The 3D Model Viewer is an interactive web-based tool designed to help you visualize and test the absolute position and orientation of 9-DOF (Degrees of Freedom) sensors, such as the BNO055 and MPU9250. This viewer lets you connect your sensors directly to your browser using the Web Serial API, providing real-time feedback on their orientation data. Whether you’re working on robotics, drones, or any project involving sensor fusion, this tool offers a straightforward way to monitor and analyze sensor data through visual representation.
In this 3D Model Viewer, you can see a virtual representation of a bee, which moves in sync with the real-time data streamed from your connected 9-DOF sensor. As the sensor changes its position in space—altering its X, Y, or Z orientation—the bee model updates accordingly, reflecting these movements in real-time.
To get started, select the appropriate settings from the available options. Choose the correct serial port and baud rate to match your sensor’s configuration, then decide whether you want to visualize the data using quaternions or Euler angles. As you adjust the sensor’s orientation, watch the bee model rotate and move along the X, Y, and Z axes. This provides an intuitive way to understand how your sensor interprets motion and orientation in 3D space.
This viewer is particularly useful for testing and calibrating 9-DOF sensors like the BNO055 or MPU9250, ensuring that your sensor data is accurate and ready for deployment in your projects. Whether you’re developing robotics, VR systems, or other motion-based applications, this tool gives you the insight you need to fine-tune your devices and bring your 3D projects to life.
Use Cases:
- Testing Sensor Orientation: The viewer is ideal for testing the absolute orientation of sensors like BNO055 and MPU9250. As you move your sensor, the 3D model reacts in real-time, helping you verify that the sensor is correctly interpreting movement.
- Debugging Sensor Data: Use the viewer to identify and troubleshoot issues with your sensor’s orientation data, ensuring that your project’s motion tracking is accurate and reliable.
- Educational Tool: For those learning about 9-DOF sensors and their applications, the viewer provides a hands-on way to explore how these sensors work, making complex concepts easier to understand.
Input data
Euler Angles
Euler angles are a method of representing the orientation of an object in 3D space using three angles. These angles correspond to rotations around the three principal axes (X, Y, and Z). Typically, these rotations are referred to as Roll, Pitch, and Yaw:
- Roll: Rotation around the X-axis.
- Pitch: Rotation around the Y-axis.
- Yaw: Rotation around the Z-axis.
Euler angles are intuitive because they break down complex 3D rotations into three simpler, sequential rotations. However, they come with a limitation known as “gimbal lock,” where two of the three axes align, causing a loss of one degree of freedom and making certain rotations impossible or ambiguous.
Data format:
Orientation: 155.56, -1.16, -4.44
Quaternions
Quaternions provide a more robust way of representing 3D orientations and rotations without suffering from gimbal lock. A quaternion is a four-dimensional complex number that extends the concept of rotation in three dimensions. It consists of one real part and three imaginary parts, typically written as:
- Q = w + xi + yj + zk
Where:
- w is the scalar part (real component),
- x, y, z are the vector parts (imaginary components).
Quaternions are especially useful in applications involving 3D graphics, robotics, and aerospace because they offer smooth, continuous rotations and are computationally efficient. Unlike Euler angles, quaternions avoid the pitfalls of gimbal lock and can smoothly interpolate between rotations (a process known as “slerp” or spherical linear interpolation).
In summary, while Euler angles are easier to understand and visualize, quaternions provide a more advanced and versatile approach to handling 3D rotations, particularly in complex or performance-critical applications.
Data format:
Quaternion: 0.9766, -0.0357, -0.0181, 0.2111
Thanks
The 3D Model Viewer is an essential tool for anyone working with 9-DOF sensors like the BNO055 and MPU9250. By providing real-time visualization of sensor data, it helps you ensure that your sensors are correctly calibrated and accurately tracking movement. Whether you’re testing examples from a sensor library or developing your own applications, this viewer offers a simple yet powerful way to interact with and understand your sensor’s output.
