How to Get Augmented Reality Assets Right
Preparing 3D models for viewing in a real environment through a phone, at real-world scale.
Imogen Clarke
Where most projects go wrong
The usual mistakes:
- Models at arbitrary scale
- Baked lighting in an asset meant to be lit by its environment
- Supporting one platform only
- Testing exclusively in a desktop viewer
What good looks like instead
- Model at real-world scale in real-world units
- Set the origin where the object would naturally sit
- Export both GLB and USDZ to cover both platforms
- Keep textures modest and compressed
- Test on both platforms, on a real device, in a real room
Why it matters
AR asset requirements are stricter than web 3D — the model must be correctly scaled, correctly oriented and small enough to download on a mobile connection.
The specs that matter
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Common formats | glTF and GLB for Android, USDZ for iOS |
| Scale requirement | real-world units, correctly set |
| Orientation | a defined up axis and a sensible origin point |
| Size constraint | mobile download over a cellular connection |
| Lighting | typically environment-lit, so baked lighting looks wrong |
Knowing when to hand it over
Tip: Bring in help when assets must ship for both platforms, when AR models appear at the wrong size, or when a catalog needs AR-ready assets at volume.
Where this comes from
- Khronos Group — glTF specification
- Apple Human Interface Guidelines — Augmented reality
- Google Search Central — 3D and AR structured data
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
Working on something like this?
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Where to go next
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