Google AR Prototype Enables 3D Model Viewing Through Web Browsers

Google AR Prototype Enables 3D Model Viewing Through Web Browsers

Obviously, Google needs to be the caretaker for augmented reality on the web, and its most recent move in this undertaking is a 3D model viewer prototype called Article that is intended to work across all web browsers.

Google AR prototype 3d model viewing through web browsers

On traditional desktop PCs and mobile browsers, Article can inspect 3D models with mouse or touch inputs. On AR-enabled browsers running on gadgets that support ARKit or ARCore, users can tap an AR button to see the model in augmented reality.

The experience starts with a reticle to signify that the device is looking for and then has detected a horizontal surface. Tapping the reticle puts the 3D model in the user’s personal space. From that point, users can view the model from different edges at a life-like scale. Users can then modify the position of the object with on-screen touch gestures.. Article also taps into the ambient lighting features of the AR toolkits to render shadows and blend the model with its environment.

Google AR prototype 3d model viewing through web browsers

“There’s immense potential for AR on the web—it could be utilized as a part of shopping, education, entertainment, and that’s just the beginning. Article is just one in a series of prototypes, and there’s so much left to explore—from utilizing light estimation to more seamlessly blend 3D objects with the real world, to adding diegetic UI comments to particular positions on the model,” wrote Google Daydream WebXR team members Reza Ali (a UX architect) and Josh Carpenter (the group’s UX lead) in a blog post previewing the AR instrument. “Mobile AR on the web is incredibly fun right now because there’s a lot to be discovered.”

Article is built on Three.js, a well-documented Javascript library that enables more developers to take advantage of WebGL APIs for 2D and 3D graphics. The team notes that the mobile AR experience works best with low polygon-count models in environments, limited sources of light, and decreased shadow resolution. For swifter iterations, the also team employed a desktop AR emulator that enabled nearly instantaneous previews of changes on the desktop before pushing the content to mobile devices.

You may want to check different 3D models


The prototype was made available for download via GitHub on Monday. In addition to a device that supports ARCore or ARKit, the experience requires a prototype browser for Android or iOS.

Google AR prototype 3d model viewing through web browsers