Installation

This guide covers everything you need to install Aspose.3D FOSS for TypeScript and confirm that it is working correctly before you write your first 3D processing script.

Prerequisites

Ensure the following are installed and on your PATH before proceeding:

To check your versions:

node --version   # v16.x.x or later
npm --version    # 7.x or later
npx tsc --version  # Version 5.x.x

Step 1: Create a Project (if needed)

If you are adding Aspose.3D to an existing TypeScript project, skip this step and go directly to Step 2.

For a fresh project:

mkdir my-3d-project && cd my-3d-project
npm init -y
npm install -D typescript ts-node @types/node

Step 2: Install @aspose/3d

npm install @aspose/3d

This installs the package and its single transitive dependency, xmldom, automatically. No additional system packages, native addons, or compilers are required. The installation is complete when @aspose/3d appears in your package.json under dependencies.

Verify the install:

ls node_modules/@aspose/3d

You should see the package directory with package.json, type definition files (.d.ts), and compiled JavaScript.

Step 3: Configure TypeScript

Add or update tsconfig.json in your project root with the following settings. These are required for full compatibility with the library’s type definitions and CommonJS output:

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "ES2020",
    "module": "commonjs",
    "moduleResolution": "node",
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "strict": true,
    "outDir": "dist",
    "rootDir": "src"
  },
  "include": ["src/**/*.ts"],
  "exclude": ["node_modules", "dist"]
}

Key settings and why they matter:

Step 4: Verify the Installation

Create src/verify.ts with the following minimal import test:

import { Scene } from '@aspose/3d';

const scene = new Scene();
console.log('Aspose.3D FOSS for TypeScript is installed correctly.');
console.log('rootNode name:', scene.rootNode.name);

Compile and run:

npx tsc
node dist/verify.js

Expected output:

Aspose.3D FOSS for TypeScript is installed correctly.
rootNode name: RootNode

If you prefer to skip the compile step during development, run directly with ts-node:

npx ts-node src/verify.ts

Step 5: Quick Start: Load a Scene and Print Node Info

The following script loads a 3D file and prints the name and entity type of every node in the scene. It works with any supported format: OBJ, glTF, GLB, STL, 3MF, FBX, or COLLADA.

import { Scene, Node } from '@aspose/3d';

function printNode(node: Node, depth: number = 0): void {
  const indent = '  '.repeat(depth);
  const entityType = node.entity ? node.entity.constructor.name : '(no entity)';
  console.log(`${indent}${node.name} [${entityType}]`);
  for (const child of node.childNodes) {
    printNode(child, depth + 1);
  }
}

const scene = new Scene();

// Replace 'model.obj' with any supported 3D file path.
// Format is detected automatically from binary magic numbers.
scene.open('model.obj');

console.log('Scene loaded. Node hierarchy:');
printNode(scene.rootNode);

Save this as src/quickstart.ts and run it:

npx ts-node src/quickstart.ts

For an OBJ file with one mesh named Cube, the output will look like:

Scene loaded. Node hierarchy:
  RootNode [(no entity)]
    Cube [Mesh]

Dependency Notes

Aspose.3D FOSS for TypeScript has exactly one runtime dependency:

You do not need to install xmldom manually. It will appear in your node_modules after the main install command. There are no native addons (.node files) and no system libraries required.

Next Steps

Now that the library is installed and verified:

• Read the Developer Guide for a complete walkthrough of all feature areas.
• See Features and Functionalities for format support details, scene-graph patterns, material and animation APIs, and full TypeScript code examples.