HelloTriangle.

A scene represents the current state of the 3D viewer, including:

  • All drawn objects

  • Their styling (colors, opacity, visibility, etc.)

  • Scene-level settings such as background color and camera type

Once saved, a scene can be directly opened and explored interactively in a web browser.

Why save and share scenes?#

In many workflows, 3D results are shared using static screenshots or screen recordings. While this is simple, it removes the ability to interact with the data.

Saving a scene allows you (and others) to:

  • Rotate and zoom the 3D model

  • Explore the geometry from different viewpoints

  • Inspect results interactively without installing software

Shared scenes are accessed through a simple link and run entirely in the browser.

Preparing a scene#

Before saving a scene, you may want to adjust its appearance.

You can:

  • Modify object colors and opacity

  • Show or hide individual objects

  • Adjust face, edge, and point styling

  • Change the background color or camera type

These settings can be configured either:

  • Directly in your Python script (using draw and set_scene; see Drawing objects), or

  • Interactively in the Visualization Settings panel

Note

Any manual changes made in the visualization panel apply to the current session. When re-running the script, only settings defined in code are preserved.

Scene editor and visualization panel

Scene editor / 3D visualization panel (shown on the right).#

Saving a scene#

Once your scene looks as intended, you can save it:

  1. Open the 3D viewer

  2. Click the Save scene button in the toolbar

This stores a snapshot of the current scene configuration.

Save scene button location

Location of the save scene button in the 3D viewer.#

Accessing saved scenes#

After saving a scene, it appears in your workspace dashboard. The dashboard provides an overview of all saved scenes in your workspace.

When you hover over a scene thumbnail, several actions become available:

  • Open scene (center icon) Opens the interactive 3D visualization in the browser.

  • Copy link (right icon) Copies a shareable link to the scene to your clipboard. This link can be shared with others to allow interactive viewing.

  • Scene settings (left icon) Opens the scene settings, where you can edit properties such as the thumbnail image.

Workspace dashboard with saved scenes

Workspace dashboard showing saved scenes.#

Sharing a scene#

Each saved scene has a unique URL. You can share this link with others.

The recipient:

  • Does not need a HelloTriangle account

  • Does not need to install any software

  • Can open the scene directly in a web browser

Shared scenes support:

  • Rotation and zooming

  • Interactive exploration on desktop and mobile devices

Embedding scenes in a website#

Saved scenes can also be embedded in external websites using an iframe.

Example HTML snippet:

<div style="position: relative; width: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;">
  <iframe
    src="https://app.hellotriangle.io/shared/<SCENE_ID>"
    style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: none; border-radius: 8px;"
    allowfullscreen>
  </iframe>
</div>

Replace <SCENE_ID> with the identifier of your scene.

This is useful for making your company, research group or project website more interactive.

Scene lifetime and access#

  • A shared scene remains accessible as long as it exists in your workspace

  • Existing scene links continue to work until the scene is deleted

  • You can still access and manage saved scenes after a subscription (or free trial) ends

Future extensions#

Additional scene-sharing features will be added, including:

  • Viewer permissions (e.g. toggling objects, measurements, comments)

  • Optional password protection

  • Custom branding options