Online / Inline 3d plugin

[CCS]

Anyone know of a plugin that would operate in a manner similar to Google Earth (not Google maps) but that would #1 - work inside your webpage / browser without having to fire up an external app like GE does and #2 - allow visitors to view, navigate, etc. *without* exposing the model and textures (again, like GE does) ???

I'd like to find a way to develop a downtown area and some other large projects so they can be navigated by the public and clients fairly easily, and without the above issues.

I'm open to all sorts of ideas, so if you know of anything similar, let me know.

[instinct]

The problem is that in order to be "unstealable" it would have to be a Softwarerenderer, because EVERY opengl and directx app can be exposed and save out the textures/models (mind you that it all goes thru the driver, there´s driver hacks to do just that, extract models and textures from virtually any 3d app).
And a software rendering would be sloooooow or buttugly :P

There are lots of possibilities out there tho, even as a pdf with Acrobat3d, various browser renderers, shockwave etc etc. There are also a lot of software only solutions, but they are hardly fast enough for cellphones, let alone a downtownarea

Thorsten

[CCS]

Well, I understand what you're saying. I know there are hacks, and I know that there is a certain amount that is exposed and can be converted. What I am trying to avoid is something like Google Earth where you actually provide the model (a KML/Z) that can just as easily be loaded into Sketchup or other packages.

Just to clarify, I would like to have a low poly terrain (not a flat plane) with buildings an other improvements modeled as well. Not sure how I'd handle trees - the app may dictate that. Textures (mostly photos) would then be mapped or baked or whatever.

[RErender]

Maybe something like www.cult3d.com there are a few others too, just woke up so I'm a little slow with their names.