Guide
How to view a 3D model in AR on iPhone and Android
Checked · against Apple's and Google's docs and our AR files
Short answer
Open the model on your phone and tap AR (View in your room on a sample or shared page). iPhone and iPad open it in AR Quick Look, which is built into iOS; Android phones open it in Google's Scene Viewer. Aim at the floor, not a wall, in good light, and move the phone slowly for 2–3 seconds until the model appears; then drag to place it and pinch to resize.
Every sample and every finished model on HI3D.cc can be placed in your room this way, free. On a computer, the AR button shows a code to scan with your phone instead.
What you need
| Device | What opens | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone, iPad | AR Quick Look | iOS 12 or later on an A9 chip or newer (iPhone 6s onwards); open the page in Safari |
| Android phone | Scene Viewer | The Google app, and Google Play Services for AR for the camera view; Chrome |
| Computer | A code to scan | Your phone's camera: the page opens on the phone, one tap away from AR |
Try it with a sample
Open one of these pages on your phone and tap View in your room. Each is a real HI3D.cc sample, made from one photo (the armchair from a text prompt). The first time, the phone downloads the file in the table; after that it opens at once.
| Sample | iPhone, iPad (USDZ) | Android (GLB) |
|---|---|---|
| Woman in a trench coat | 13.8 MB | 5.0 MB |
| Knight with cape and sword | 8.4 MB | 2.3 MB |
| Corgi pup figurine | 8.9 MB | 8.9 MB |
| Mid-century armchair (from text) | 10.4 MB | 3.7 MB |
On iPhone or iPad
- Tap AR next to the model, or View in your room on a sample or shared page. AR Quick Look opens straight into the camera; closing it brings you back to the page.
- Point the camera at the floor and sweep slowly from side to side. iOS shows “Move iPhone to start” until it has found the surface, then the model lands on it.
- Place it: drag to move it, pinch to resize (the scale shows as a percentage), twist two fingers to turn it, double-tap to go back to the size it opened at.
- Keep it: tap the white shutter for a photo, or hold it to record a video. Both go to Photos.
- Send the model itself: the share button at the top sends the USDZ file through Messages or AirDrop; on another iPhone or iPad it opens in Quick Look, ready to place.
- Look without the camera: tap Object at the top to turn the model on screen; AR takes you back to your room.
On Android
- Tap AR, or View in your room, in Chrome. Scene Viewer opens over the page.
- Point at the floor and move the phone the way its animation shows, until the model lands.
- Place it: drag to move, pinch to resize, twist two fingers to rotate.
- Keep it: Scene Viewer has no shutter, so use your phone's screenshot or screen recording.
On a phone without Google Play Services for AR, Scene Viewer opens the model in 3D instead: you can still turn it and zoom in, just not place it in the room.
From a computer
Computers can't do AR, so on a computer the AR button shows a code. Point your phone's camera at it: a sample opens on its AR page, one tap from your room. For a model of your own, the code opens it in your library, so sign in on the phone with the same account and tap AR.
Getting the model to appear
- Aim at the floor or a table, not a wall. Models are placed standing on a horizontal surface, and the camera needs texture to find one: wooden boards, a rug or tiles work in a second or two; plain white, glossy or very dark floors are the slowest.
- Turn the lights on. Even daylight or a bright room; don't point the camera into a window or a lamp.
- Move slowly and keep moving for 2–3 seconds. A phone held still sees one flat picture and can't judge distance.
- Stand about a metre back, so the floor fills the lower half of the screen.
- Give the first open a moment. The phone downloads the model first: 2–14 MB for our samples, more for a full-colour model of your own on Android.
Show it to a friend
- A sample: tap Send to a friend on its AR page, or copy the address. They open it on their phone and tap View in your room, no account needed.
- Your own model: open it and tap Share, then Create link, and send the link. Your friend needs no account: on a phone they turn the model in 3D and tap View in your room; on a computer they get the 3D view and a code that opens it on their phone. Viewers can place it in their room (AR) is on unless you switch it off: AR puts the model file on their phone, so turn it off for a design that isn't public yet. The page isn't listed or searchable, and Stop sharing turns the link off at once.
- A photo or a video: record it in AR (on iPhone, hold the shutter) and post it anywhere.
When it doesn't work
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing happens on tap | A browser without AR, or AR not installed | iPhone: open the page in Safari. Android: install Google Play Services for AR from the Play Store |
| “Move iPhone to start” never goes away | A plain, dark or shiny surface | More light, aim at a patterned floor or a rug, keep moving slowly |
| The model floats or drifts | The surface was found too early, or lost | Point at the floor again and wait a second before dragging it |
| It's far too big or too small | The file's own size | Pinch to resize; on iPhone, double-tap to reset |
| Android shows 3D, not the camera | No AR support on this phone | Check Google's list of ARCore devices; the 3D view still works |
| “Finish the model to see it in AR” | Only a shape preview so far | AR opens finished models; wait for the final model |
Questions about viewing models in AR
Do I need an app to see a 3D model in AR?
Not on iPhone or iPad: AR Quick Look is part of iOS and iPadOS. On Android, Scene Viewer comes with the Google app, and AR needs Google Play Services for AR, which most recent phones already have; if yours doesn't, the Play Store installs it the first time.
Why should I point at the floor and not a wall?
The phone places the model standing on a horizontal surface, the floor or a table, and it finds that surface by the detail in the camera image. Wooden boards, a rug or tiles in good light are found in a second or two; a plain white, glossy or dark surface gives the camera almost nothing to lock onto.
Why is the model bigger or smaller than the real thing?
A model made from a photo has no real-world size until someone gives it one, so it opens at the size its file was made at. Pinch to resize it; on iPhone, double-tap to go back to the size it opened at.
Can a friend see my model in AR without an account?
Yes. Send them a sample's AR page, or a share link to your own model: they open it on their phone and tap View in your room. AR is on for a share link unless you turn it off; it puts the model file on their phone, so turn it off for a design that isn't public yet.
Does a rigged character walk in AR?
Not yet. AR places the finished model as it stands. Its idle, walk and run play in the 3D view on HI3D.cc, under Rigged ✓, and in the GLB and FBX files you download.
Does viewing in AR cost credits?
No. AR is free for the samples, for every finished model in your library and for anyone you share a model with.
Does HI3D.cc see my camera?
No. The camera view belongs to AR Quick Look or Scene Viewer, which run on your phone; the web page never receives it, and HI3D.cc never asks for camera permission.
Sources
- How Safari opens AR Quick Look: WebKit, Viewing Augmented Reality Assets in Safari for iOS; Apple, Previewing a model with AR Quick Look.
- How Android opens Scene Viewer and falls back to 3D: Google, Using Scene Viewer to display interactive 3D models in AR; ARCore supported devices.
- File sizes: the AR files of our four samples, as served. More measured numbers: HI3D.cc facts.