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3D Annotations & AR/VR with Sketchfab

This guide introduces Sketchfab as a way to publish, share, and annotate your 3D models.

Sketchfab's 3D Viewer

The main component of Sketchfab is the 3D viewer, which can be viewed on the Sketchfab website or can be embedded on other webpages, as seen here.


ARVR-iconsThis particular model includes description information/images on the main model page, as well as annotations to highlight key features of the model. You can also view the model using augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) if you have the necessary equipment to do so.

  • To view the model in AR, open the model webpage using the browser on a mobile device and select the AR icon on the bottom right menu (left in the above image); Note: some features are exclusive to different plans; for now, the App-Free AR feature is limited to models on Enterprise accounts. It will not appear in a viewer when the creator does not have an Enterprise account or did not enable AR viewing.
  • To view the model in VR, you need to access the model webpage on a device connected to a VR headset and select the VR icon on the bottom right menu (right in the above image),

The 3D Model Featured

There are multiple ways to create a 3D model. For the example above, the 3D model was created using a process called photogrammetry and software called Agisoft Metashape. The process uses 3D photographs of a real-world object (in this case, a modern reproduction of a medieval carving) to create a digital version. One photograph from this process is visible here.