{"id":775,"date":"2026-05-26T20:49:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T20:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/?p=775"},"modified":"2026-05-26T21:05:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T21:05:05","slug":"introducing-3dbug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/2026\/introducing-3dbug\/","title":{"rendered":"Introducing 3DBug!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full has-custom-css wp-custom-css-c7d7eb77\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3DBug-Logo-Horizontal.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-776\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3DBug-Logo-Horizontal.png 800w, https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3DBug-Logo-Horizontal-500x208.png 500w, https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3DBug-Logo-Horizontal-768x320.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was October 24, 2024 when we <a href=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/2024\/celebrating-15-years-a-retrospective-of-confidant-communications\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"601\">wrote here<\/a> about a big top-secret project involving Joomla. After over 600 hours of development and promotional efforts we are pleased to announce that 3DBug is finally here and <a href=\"https:\/\/extensions.joomla.org\/extension\/multimedia\/multimedia-display\/3dbug\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">available on the Joomla Extensions Directory<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is, of course, a huge achievement and an important milestone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is 3DBug?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">3DBug is a component that you install on your <a href=\"https:\/\/joomla.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Joomla<\/a> website. It lets you use graphics of any sort to build a \u201cworld\u201d. Within the world, you position \u201crooms\u201d. Within the rooms, you position \u201cassets\u201d. Rooms and assets can be associated with various digital media, including 3D models and scans (a.k.a. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gaussian_splatting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gaussian splats<\/a>\u201d). Furthermore it lets your world integrate with any content in Joomla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large has-custom-css wp-custom-css-ab7dc4c1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowork2-1024x475.jpg\" alt=\"Virtual tour with 3-D room view built with 3DBug Joomla component\" class=\"wp-image-777\" title=\"Virtual tour with 3-D room view \" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowork2-1024x475.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowork2-500x232.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowork2-768x357.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowork2-1536x713.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowork2-2048x951.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Virtual tour with 3-D room view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The end result is a versatile multimedia display and navigation system which can be used for virtual tours, games, e-Learning, galleries, site maps, and e-commerce among other things. A more detailed description can be seen on the <a href=\"https:\/\/3dbug.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3DBug website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why does it exist?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the years Confidant gained experience with a number of very interesting projects:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/portfolio\/interactive-maps\/\">Mapping and digital asset tracking<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/portfolio\/shelterbelt\/\">Browser-based applications<\/a> using <a href=\"https:\/\/haxe.org\/\">Haxe<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.openfl.org\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.openfl.org\/\">OpenFL<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/about\/joomla-development-saskatoon\/\">Many Joomla websites since 2004<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/portfolio\/3d-kitchen-application\/\">3-D graphic display tools<\/a> using multiple code libraries<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>E-commerce<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As time went on, a question began growing in my little brain: Is there any way I can combine all of this experience into a single product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large has-custom-css wp-custom-css-c0030d58\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"447\" src=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screen-Shot-2026-04-27-at-12.17.05-1024x447.jpg\" alt=\"Screen shot showing a map using SVG graphics being displayed in the 3DBug component administration context\" class=\"wp-image-778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screen-Shot-2026-04-27-at-12.17.05-1024x447.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screen-Shot-2026-04-27-at-12.17.05-500x218.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screen-Shot-2026-04-27-at-12.17.05-768x335.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screen-Shot-2026-04-27-at-12.17.05.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">3DBug administration interface with an SVG map<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dreams became more vivid, and as plans began to take root there were other fortunate developments rapidly advancing in technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joomlacomponentbuilder.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Joomla Component Builder tool <\/a>released some major updates which supported the latest version of Joomla.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.I. was becoming a very useful tool for debugging and solving complex coding challenges.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gaussian splat technology has been rapidly advancing as the new standard in immersive 3-D web graphics.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result of these three factors was that the project, which normally would require a large multi-disciplinary team, was streamlined into something which could be handled by a single person with spare hours over the course of about 18 months. So here we are celebrating!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large has-custom-css wp-custom-css-cf34a3d6\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"447\" src=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fruitstore2-1024x447.jpg\" alt=\"3DBug combines 3D graphics with your shopping cart system\" class=\"wp-image-779\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fruitstore2-1024x447.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fruitstore2-500x218.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fruitstore2-768x335.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fruitstore2.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Integration with shopping cart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What does the future hold?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It seems that this was an interesting enough project that Allan was accepted to be a <a href=\"https:\/\/conference.joomla.org\/speakers-list\/allan-dowdeswell\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">speaker at the Joomla World Conference 2026<\/a> in Potsdam, Germany. Leading up to that time we will be very busy enhancing documentation, securing development and\/or marketing funding, and doing promotional activity. It remains to be seen whether 3DBug itself will be a profitable long-term business or simply a nice portfolio piece. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have any need for this tool or have a custom application idea, please <a href=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/contact\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"424\">get in touch<\/a>. We&#8217;ll be happy to explore a solution for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was October 24, 2024 when we wrote here about a big top-secret project involving Joomla. After over 600 hours of development and promotional efforts we are pleased to announce that 3DBug is finally here and available on the Joomla Extensions Directory! This is, of course, a huge achievement and an important milestone. What is &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/2026\/introducing-3dbug\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Introducing 3DBug!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10,3,47],"tags":[33,6,19,38,48,27],"class_list":["post-775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","category-development","category-technology","tag-business-2","tag-haxe","tag-joomla","tag-openfl","tag-technology","tag-user-interface"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p28GE6-cv","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=775"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":786,"href":"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775\/revisions\/786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confidant.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}