Model Explorer by ZeroXR

How to view a GLB or USDZ file in AR on an Android phone

Open 0xr.space in Chrome on an ARCore-capable Android phone, import the file, and press View in your space. The camera view opens and the model stands in the room at the size it was authored. The file is decoded on the phone and is not uploaded.

Android has no system-wide equivalent of iPhone's Quick Look for a file sitting in your downloads. Google's Scene Viewer shows a model in AR, but only one that a web page links to from a public URL. For a file of your own, a WebXR page that reads the file locally is the short route.

Open Model Explorer

Updated · by ZeroXR, the maker of Model Explorer

Steps

  1. Open 0xr.space in Chrome. The phone needs Google Play Services for AR, which most Android phones from the last several years have.
  2. Press Open and choose the .glb, .gltf folder, .usdz, .obj, .stl or .fbx from the phone's storage.
  3. Look at it inline first: orbit, wireframe, section planes and the exploded view all work in the page without AR.
  4. Press View in your space and allow the camera permission. Move the phone so it can find the floor, then walk around the model.

Questions

Does it work on iPhone?

The inline viewer does, in Safari. Safari on iOS does not offer WebXR, so there is no in-room view there; for a USDZ, iOS Quick Look already covers that.

Why does nothing happen when I press View in your space?

The browser did not offer an AR session. That usually means the phone is not ARCore-certified, Google Play Services for AR is missing or out of date, or the page is open in a browser other than Chrome.

Is the size accurate?

It is the size the file declares. glTF is defined in metres, so a model authored to real dimensions is placed at real size; a model authored without units can be far too large or too small, and you can scale it by hand.

Is my file uploaded?

No. It is read by the browser on the phone and stored there. Nothing is sent to a server unless you create a share link yourself.

Other guides

Browse all 3D models