Power BI Connector 3.5.0: Breaking Changes to 3D Visual - Migration Guide

[gokermu (Mucahit Bilal GOKER)]

Hey @community,

We’ve released version 3.5.0 of the Speckle Power BI Connector and 3D Visual with an important architectural change that simplifies deployment but requires action for some users.

You can download the latest version here⬇️.

TL;DR

• Power BI connector and 3D visual now work independently without Desktop Service
• Breaking Change: 3D visual now uses “Model Info” input instead of “Version Object ID”
• Action Required: If updating both connector and visual, you’ll need to re-add the 3D visual to existing reports

What changed?

In version 3.5.0, we’ve removed the Desktop Service dependency by replacing the “Version Object ID” input with a new “Model Info” input in the 3D visual.

• Power BI connector now runs independently, making data gateway configuration much easier
• Both the connector and 3D visual can now run on Power BI Web. No need to publish from Desktop with Desktop Service running.

Migration guide

Do I Need to Do Anything?

It depends on your update path. In your existing reports, if you are:

1. Staying on Older Versions

   Versions: Data Connector < 3.5.0 AND 3D Visual < 3.5.0

   If you’re happy with your current setup and don’t plan to update, you don’t need to do anything. Everything will continue working as before.

2. Updating Connector Only

   Versions: Data Connector ≥ 3.5.0 AND 3D Visual < 3.5.0

   You can safely update to the latest data connector without touching your 3D visuals. The new connector maintains backward compatibility with older visual versions through the “Version Object ID” field, so your existing reports will continue to work without any changes.

   Action: None required

3. Updating Both Connector and Visual

   Versions: Data Connector ≥ 3.5.0 AND 3D Visual ≥ 3.5.0

   If you want to update both the connector and the 3D visual to 3.5.0 or later, you’ll need to manually migrate your existing reports. This is because the new visual uses “Model Info” instead of “Version Object ID” as an input field.

   Action: Manual migration required for existing reports

   Steps to update your reports:

   1. From the Visualizations pane, select the More options (…) menu.
   2. Go to Documents/Power BI Desktop/Custom Visuals.
   3. Select the new version of Speckle’s 3D visual.
   4. Select Open.
   5. When prompted with the update warning, select Update.
   6. In your report, select instances of Speckle’s 3D visual.
   7. From the Visualizations pane, select Table visual to replace the 3D visual temporarily.
   8. Select Speckle’s 3D visual from the Visualizations pane again to apply the new version.

For New Reports

If you’re creating new reports with version 3.5.0+, simply use the “Model Info” input when configuring the 3D visual. The workflow remains otherwise unchanged.

If you run into any issues during migration or have questions about the new setup, drop a comment below and I’ll be happy to help!