Server side Exchange

This sample illustrates how to create an interactive 3D model Web viewer from uploading a CAD file to visualization.
Server side loads a CAD file using HOOPS Exchange and exports SC model using libconverter of HOOPS Communicator. By using Exchange and libconverter separately instead of HC Converter, import options and advanced features of Exchange which are not supported by Converter can be used.
Farthermore, by keeping imported model with Exchange, Exchange APIs can be called from client side interactively.
This sample was developed for the following article of Tech Soft 3D Forum:
https://forum.techsoft3d.com/t/how-hoops-communicator-can-use-server-side-exchange-processes/1841

Dependencies

SDKs in use (version)

• HOOPS Communicator (2024.1.0)
• HOOPS Exchange (2024.1.0)

Third paty module

• libmicrohttpd (1.0.0)
  https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/libmicrohttpd/

Tested server platforms

• Ubuntu server 20.04 LTS AWE EC2 instance
• Windows 10
• MacOS 12.4

Setup

Demo folders

 + server_side_exchange
  + ExServer
   + Makefile (for Linux / MacOS)
   + VS2019_ExServer.bat (for Windows)
  + main.html
  + js
   + main.js
  + HttpServer.js
  + package.json
 + src (copy src folder here from \web_viewer)

Build ExServer

ExServer is a server side console application which is using HOOPS Exchange and HC libconverter.

Linux / MacOS

1. Unzip HOOPS Exchange SDK and locate a valid hoops_license.h in includ/
2. Unzip HOOPS Communicator SDK and locate a valid hoops_license.h in authoring/libconverter/include/
3. Unzip libmicrohttpd and install with root user
   ./configure && make && make install
4. Edit ExServer/Makefile according to your environment
5. Set library path
   Linux
   export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib:/path/to/HOOPS_Communicator/authoring/converter/bin/linux64
   MacOS
   export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib:/path/to/HOOPS_Communicator/authoring/converter/bin/macos
   
6. Build sudo make

Windows

1. Unzip HOOPS Exchange SDK and locate a valid hoops_license.h in includ/
2. Unzip HOOPS Communicator SDK and locate a valid hoops_license.h in authoring/libconverter/include/
3. Unzip libconverter SDK
4. Register the following enviroment valiables
   Name: EX_SERVER_WORKING_DIR Value: path¥to¥temp¥folder
   Name: SC_MODELS_DIR Value: path¥to¥sc_models¥folder
   
5. Edit ExServer¥VS2019_ExServer.bat accoording to your environment and open ExServer.sln using the bat file
6. Build the solution

Start demo

1. Launch HTTP server with tarminal
   cd path/to/server_side_exchange
npm install
npm start
   
2. Start Communicator SC server (/quick_start/start_server)
3. Set library path
   Linux
   export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib:/path/to/HOOPS_Communicator/authoring/converter/bin/linux64
   MacOS
   export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib:/path/to/HOOPS_Communicator/authoring/converter/bin/macos
   
4. Set enviroment valiables
   export EX_SERVER_WORKING_DIR=/path/to/temp/folder
export SC_MODELS_DIR=/path/to/sc_models/folder
   
5. Start ExServer (giving a port number in command line argument)
   Windows: ExServer 8888
   Linux/MacOS: ./ExServer 8888
   
6. Open the main.html with server's port number (using Chrome)
   http://localhost:8000/main.html?port=8888