3DView is a science tool that offers immediate 3D visualization of spacecraft position and attitude, planetary ephemerides, as well as scientific data (observations, simulations and models) representation. Orbits and attitudes are handled through SPICE kernels and related files from ESA or NASA repositories.

3DView was originally designed and owned by CNES. The software license is now GPLv3 (open source). The source code is available and any modification must keep the initial sources in GPLv3. CDPP advises any potential user to inform the 3DView team before re-using the code.

Recent important developments include: i) the ability to display ground-based instruments and their data when applicable in 2D; ii) the search for conjunctions between various types of instruments, ground-based and space-borne. These two new sets of functionalities are included in 3DView and are still developing. They are directly accessible from the main menu (Conjunction Search Tool).

3DView is connected via web-services to several large databases (CDPP/AMDA, NASA/CDAWeb, ESA/Cluster Science Archive) as well as to the LATMOS, FMI and SINP model databases. 3DView also enables planetary science data discovery through a dedicated EPN-TAP client, as well as a connection to the APIS database. IVOA SAMP is implemented for VOtable and CDF file exchange.

For a detailed description of the 3DView capabilities, please read the tutorial and the user guide. Read also the paper published in Planetary and Space Science and access supplementary information here.

3DView runs as a JAVA webstart application; it is compatible with Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10, 11 as well as MAC OSX and LINUX

JAVA 8+ required. See also java3D requirements and FAQ.
When using multiple screens, the 3D scene must be initialized on the main one.