How to use the DX.GL portal to create product videos from 3D models
DX.GL turns 3D models into production-ready turntable videos. The workflow is:
New accounts include 10 free credits on signup — enough for 10 full-quality 540p turntable videos with no watermarks and no restrictions. Every upload also generates a free system preview — a 540p MP4 you can share with anyone via a link, and a way to verify your model loaded correctly before spending a credit.
The portal has up to three top-level tabs (which tabs are visible depends on your active mode):
Portal modes focus the interface around a specific workflow, hiding options that aren't relevant to keep things simple. Click the mode label next to DX.GL in the top-left header to open the mode picker and switch modes. Your selection is saved in the browser.
New accounts default to Studio mode, which exposes all creative features. Switch to a simpler mode (Social, Pro) if you want a more focused interface, or to Data if you're generating vision training datasets.
| Mode | Best for | Tabs | Quality | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social | Quick turntable + share link | Upload, Models, Videos | Standard (540p) | Galleries |
| Pro | High-volume e-commerce exports | Upload, Models, Videos | HD (1080p) | Batch, all camera paths, rotation, overlays, import, export URLs, API keys |
| Studio (default) | Full creative control | Upload, Models, Videos | Standard, HD, 4K, ProRes 4444 | Everything in Pro + 4K/ProRes quality, Workshop, vignette, live preview, galleries, animation clips |
| Data | Vision training datasets | Upload, Models, Datasets | Dataset tiers | Batch, hemisphere/sphere coverage, import, API keys |
Features mentioned throughout this guide that are only available in certain modes are noted inline.
The Upload top-level tab has two sub-tabs: Capture and Import.
Drop a single 3D model to see an instant 3D preview. Choose aspect ratio and background color, then click Render video to render a shareable Standard (540p) turntable video. Click the canvas to pause/play the spinning preview. This is the fastest path from file to video.
Click Import in the Upload tab, then drag-and-drop or click to select GLB, glTF, or ZIP files. Multi-file uploads are supported — files queue automatically and upload sequentially. This adds models to your library for rendering with full settings control.
Below the drop zone, a tag input lets you apply tags to all files in the current upload batch. Type a tag and press Enter or click + to add it. Tags auto-complete from your existing tags. All files uploaded while those tags are set will receive them automatically. Click Clear to remove all tags.
.glb, .gltf, .zip (OBJ+MTL+textures)To upload a 3D scan (e.g. from Artec Studio, RealityCapture, or Metashape), export as OBJ with textures, zip the folder, and upload the ZIP. Include exactly one .obj file per ZIP along with its .mtl and texture files. The server converts to GLB automatically with roughness set to 1.0 for a natural matte finish. The converted model enters the standard pipeline — you'll see a system preview within seconds. You can also download the converted GLB from the model detail view, giving you a clean GLB with embedded textures and correct PBR materials — no manual conversion needed.
Available in Pro, Studio, Data, and Full modes.
In the Import sub-tab, expand the Import from URL section below the file drop zone. Paste one or more URLs to GLB files hosted elsewhere, one per line. The server downloads each file directly (max 100 MB, 2-minute timeout). SHA-256 deduplication applies. URL import supports GLB/glTF only. For OBJ scans, upload a ZIP file via the drop zone above.
Every uploaded model automatically receives a free system preview render (no credits deducted). This generates a thumbnail poster within seconds and serves as a model integrity check — if the preview fails, the model likely has issues with geometry, textures, or glTF structure.
Click any model in the Models tab to open its detail view. The detail view shows the model poster (with hover video preview) and has five sub-tabs:
Actions in the detail header: Download (original GLB file), Archive, and Render (pre-selects this model and navigates to the Render sub-tab).
Models and videos can be archived rather than permanently deleted. Archived items are hidden from default views but can be restored. Click the archive toggle button in the Models toolbar to switch to archived-only view, where you can inspect and unarchive models.
Model cards have always-visible checkboxes. Click the checkbox to select a model for rendering — clicking the card body still opens the detail view. When models are selected, a contextual strip appears between the toolbar and the model grid showing "N selected" with Tag, Archive, and Clear actions.
Selected models feed directly into the Render sub-tab. Use Shift+Click for range selection. Press S to select/deselect all, or Escape to clear the selection.
