3D file formats
GLB vs USDZ: which 3D file you need for AR on iPhone and Android
Trimata3 min read
To let a buyer place a product in their room or garden you usually need two files, not one. Android and iPhone open AR with different viewers, and each has its own format.
Short answer
What 3D file format do you need for AR product views?
Android phones show AR through Google Scene Viewer, which uses a GLB (glTF 2.0) file. iPhone and iPad use Apple AR Quick Look, which opens a USDZ file. So both files are usually prepared, or the USDZ is generated from the GLB. Google recommends a GLB under 10 MB and under 100,000 triangles.
What GLB and USDZ are
- GLB is the single-file version of glTF 2.0: geometry, materials and textures packed into one file. Browser 3D viewers and Android AR use it.
- USDZ is the Apple and Pixar format that iPhone and iPad open in AR Quick Look without any app.
Both store the same things: shape, materials and real dimensions. The only difference is which phone viewer opens them.
GLB and USDZ compared
| GLB (glTF 2.0) | USDZ | |
|---|---|---|
| Where AR works | Android (Google Scene Viewer) | iPhone and iPad (Apple AR Quick Look) |
| 3D view in the browser | Yes, the main format | Rarely used |
| Recommended size | Under 10 MB, ideally 30,000-50,000 triangles, no more than 100,000 (Google) | The lighter, the faster it opens on mobile data |
| Textures | Up to 2048 × 2048 px, JPG smaller than PNG (Google) | The same textures packed into the file |
| Shopify | Upload it, the USDZ version is created automatically | Upload it |
| How you get it | Exported from a 3D app | Converted from the model or generated in the browser from the GLB |
Sources: Google: Scene Viewer requirements ↗, Apple: AR Quick Look ↗, Shopify: 3D models on products ↗.
Do you need both files?
Not always. The open-source viewer model-viewer, which Trimata also uses, can generate a USDZ in the iPhone browser from the GLB (model-viewer AR examples ↗). Shopify creates the USDZ itself when you upload a GLB.
Still, for product pages we usually prepare both files: that way you can check how the model looks and how big it stands on an iPhone specifically, without depending on conversion in the browser.
How to prepare a file for AR: 5 steps
True dimensions. The model must be in metres and at real size, or AR will show the product too small or too large.
A light model. Bring the triangle count within Google's recommended limits and remove hidden inner parts.
Textures. Keep textures at or below 2048 × 2048 px and use JPG where transparency is not needed.
Both formats. Export the GLB and prepare the USDZ, or check that automatic conversion works.
Test on a phone. Open the model on at least one iPhone and one Android phone, place it on the floor and check the size with a tape measure.
Common mistakes
- The model was exported in millimetres or centimetres, so in AR it becomes a giant or a speck.
- Textures are too heavy: on mobile data the model loads slowly and the buyer gives up.
- The model's origin is not at its base, so the product floats in the air or sinks into the floor.
- Flipped faces: in places the model looks like it has holes.
- Glass and other transparent materials can look different on Android and iPhone, so check them on both.
A model suited to both a 3D view and AR is built from drawings or photos: see 3D product views. If the product has variants, the same model becomes the base of a configurator: What is a 3D product configurator?.
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- 3D configurator for WooCommerce, Shopify and PrestaShopHow a configurator is embedded in a store and where the buyer's choice goes.
- 3D configurator vs 360 product photosWhen spin photos are enough and when 3D pays off: comparison table and 5 steps.
- 3D configurator vs product rendersFinished images or an interactive model: how they differ, when to pick which, how to get both.
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