What is 3d-tiles-samples?

3D Tiles is an open format for streaming massive 3D geospatial content, like city-scale building models, point clouds, and terrain, so it loads efficiently in a browser or app just like streaming a map. The 3d-tiles-samples repository provides ready-to-use example datasets that demonstrate how the format works in practice. Think of these samples as a showroom. Each tileset showcases a specific feature or technique, complete with a screenshot so you can see what it looks like before you open it. You can explore how level-of-detail switching works (where distant objects render with less detail to save resources), how request volumes control when content loads, or how metadata can be attached to buildings and other objects. The repository includes examples for both version 1.0 and the newer 1.1 of the specification, along with samples that demonstrate specialized glTF extensions for attaching features and metadata to 3D models. This is primarily a resource for developers and teams building applications with 3D geospatial data, especially those using CesiumJS or other platforms that support the format. If you are building a digital twin of a city, a visualization tool for architectural models, or an app that displays point clouds from drone surveys, these tilesets give you reference data to test your implementation against. You can see how a correctly structured tileset behaves and use that to validate your own data pipelines or rendering code. To actually view the samples, you need to run them through a local server, there is a separate instructions file that walks you through that process. The repository does not include rendering software itself, it is purely the data and configuration files. The project is open to community contributions, following the same guidelines used by the broader Cesium ecosystem.