The Models tab has three sub-tabs: Library (model browser with selection), Render (configure render options with inline review of selected models), and Queue (active render monitoring). Select models via checkboxes in Library, then switch to the Render sub-tab to configure settings:
Settings are organized into collapsible groups: Output, Motion, Appearance (all expanded by default), and Advanced (collapsed). When Output is set to Dataset, Motion/Appearance/Advanced are hidden entirely since they don't apply to dataset renders.
| Setting | Group | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Output | Video, Dataset | Video |
| Quality | Output | Standard (540p, 1 credit), HD (1080p, 4 credits), 4K (16 credits), ProRes 4444 (64 credits) | Standard |
| Aspect | Output | 16:9, 1:1, 9:16 | 16:9 |
| Camera path | Motion | Turntable, Hero Spin, Showcase, Zoom Orbit, Reveal | Turntable |
| Animation | Motion | Clip selector (auto-shown only if the model has animation clips) | — |
| Duration | Motion | 6, 9, 15, 30 seconds, or Custom (3–600, decimal OK) | 6s |
| Easing | Motion | On / Off | On |
| Background | Appearance | Preset (White, Cream, Navy, Black), Custom hex, or Image | White |
| Surface | Appearance | Shadows, Reflection, or None | Shadows |
| Vignette | Appearance | On / Off — subtle edge darkening for depth | On |
| Rotate | Advanced | Yaw (Y): −180° to 180°, Pitch (X): −90° to 90°, Roll (Z): −180° to 180° | 0° / 0° / 0° |
| Camera | Advanced | Angle: −180° to 180° (orbit start), Zoom: 0.5× to 2.0× (distance) | 0° / 1.0× |
The Quality selector in the Output group determines resolution, codec, and credit cost:
.mov file has a transparent background; the bgColor is applied only to the web/thumbnail/poster variants. (Studio and Full modes only.)For Dataset output, a separate tier selector replaces the video quality buttons: 100×800 (4 credits), 196×1024 (16 credits), 400×2048 (64 credits). See Datasets below.
All video quality tiers render with GPU-accelerated 2× supersampling (SSAA) for smooth, anti-aliased edges.
The Motion group contains everything related to how the camera moves and whether the model's own animation plays.
Background and Length both support custom values. Click Custom to enter a hex color or a duration (3–30 seconds, or 3–600 for admin accounts). Decimal values are supported (e.g. 4.7s) for precise animation loop alignment. Invalid values are highlighted and block submission.
Shadows and Reflection are mutually exclusive — selecting one disables the other. Choose None for a clean floating look with no ground effects.
Available in Pro, Studio, Data, and Full modes.
The Advanced group (collapsed by default) controls model orientation and camera framing:
Rotate (Yaw / Pitch / Roll) — defines the model's pose:
Model rotations are applied in order: Yaw → Pitch → Roll using quaternion composition. The model is automatically re-scaled to fit the viewport after rotations are applied.
Camera row combines Angle and Zoom on a single line:
A Reset link appears when any Rotate, Angle, or Zoom value differs from its default, returning all values to 0° / 1.0×.
The Animation row inside the Motion group is shown automatically when the selected model contains clips (walk cycles, product reveals, mechanical motion). It is not gated by mode — any model with embedded animations exposes these controls regardless of which portal mode you're in.
cycles × clip duration / speed. Decimal cycles (e.g. 1.5) are supported for partial loops.Available in Studio and Full modes.
Toggle Preview on in the render settings to open a floating 3D preview panel. The panel shows a real-time animation with your model's original PBR materials, ACES filmic tone mapping (matching the renderer), and a ground grid. It updates live as you adjust settings.
The preview uses the same tone mapping and materials as the final render. Shadows and reflections are not shown in preview for performance.
If you submit a render with settings identical to an existing render for the same model, you'll see a warning. You can force the render if needed.
Image backgrounds are available in Pro, Studio, and Full modes.
Instead of a solid background color, you can use an image as the scene background — perfect for branded gradients, campaign visuals, or any custom backdrop.
In the render settings Background section, toggle between Color (solid hex, the default) and Image. The Image picker shows system backgrounds (gradients published by DX.GL) first, followed by your own uploads.
Click Upload in the Image picker to add your own background image. Supported formats: PNG, JPEG, WebP (max 10 MB). You can store up to 20 custom backgrounds.
Your background image is scaled to fully cover the output dimensions, then cropped based on the alignment setting. The default is top-left, meaning logos or branding placed there stay anchored regardless of aspect ratio. Choose from 9 anchor points (top-left, top-center, top-right, center-left, center, center-right, bottom-left, bottom-center, bottom-right) to control which part of the image is preserved when cropping for different aspect ratios.
Tip: Use a square image (e.g. 1920×1920) for best results across all aspect ratios.
Background images work with batch rendering. You can mix different backgrounds across batch variants — the GPU render pass is shared, and each variant gets its own background composited during video encoding.
