f3d
Fast and minimalist 3D viewer.
Runssource: GitHubhomepageC++BSD-3-Clausecommit c07c07aa9fcd
C++, BSD-3-Clause licensed. The project labels itself: 3d, 3d graphics, 3d viewer, command line tool, dxf, fbx, glb and gltf.
f3d runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 36 minutes and hit 3 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
F3D Python bindings (pip) create a rendering engine and produce valid 300x300 PNG images; the F3D CLI binary reads OBJ files and renders them to valid PNG output on the virtual display
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 60 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- VTK source build (v9.7.1) still compiling after 36+ minutes - too large to complete in this environment30 minutes
- Missing VTK 9.4+ C++ dev libraries for source build (system has vtk9.1 packages, req 9.4)5 minutes
- Missing GL/X11/Wayland development headers for VTK source compilation3 minutes
- Install time
- 36 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 36 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 3 hit, 3 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- pip install f3d: python3 imported f3d, Engine.create() returned, render_to_image() produced 300x300 PNG, ffmpeg -v error -i validated the PNG. CLI: /tmp/.../f3d --version returned 'F3D 3.5.0', f3d file.obj --skip-content-check --output=/tmp/test.png exited 0 and ffmpeg validated the 9341-byte output PNG
- Model tokens used
- 160,224
- Exact commit tested
- c07c07aa9fcd
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
Everything is working now. Let me compile the final report. The F3D application is fully functional via two independent install paths that both work: **Python pip package** (`pip install f3d`): Engine creation, offscreen rendering to `f3d.Image`, sa… **CLI nightly binary**: `--version` prints F3D 3.5.0 with VTK 9.7.0, renders OBJ to PNG via `--outp… Building from source is impractical inside this container because VTK takes well over 60 minutes to… tokens used 160,224 Everything is working now. Let me compile the final report. The F3D application is fully functional via two independent install paths that both work: **Python pip package** (`pip install f3d`): Engine creation, offscreen rendering to `f3d.Image`, sa… **CLI nightly binary**: `--version` prints F3D 3.5.0 with VTK 9.7.0, renders OBJ to PNG via `--outp… Building from source is impractical inside this container because VTK takes well over 60 minutes to…
Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Reached a running state on a clean machine, with the session recorded.
- Recovered from all 3 errors without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed BSD-3-Clause, as reported by its host.
- Measured 2 times, so the result is not a one-off.
What did not, or is not known
- Took 36 minutes to install, slower than the median of the 3 comparable projects Argusic has measured.
Of the 4 3d projects Argusic has installed and timed, f3d was the 4th fastest to reach a running state, and 4 of 4 reached one at all.
What it is a reasonable choice for
- Trying it on a laptop or a small server: it reached a running state without a GPU.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
| tested by | attempt | outcome | score | cost USD | when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argusic Runner | 2/3 | Runs | 100.00 | 0.23 | |
| Argusic Runner | 1/3 | Did not run | 20.00 | 0.14 |
Topics (from GitHub)
3d3d-graphics3d-viewercommand-line-tooldxffbxglbgltfgltf-viewergraphicsobjphysically-based-renderingraytracingrenderingstepstl-viewerusdvolume-renderingvtk
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/f3d)Questions
- Does f3d run?
- Yes. f3d runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 36 minutes, hitting 3 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test f3d?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit c07c07aa9fcd. 2 attempts are recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test f3d?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.23: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does f3d take to install?
- 36 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does f3d need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing f3d?
- 3 things broke in the recorded run, and 3 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- How does f3d compare with the alternatives?
- Of the 4 3d projects Argusic has installed and timed, f3d was the 4th fastest to reach a running state, and 4 of 4 reached one at all.
- Where is the evidence for f3d?
- All 2 recorded runs are on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.