Sketchfab Launches App-free Augmented Reality for Brands
Support for native augmented reality (AR) is now available for Sketchfab Enterprise customers, on both iOS and Android. This rounds out Sketchfab’s utility for eCommerce, marketing, education, entertainment, cultural heritage and other industries, delivering 3D online, in virtual reality and now AR.
Sketchfab AR allows for a very simple experience: all you have to do is click the new ‘AR button’ on any enabled Sketchfab embed to jump straight into rock solid AR on your device – no app install necessary. Brands like Deckers and SEB Group are already leveraging this new feature.
“AR is a great asset for Groupe SEB products, especially for those that will have to sit on a kitchen counter, since it will help shoppers in appreciating their real size” said Pauline Junne, EMEA eCategory Manager at Groupe SEB when asked about the feature. “That will reduce uncertainty and give shoppers more confidence when buying, thus increasing conversion and generating less return, which is key given the importance of logistical costs in eCommerce.”
On desktop devices, clicking the AR button brings up a QR code that viewers can scan with their handset or tablet camera to automatically open a model in AR on their device. It is also possible to right-click the QR code to download the image to use on a digital display, add it to an advertising campaign or print it out for location-based engagement marketing automation platforms.
Setting up existing 3D models for viewing in AR is easy. Once uploaded, Sketchfab converts all major 3D file types to both the USDZ and glTF file formats – the required AR formats for iOS and Android devices respectively. You can then check and update a model’s scale using Sketchfab’s 3D Editor.
Augmented reality is the newest addition to Sketchfab for Enterprise, a professional 3D visualization toolkit that allows brands to improve sales performance with 3D configurators, 3D for eCommerce and more.