Preparing your 3D Files for AR viewing
SENAR LAB is designed for professionals who require a streamlined solution for visualizing and sharing their 3D models both in a web browser and in Augmented Reality (AR) on a smartphone or tablet.
This article aims to guide you through preparing your 3D files, ensuring they are compatible with SENAR LAB's visualization capabilities.
Supported File Formats
SENAR LAB supports a variety of 3D file formats including textured FBX, GLB, USDZ, and zipped OBJ files. Each format has its own set of guidelines that need to be followed for optimal rendering in AR.
General Guidelines (Applies to all formats)
- Ensure your model is built to the correct scale.
- Place your object at the origin (0.0.) coordinate system in the scene.
- Locate the pivot point at the center of the model.
- Convert TGA textures to PNG.
FBX files
- Make sure that the textures are embedded within the 3D model file.
- Remove all unused textures from the file. Even a single unnecessary texture can cause glitches in AR rendering.
OBJ files
- Upload a .zip file containing only one .obj file at the root level, along with the .mtl file.
- Ensure that texture paths in the .mtl file are relative.
- Place all textures in a separate directory within the ZIP file.
Export a 3D model from SketchUp
If you are a SketchUp user, please read this article that provides step-by-step instructions on exporting 3D models for SENAR LAB properly.
Viewing your processed 3D Model
Once your 3D file is processed through SENAR LAB, it can be viewed in two ways:
- Web Browser.
- AR Viewing: Open the URL processed by SENAR LAB on a compatible smartphone or tablet (list of compatible devices available here). Then tap the AR icon at the bottom right corner.
