You can view any 3D model in Virtual Reality using a VR headset (such as the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift) and a compatible browser.
Setup Instructions
Google Chrome is currently the most reliable browser to use for VR in most circumstances. These instructions are for Chrome on Windows 10.
- Install Steam and SteamVR
- In Chrome/Chromium, go to chrome://flags and set these flags to these values:
- WebXR Device API: Enabled
- Force WebXR Runtime: SteamVR (OpenVR)
Viewing Instructions
- Turn on your device
- HTC Vive: Turn on SteamVR
- Oculus Rift: Allow external apps
- Start VR Mode on any Sketchfab model page.
Compatibility
The web browser you need to use to view models in VR depends on the headset you're using.
Browsers marked by an asterisk (*) should work, but may be less reliable.
| Device | Browser(s) |
| Oculus Rift |
Chrome, Firefox* |
| HTC Vive |
Chrome, Firefox* |
| Windows Mixed Reality |
Chrome, Firefox* |
| Oculus Go | Oculus Browser |
| Oculus Quest | Oculus Browser |
| Cardboard | Chrome*, Firefox* |
| Windows Mixed Reality | Edge |
Adjusting resolution
Sketchfab reduces resolution to ensure a frame rate for a good VR experience. If you want to bypass this reduction, particularly in Oculus Quest, you can use these custom parameters at the end of your model's URL:
/embed?&pratio=2.5&vr_scale_rtt=1&autostart=1&maxDevicePixelRatio=1.5
Need more help? Try asking in the Forum.
Comments
104 comments
@geogan thanks for your concern. I tried scanning this chrome version but no threats detected.. and it is still the only browser that shows me skechfab in oculus rift (in firefox i hit vr button and in rift i see oculus home fade to black and then it fades back to oculus home.. no model from skechfab from firefox ..)
Are these devices need wifi to use? I need this device but sometime I will not have wifi access. So at that time can I use this device? And one more question that will it helpful for my Netgear Router Support USA business? If yes then tell me how.
@pedro655 - in general, you don't need an Internet connection to use VR headsets, but you do need Internet to view Sketchfab models. I don't really know about your second question...
@James - James, did the question below you asked 3 yrs ago (about HoloLens use) within this thread ever get answered? i.e. I have been searching the pages within this thread for the posted question, but was unable to locate.
Hello,
The team at Microsoft was working on something internally, but we have not heard anything about it lately.
Okay, thank you for your reply James.
Hi James - Are there more detailed instructions for how to get web-based viewing working on Google Chrome and SteamVR/HTC VIVE anywhere? Recent versions of Chrome on Windows 10 state that they support WebVR; I turned on the enable-webvr flag in Chrome's flags and restarted the browser, and when I click on the icon to view a model in VR all that happens is that the lighting and background color of the rendered image change -- nothing special happens in the headset, which just stays displaying whatever it was displaying before. I'm not seeing anything special appear in the console in developer tools when I do this, either.
Hi James.
I am watching VR in Oculus through Firefox.
Firefox's screen is split in two, but is there a way to display one screen in full size of window?
I also want to follow the display of the browser according to the movement of the headset.
@Yo.Sugimoto If you add ?preserve_drawing_buffer=1&vr_stereo=0 to the model URL, you should be able to mirror the headset's display in the browser with a single screen.
@ksleet Does it work in Firefox?
@James It does work in Firefox Nightly, sort of. FF crashed when I hit the menu button on one of the Vive controllers, and I had to restart it. After I got back in, none of the buttons on the controllers did anything. But I was able to view models.
Thank you for your reply James. I will try it.
So I've enabled WebVR and external apps on Oculus is enabled but when I press the VR button on a model's page it doesn't do much. There are changes to the model (the background might disappear for example) but it doesn't allow me to view it in VR.
@noodlecake - Can you try adding "?preserve_drawing_buffer=1" to the end of the model URL?
e.g. https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/cube-test-442c548d94744641ba279ae94b5f45ec?preserve_drawing_buffer=1
It's okay. I just used Firefox instead of Chrome. Worked by default.
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