How do I use the A/B wipe tool?

The A/B Wipe tool works thanks to two concepts within Nira: Asset versions and markups.

Asset versions

A new asset version is created when you add or update some files on an existing asset. For more info on how to do that, read How can I upload additional files to an existing asset?

Once you've updated or added files to an asset using the steps in the linked article, the asset will have version 1 and version 2. To view version 1, click on the asset in the file list as usual, then alter the number at the end of the URL. For example if you want to view version one of an asset, make sure the url ends with /1, then hit enter. When the page loads, you'll be given an option to open version 1 or the latest version. To open version 1, be sure to click on that option.

Important Note: When you upload updated files to an existing asset for the purposes of versioning and comparison, ensure that you name the files the same way you did in the prior version. For example, if you upload files named "Building.obj" and "Brick.png" to version 1 of the asset, the updated versions of those files must still be called "Building.obj" and "Brick.png" when you upload them to the asset. If they're named differently (e.g. "Building_V2.obj" and Brick_V2.png", then version 2 will show both the old and new copies of the files at the same time, which is not usually desired.

Markups and the A/B wipe tool

Once you have at least two versions on an asset, here's how you use the A/B wipe tool:

1. Open an earlier version (version 1) of an asset and create one or more markups on it. You can create a markup by navigating the camera to a desired position of interest, then clicking the "Create Markup" button. (Note, the "Create Markup" button is only available in Edit Mode, so you'll want to make sure you're in edit mode first).
2. After clicking "Create Markup", you can click "Done" to exit that markup, then repeat this process for various views of interest. With each markup that you create, you're essentially preserving a screenshot of the asset from that camera position.
3. Now reload the asset (you can just reload the page), but this time, open the latest version of the asset rather than opening version 1.
4. Enter edit mode, and open the markups you've created by clicking on the markup numbers (1, 2, 3) on the right toolbar. You will automatically be placed into the A|B wipe tool (note the active tool on the left side toolbar). On the left side of the wipe, your screenshot will be shown and on the right side, the currently loaded version of the asset will be shown.

Q: Is there an interactive mode with this feature that doesn't use markup screenshots? I'd like to be able to change to any possible camera view, and still have an older version of an asset on the left and a newer one on the right.

A: Not currently, but we plan to support it at some point. That feature will be known as "3D Compare".