Creating and importing 3D models

Creating complex shapes directly from code can often be cumbersome and time-consuming. Fortunately, it is possible to import prebuilt models into your 3D space.

It is even possible to use graphical 3D modeling programs to generate models and then export them as a suitable format for you to use. This example produces a Newell Teapot in the Raspberry Pi theme, as shown in the following screenshot:

Newell Raspberry Pi teapot

Getting ready

We shall use 3D models of a teapot (both teapot.obj and teapot.mdl) located inpi3dmodels.

Note

Modeling a teapot is the traditional 3D equivalent of displaying Hello World. Computer graphics researcher Martin Newell first created the Newell Teapot in 1975 as a basic test model for his work. The Newell Teapot soon became the standard model to quickly check if a 3D rendering system was working correctly (it even appeared in Toy Story and a 3D episode of The Simpsons). Other models are available in the pi3dmodels directory (monkey.obj...