Upload backgrounds via the Overlays API, then pass the overlay ID as bgImageId in render settings.
Available in Pro, Studio, Data, and Full modes.
Batch rendering lets you create multiple videos efficiently. There are two approaches:
Toggle Batch on in the Render sub-tab. This changes the workflow:
Total videos = variants × selected models. Each variant costs credits based on its quality tier (1 for Standard, 4 for HD, 16 for 4K, 64 for ProRes 4444).
Select multiple models in the Models tab using the always-visible checkboxes (click to toggle, Shift+Click for range, S for all). Selected models automatically carry over to the Render sub-tab.
In single mode (Batch off), clicking Render applies the current settings to all selected models. In Batch mode, the batch list applies to all selected models.
Select Dataset in the Output selector to generate a NeRF/3DGS-ready training dataset instead of a video. Three tiers: 100×800 (4 credits), 196×1024 (16 credits), 400×2048 (64 credits). Choose hemisphere or full sphere coverage.
The output ZIP contains:
images/ — RGB PNG frames (composited on white background)depth/ — 8-bit grayscale depth PNGs (closer = darker, farther = lighter). Tight near/far planes maximize precision across the model’s actual depth span.depth_16bit/ — 16-bit grayscale depth PNGs (65,536 levels of precision for surface reconstruction)normals/ — world-space normal map PNGsmasks/ — foreground/background alpha mask PNGstransforms.json — Camera intrinsics + per-frame 4×4 transform matrices (nerfstudio / instant-ngp format). Includes depth_near and depth_far for decoding: depth = pixel_value/255 * (depth_far - depth_near) + depth_nearoverview.webp — 4-quadrant contact sheet showing all views across RGB, depth, normals, masksThe Datasets tab shows all completed dataset renders. It has two sub-tabs:
The Videos tab shows all completed video renders (excluding system previews and dataset renders). It has three sub-tabs:
G to toggle). Grid shows poster thumbnails with hover video preview; List shows compact rows with key metadata. Always-visible checkboxes on each card for selection.Video cards have always-visible checkboxes. Click the checkbox to select a video — clicking the card body opens the video modal. When videos are selected, a contextual strip appears above the grid with Share, Archive, and Clear actions. Use Shift+Click for range selection, S to select/deselect all, or Escape to clear. In list view, each row has a download icon with file size for downloading the asset bundle directly.
Click the archived toggle (archive icon) in the toolbar to switch to archived-only view, where you can inspect and unarchive videos.
Click the sort toggle to switch between newest-first and oldest-first (saved in localStorage). Videos can be grouped by Model, Date, or None using the icon buttons in the toolbar. Groups are collapsible — use Expand All / Collapse All buttons (visible when grouping is active).
Click any video to open the modal. The modal is a flippable card with a front and back side.
Front Side:
Back Side:
Click the back side background or press Esc to flip back to the front. Pressing Esc follows a layered exit order: exit edit mode → flip to front → collapse fullscreen → close modal.
Each completed render produces:
| File | Standard | HD | 4K | ProRes 4444 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Video | H.264 MP4 540p 60fps | H.264 MP4 1080p 60fps | H.264 MP4 4K 60fps | ProRes 4444 .mov 4K 60fps (with alpha) |
| Web Video | H.264 MP4, lower bitrate — optimized for web embedding/streaming | |||
| Thumbnail | H.264 MP4, quarter resolution — hover preview, social embeds | |||
| Poster | PNG, full resolution — static preview frame |
All assets can be downloaded individually or as a single zip bundle from the video modal.
Active renders appear in the persistent queue bar below the header. The queue polls every 3 seconds and shows status progression:
Failed renders show an error indicator. Click any queue item to navigate to that model's detail view.
Every completed render has a public share page at dx.gl/portal/v/{id}. Anyone with the link can view the video without logging in. Use the Share button in the video modal or Export tab to copy the link.
Check multiple videos in Browse, then click Share in the selection strip to create a gallery. If one video is selected, the share link is copied directly. If two or more are selected, a gallery creation modal opens where you can set an optional title.
View and manage all galleries from the Galleries tab under Videos. Each gallery shows its title, video count, creation date, and actions to open, copy link, or delete.
Tags help organize models and filter both the Models and Videos tabs.
Open a model's detail view, switch to the Data tab, and type tags in the tag input. The input offers autocomplete suggestions drawn from all your existing tags. Tags are automatically lowercased and trimmed. Maximum 20 tags per model.
A tag filter bar appears above the model/video grid. Click tags to filter (OR logic — showing items matching any selected tag). The tag bar can be collapsed via the toggle button. Your filter visibility preference is saved in localStorage.
