The VR/AR tools are available in 3D Settings.
- From your model, click Edit 3D Settings or add "/edit" to the end of any model URL.
- Select the VR/AR panel in the top left.
The VR/AR tools in the editor let you configure how your model will be experienced with a virtual reality device or in augmented reality.
AR/VR World scale
This setting affects both VR and AR, but the behavior is different because of how those two viewing modes work.
AR
See the scale section of App-free AR.
VR
The scale is the most important setting for virtual reality and augmented reality. In VR/AR, you can really have a sense of scale. Just like in real life, you can tell when an object is big or small, far away or near. A 3D car could have the size of an actual car or look like a small toy, so it's important to get scale right.
On Sketchfab, your model remains untouched but you can adjust the scale of the world, represented by the floor and a standard character. Additionally, Sketchfab assumes models are uploaded in meters. So, if you export your 3D model measured in meters, the AR/VR world scale should already be correct by default.
The "World Scale" number in 3D Settings tells the Sketchfab viewer how many "units" in your 3D model file are equivalent to one meter. So, for example, if your models were exported in inches, you should set the World Scale to 39.37, because 39.37 inches equals 1 meter.
For reference:
- The character is 1,75m tall (5' 8⅞")
- Every floor tile is 1m x 1m (3.2ft x 3.2ft)
Adjust the scale until the size of the character looks right compared to the size of your model.
What's the right scale?
Most of the time, you will want to have your model to have the same scale that in real life. But sometimes, this could be impractical in VR:
Very small objects (like a pen or coin) cannot be viewed very closely due to the convergence limit of VR headsets. These models should be enlarged so that detail can be seen at a comfortable distance (~arm length).
Very large objects (like a tall building or mountain) will be hard to view entirely at normal scale. In VR, people can teleport on horizontal surfaces or walk around, but cannot fly around to get an overview of the scene. You can:
- Downscale to make them look like dioramas, so that people can walk around it
- Keep their real size, but make sure that the model remains navigable
For medium sized objects, you can scale them like in real life. To make things easier, you can create your model with 1 unit = 1 meter and click the dedicated button to use that scale.
Click Reset Scale to revert to the original world scale.
Floor
This setting only affects VR, not AR.
AR
In AR, the floor (or any other flat surface) is detected by the mobile device, and the model will be placed on that surface.
VR
Mobility in virtual reality can vary depending on the VR device used. Not all devices allow people to crouch or walk in the room. For a good experience, you need to set the floor level so that people can see your model comfortably only by using teleportation and reasonable head movements.
For small models, having them floating at eye level is usually preferable.
You can remove the floor completely by disabling Display floor for teleportation. This is useful for rooms and other large scenes where you only want to be able to teleport around real surfaces.
Initial viewing position
This setting only affects VR, not AR.
AR
The initial orientation of a model in AR (i.e., which side of the model faces the camera) is determined by the orientation of the model itself in the scene, not by the orientation of the scale figure.
You can control this using the "Straighten model" tools in the "General" section of Scene Settings.
The camera in AR will point in the same direction as the green axis points in Scene Settings. So, if the green axis is pointing away from you, and the red axis is pointing to the right, the model will load in the same orientation in AR.
In 3D Settings:
In AR:
VR
In VR, people can move around by pointing a cursor (imagine a laser pointer) to any horizontal surface and click to teleport there. Teleportation is efficient, compatible with many devices and doesn't make you sick. However, teleportation doesn't work well for unnatural moves, like going through a wall or jumping very high.
Choosing a good initial viewing position is important for people to understand what they are looking at and where they can go.
- Double-click anywhere in the scene to move the scale figure there
- Click the scale figure to select it and display the controls
- Click and drag the arrows to move it along the X, Y and Z axes
- Click and drag the small blue square to move it freely in the X and Y axes
- Click and drag the circle to rotate the initial view
- Click anywhere else in the scene to de-select it and hide the controls
Placing the initial point of view in front of the model works most of the time. This is the default setting.
For rooms, or scenes that are enclosed in a sphere/cube, place the initial viewing position inside the model.
If your scale figure is not standing on the ground, a warning is displayed. Click Move To Floor to automatically place it on the floor.
Saving
Once you've made your adjustments, including position and orientation, be sure to update your model's thumbnail image and default position with Save View and/or save your changes with Save Settings. You can return to your model by clicking either the model's name or Exit.
Also see: