How to add 3D and AR to your Shopify product pages

What Shopify supports today

Shopify treats a 3D model like any other product photo. You add it in the product’s media section, next to your images and videos. Shopify’s Help Center lists the requirements. A model can be a GLB or a USDZ file of up to 500 MB. GLB is the 3D file Android phones and web browsers read, and USDZ is the one iPhones read.

You only need to upload one of the two. Shopify says it converts every model so that both a GLB and a USDZ version exist, which « ensures compatibility with both Android and iOS based devices ». A file larger than 15 MB is also optimized automatically, which lowers its size and speeds up loading.

Three numbers are worth knowing before you start.

• A product can hold up to 250 images, videos and 3D models in total.
• Your plan caps the number of videos and 3D models in your store. Shopify lists 250 on Basic, 1,000 on Grow, 5,000 on Advanced and 50,000 on Plus.
• A 3D model can’t be used as variant media. If a sofa comes in three colours, the model shows on the product, not on each colour.

How the AR button appears on iPhone and Android

AR, short for augmented reality, places the product in the shopper’s room through the phone’s camera. Nothing needs to be installed, because both phone systems have a viewer built in.

Shopify’s developer documentation explains how themes do it. Shopify-hosted models are shown with Google’s model-viewer, a free component that displays a 3D model you can turn with a finger. For AR, themes use a Shopify library that opens AR Quick Look in Safari on iPhone and Scene Viewer on Android. Both are the phone maker’s own AR viewers.

In Dawn, Shopify’s free reference theme, the button reads « View in your space ». On an iPhone, a tap opens Quick Look with the USDZ version. On an Android phone, it opens Scene Viewer with the GLB version. Google’s Scene Viewer page says AR needs an ARCore-supported Android phone (ARCore is Google’s AR system) running Android 7.0 or later. On phones without AR, shoppers still get the 3D viewer on the page.

Check that your theme supports 3D

Shopify says every Online Store 2.0 theme it builds supports 3D models, and so does its Horizon family of themes. Most third-party themes have recent versions that do too. If you use an older version of a theme, you may need to update it first.

The quickest test is to add a model to one product and open the page on a phone. If no viewer appears, your theme needs an update, a code change or help from a developer. Shopify’s documentation points shops without coding skills to a Shopify Partner.

What makes a model good enough for AR

The upload is easy. The model is the hard part. Shopify publishes a checklist for the partners who build models, and it sets a high bar.

• The modeler builds the product at « the exact size of the real product ».
• The whole file should be about 4 MB.
• Textures, the images wrapped around the model to give it its colour and grain, should be no larger than 2048 by 2048 pixels for mobile.
• The model should use one material and one texture layout where possible.

Size matters most. In AR, the viewer places the model at the size the file says. A sofa built 10 % too small looks fine on a white background and wrong in a living room. Google’s Scene Viewer page states that one unit in the file equals one metre, so the model is placed « in true scale ».

Every model we build meets Shopify’s checklist and Google’s Scene Viewer limits, and passes our 14 quality checks, from true size to fast loading on phones.

Your three options

Each route ends in the same place, a model on your product page. They differ in who does the work.

Do it yourself

You can build models in 3D software and upload them. Shopify’s mobile app also has a 3D scanner on compatible iPhones, which builds a model from a scan of a product you have on hand. This route costs time more than money. Expect a learning curve, and check every model’s size and look on a real iPhone and a real Android phone.

Use an app

Shopify’s App Store lists 3D and AR apps with monthly plans. Most of them display models you already have, and some offer to build them. Here are some public prices, as listed on 22 Oct 2026.

• LEVAR lists plans at $59, $99 and $249 a month for 20, 40 and 100 uploaded models, and a free plan for one model. Its pricing page lists model creation separately, from $25 to $150 by complexity.
• Angle 3D Configurator lists plans from $39 a month for 10 products to $199 a month for 500.
• Picture It, an app for wall art, lists plans from $19 a month for 200 products.

Apps are fast to install. You still need the models, and you still set up and check each product yourself.

Use a done-for-you service

A service builds the models from your photos and dimensions and installs them on your pages. Modelry, run by CGTrader, lists custom models from $42 each on its pricing page. Ask any provider three questions. Are the dimensions checked against your product sheet? Who installs the model on the page? What happens when a model looks wrong?

Costs to expect

Costs fall into three parts. First comes the model, which is a one-off cost per product. Then comes display, which is often a monthly fee per number of products. Last comes your own time to upload, check and fix. The price points above show the range in public listings, from tens of dollars a month for display to between $25 and $150 per model built. Compare offers on the total cost for your catalogue, not on the monthly fee alone.

Start with your best sellers and your largest items. Those are the products where shoppers most often wonder whether the piece will fit.

In short

• Shopify supports GLB and USDZ models in product media and converts each one so it works on iPhone and Android.
• A theme built for it shows a 3D viewer and a « View in your space » button. Online Store 2.0 themes by Shopify support it.
• The model must be built at the real size of the product, or AR shows it wrong.
• You can build models yourself, display them with an app, or have a service build and install them.
• Count the model, the display and your own time when you compare costs.

Roomhero builds true-to-size models from your photos, installs them on your Shopify product pages and measures each one against your real dimensions, from €49 a month for up to 15 products. If you would rather not do it yourself, get your first model free.