Tags on a model automatically carry over to all videos rendered from that model, so you can filter videos by the same tags used to organize your models.
Press / to focus search. Search matches model name, title, SKU, and tags.
The Export sub-tab within the Videos tab shows a card for each video with public asset URLs — video, web video, and poster — ready for embedding in Shopify, Amazon, and other platforms. Each URL has a copy button. No authentication is required to access these URLs.
The JSON sub-tab provides the same data as a copyable or downloadable JSON array for programmatic integration.
Render cost depends on quality tier: Standard (540p) costs 1 credit, HD (1080p) costs 4 credits, 4K costs 16 credits, and ProRes 4444 costs 64 credits. Your credit balance is always visible in the utility strip below the tab bar.
| Pack | Price | Per Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 10 credits | $9.90 | $0.99 |
| 100 credits | $79 | $0.79 |
| 1,000 credits | $490 | $0.49 |
Payments are processed securely by Stripe. See Pricing for full details.
New accounts receive 10 free credits on signup — enough for 10 full-quality 540p turntable videos. These credits behave identically to purchased credits: no watermarks, no restrictions, and they work on any quality tier. Credits never expire.
Batch renders deduct all credits atomically — the batch fails entirely if you don't have enough.
Promo codes can be redeemed from the Billing tab for bonus credits.
View all credit transactions (purchases, renders, refunds, promos, referrals) in the Billing tab. Paginated, 25 per page.
Access account settings from the avatar menu → Settings.
Set a display name that appears instead of your email in the portal header and share pages.
Change your password from the Account section of Settings. If you signed up via OAuth (Google/Microsoft), you can set a password to enable email+password login as an alternative.
Enable 2FA from the Security section of Settings. DX.GL supports TOTP (time-based one-time passwords) compatible with any authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password, etc.).
When you enable 2FA, you'll receive recovery codes — store them securely. They allow login if you lose access to your authenticator.
Sign up or log in with Google or Microsoft. OAuth accounts are automatically activated without email verification. If your OAuth email matches an existing account, the accounts are linked.
Share your referral link (found in Settings → Referrals) to earn credits when referred users make their first purchase.
Access the support system from the avatar menu → Support. You can:
Available in Studio and Full modes.
Press W or click Workshop in the utility strip to open a full-width 3D model viewer and inspector. Workshop lets you examine any GLB/glTF model in detail:
Use Save GLB to download an optimized GLB, or Add to Library to import the model directly into your DX.GL library. You can also open any model from Models in Workshop via the model detail Manage tab → "Open in Workshop".
Press Esc to exit Workshop and return to the portal.
Available in Pro, Studio, Data, and Full modes.
Create API keys from the utility strip → API Keys (or the avatar menu). Keys allow programmatic access to the REST API for uploading models, creating renders, and downloading assets.
dxgl_sk_...) is shown once on creation — copy and store it securelyAuthorization: Bearer dxgl_sk_...See the API Documentation for full endpoint reference.
DX.GL provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets AI agents import models, create renders, check costs, and download results via tool calls. Works with Windsurf, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible host.
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
ingest_model |
Import a 3D model from a URL |
list_models |
List models with tag/pagination filters |
get_model |
Get model details and render history |
create_render |
Create a video or dataset render |
create_batch_renders |
Create multiple renders atomically |
get_render |
Check render status (poll until done) |
download_render |
Get download URL for completed video |
get_account |
Check credit balance |
quote |
Estimate credit cost before committing |
Add this to your MCP client configuration (Windsurf, Claude Desktop, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"dxgl": {
"serverUrl": "https://mcp.dx.gl/",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer dxgl_sk_..."
}
}
}
}
Replace dxgl_sk_... with your API key from the API Keys section above. All tools use the same credit system — use the quote tool to check costs before committing.
The Quote endpoint (POST /v1/quote) lets agents estimate the credit cost for a set of renders before committing. Returns the total cost, per-item breakdown, current balance, and whether the account has enough credits.
For prompt examples, workflows, and tips, see the dedicated guides:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
1 2 3 4 |
Switch tabs (Upload, Models, Videos, Datasets) |
← → |
Cycle sub-tabs within current tab |
/ |
Focus search |
S |
Select all / deselect all (Models or Videos tab) |
A |
Select all (Models or Videos tab) |
G |
Cycle view mode (Grid ↔ List) |
Shift+Click |
Range select |
W |
Toggle Workshop (3D model viewer) |
Esc |
Clear selection, close modal, exit Workshop, navigate back |
? |
Open in-app help |
Shortcuts are disabled when typing in input fields. Modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, Cmd) are passed through to the browser.