# 3Dslicer to three.js

**URL:** <https://discourse.slicer.org/t/3dslicer-to-three-js/34952>\
**Category:** Support\
**Tags:** segmentation\
**Created:** [March 18, 2024, 12:20pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/3dslicer-to-three-js/34952 "2024-03-18T12:20:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 2

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**Author:** ![lassoan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/lassoan/32/13_2.png) [@lassoan](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/lassoan)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/3dslicer-to-three-js/34952/2 "2024-03-18T14:48:16Z")

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I would recommend to use [OpenAnatomy extension to export to glTF format](https://github.com/PerkLab/SlicerOpenAnatomy/blob/master/OpenAnatomyExport/README.md) and visualize it directly using [3dviewer.net](http://3dviewer.net) web viewer (see for example how it can view a [segmentation directly exported from Slicer](https://3dviewer.net/#model=https://www.dropbox.com/s/38arwo2uhzu0ydg/SPL-Abdominal-Atlas.gltf?dl=0)).

You can discuss this with others who are doing similar websites - see for example this topic:

> [@Presents the 'Brazilian Fauna Virtual Anatomic Collection'](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/presents-the-brazilian-fauna-virtual-anatomic-collection/34782/18):
>
> Got the problems. I have to think if it is functional to reopen a no-transparency model when user click on measure tool. But I certainly will have a try in the ColorizeModel to address these questions. Thank you very much, best regards, Rafa

I’m not sure if it is worth spending a whole lot of time with three.js because its primary intended use is not scientific visualization. It has some pretty significant limitations, such as [it cannot render semi-transparent surfaces correctly](https://threejs.org/manual/#en/transparency), its volume rendering is very primitive, and it does not have basic tools built in, such as image slice rendering (in case anyone wants to look at the original image data). Now that VTK can run in the web browser, it seems to make more sense to use VTK-based viewers. A nice example is Kitware’s [VolView](https://volview.kitware.com/). We also plan to make more and more of Slicer directly usable in a web browser, leveraging VTK and webassembly. So, already in the short term, but especially in the long term, you may be better off if you remain in the scientific/medical image computing software ecosystem and keep using VTK (outside of Slicer now, but possibly within Slicer in a few years) instead of switching to three.js.

Regarding Blender: Blender will always remain a more powerful 3D modeling tool for artistic visualization, but most of the scientific use cases should be possible to cover just as well (and in many cases better) by VTK-based applications, such as Slicer or ParaView. You can already do a lot of modeling and set up of nice visualizations in Slicer; and if you miss any specific features then let’s discuss them, because they may be easy to add - as they may already exist in VTK and just need to be exposed.

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