Dear all – I'm writing on behalf of the WikiProject Dinosaurs in the English Wikipedia. We were intrigued to find out the Media Player now supports stl 3D files. For our topic (dinosaurs), we are describing complex bone morphologies on a regular basis. 3D models would be a very significant improvement to our articles, making it much easier for readers to comprehend what the article text tries to describe. We encountered one problem with the starting position though, and furthermore would like to file a wish.
1) The starting position in which the model is shown (both in the thumbnail and in the 3D window) is very different from that of external viewers (tested with MeshLab). Because of this, we are unable to rotate the objects into their proper orientation (e.g., side view). When I change orientation using MeshLab and re-upload the file, the orientation shown by MediaViewer changes as well, but just in a different, and seemingly arbitrary direction.
2) It would be of even more value to be able to upload models with vertex colors or, better, textures, which are possible when using the format PLY. Without color, it is very difficult for readers to recognize the bones shown. PLY would require two files for one model: A mesh file and a texture file (usually .jpg). While .stl files are the standard format for, e.g., CT data, PLY is commonly used for photogrammetry models, which are based on photos and thus naturally will include texture. Photogrammetry is an easy and cheap method that (in contrast to CT data) can be easily employed by Wikipedia authors themselves to build models for Wikipedia, provided they have access to the objects. I myself already have a bunch of self-made models, all including texture files, that would be of great use for our articles. For these reasons, we think that the support of textured PLY files would be an addition well worth the effort.
Files tested:
File:Massospondylus_skull_BP-1-5241_3D_scan.stl File:Aquilops cranium scan.stl