AtlasVR 3D viewer
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Online 3D viewer: open models and view them in a VR headset

Drop an IFC, STEP, STL or glTF file here. The model opens right in your browser, with no upload and no sign-up. Put on a VR headset such as Meta Quest 3 and you stand inside it, or place it on your table in AR with your phone.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • No third-party ads
  • Your file stays on your device
  • VR with a headset, AR with a phone

Drop a file here

IFC · STEP · STP · IGES · BREP · STL · glTF · GLB · OBJ · FBX · PLY · 3MF · DAE · ZIP

Enter a code from your computer

The viewer on your computer shows the code under "View in a VR headset".

Your file stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded.

WebXR

Even better: your model in VR and AR

On a screen you look at a model. In a VR headset you stand in front of it or inside it: as a table-top model you can pick up, at full scale to walk through, or with passthrough right in your room. No app needed, just the browser on your headset. And with a phone you place the model in AR on your table.

  1. Open your model here on the computer and click View in VR or AR. You get a six-digit code and a QR code.
  2. In the browser of your VR headset, go to the address shown, for example viewer.atlasvr.ch/482913, or scan the QR code with your phone. The model comes straight from your computer, encrypted, with no upload.
  3. Tap View in VR, or View in AR for passthrough and on a phone.

It also works without a computer: open viewer.atlasvr.ch on the headset itself and load the file from its downloads folder or a cloud drive.

WebXR, the open web standard for VR and AR, is built into the Meta Quest Browser (Quest 3 and 3S), the PICO Browser, Chrome on Android XR (for example Samsung Galaxy XR and AR glasses such as XREAL Aura) and Chrome on Android phones for AR. On iPhone and iPad the viewer opens the model in AR Quick Look, Apple's AR view. Safari on Apple Vision Pro supports VR mode.

Controls in the headset

Grip button or trigger
Pick up, move and turn the model
Both hands
Pull the table-top model bigger or smaller
A or X button
Switch between table-top model and full scale
B button
Reset the view
Menu button ≡ or Y button
Show and hide the guide, with "Exit VR" on it
Joystick
At full scale push forward, aim and let go to teleport; push sideways to turn 30 degrees
Hand tracking
Pinch thumb and index finger to grab

Scan with your phone to see the sample model in AR

Open the sample model

How it works

  1. 1

    Open a file

    Drop the file into the box or choose it. No file at hand? The sample model shows how it works.

  2. 2

    Look around

    Rotate with the left mouse button, pan with the right one, zoom with the wheel. On a phone, use one and two fingers.

  3. 3

    Send it to your headset

    Click "View in VR or AR" and enter the address shown in the browser of your VR headset. Then tap "View in VR" there.

Which files does the 3D viewer open?

The viewer reads the common formats from construction, engineering, 3D printing and visualisation:

IFC
BIM models from Revit, ArchiCAD, Allplan, Vectorworks or Tekla, with storeys, elements and properties.
STEP, STP, IGES, BREP
CAD parts and assemblies from SolidWorks, Inventor, Fusion, Siemens NX or CATIA, with colours.
STL, 3MF, OBJ, PLY
Meshes for 3D printing, scans and point clouds.
glTF, GLB, FBX, DAE
Visualisations with textures and materials, glTF with animations too.
ZIP
Several files at once, for example a glTF file with its textures.

Your file stays with you

The viewer reads your file right in the browser, with WebAssembly on your device. There is no upload, no server that sees your model and no account. If you send the model to your VR headset or phone, it goes encrypted straight from device to device; our server only brokers the connection and forgets the code after 10 minutes at most. The file for AR on an iPhone is made in your browser, too. Close the tab and the model is gone. We count visits with Vercel Web Analytics, without cookies; file names and contents are never sent.

Frequently asked questions

How do I open a 3D file without software?

Drop the file on this page. The viewer recognises the format from the file extension and opens the model in your browser. You need no CAD or BIM program and no plug-in.

Are my files uploaded?

No. The viewer reads the file in your browser, and we store nothing. If you send the model to your VR headset or phone, it goes encrypted straight from your computer to the device, not through our server. So it is safe for confidential drawings and models.

Which VR headsets work with VR mode?

Headsets whose browser supports WebXR: Meta Quest 3 and 3S with the Meta Quest Browser, PICO headsets with the PICO Browser, Android XR devices and Apple Vision Pro (VR only). On Android phones, Chrome opens AR mode; on iPhone and iPad, AR Quick Look. There is no app to install.

How does the model get from my computer to the VR headset or phone?

Click "View in VR or AR" in the viewer. You get a six-digit code, an address like viewer.atlasvr.ch/482913 and a QR code. Enter the address in the browser of your VR headset or scan the QR code with your phone: the model goes encrypted straight from the computer to the device, with no upload and no cable. Some company and guest networks block this direct connection; your phone's hotspot helps then.

Can I walk through a model at full scale?

Yes. In the VR headset, the A button switches between table-top model and full scale. The joystick lets you walk and turn inside the model, for example through a building from an IFC file.

How large can my model be?

It depends on your device memory; there is no fixed limit. A laptop opens files of several hundred MB. In a VR headset, models up to about 1 million triangles run smoothly as a rule of thumb; above that, the viewer tells you before it starts.

Is the viewer really free?

Yes: no sign-up, no watermark and no trial, and no third-party ads. AtlasVR offers the viewer so that more people get to see 3D models in a VR headset.

From AtlasVR

Want more than a model viewer?

AtlasVR builds VR training for industry and vocational education: from high-voltage training for automotive technicians to construction trades and a crane simulator in use at AZW. Together with partners such as AGVS, suissetec and Campus Sursee. AtlasVR is an ETH Zurich spin-off based in Flüelen, Switzerland.

Want to show your own models on many VR headsets at once, in class, in a training centre or at a trade fair? Talk to us.

Book a demo Meet AtlasVR For training centres

More viewers

Every viewer opens every format. Each page explains its format.