EasyThree & AR: Previewing Your 3D Models in the Real World

Augmented Reality offers a simple, intuitive way to see your 3D models in real spaces, whether you're testing object, showcasing a product, or sharing a concept with clients. With EasyThree, preparing and exporting for AR is designed to be smooth and user-friendly.

If you're exporting a model from your favorite 3D app, such as Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, or Fusion, make sure it's centered at the origin point (0,0,0) and properly scaled before importing it into EasyThree.

Since EasyThree imports and exports models as-is, it's up to you to ensure the scale is correct and your model appears as expected in XR platform conventions such as WebXR, ARKit, and ARCore.
If needed, you can adjust scale using the Scale settings on the Model and Materials tab.

To ensure your objects appear at a realistic size when placed in AR, always double-check your unit settings before export.

When placing the model, you'll also notice a reticle, this helps anchor the object to flat surfaces like tables or floors

Once your scene is ready, you can export it directly from EasyThree. The system handles format conversion for iOS automatically, so you don’t need to worry about technical details. On iOS, the exported file is compatible with native AR viewers like Quick Look. On Android, the process is seamless, just open the file in any supported AR app or web browser and place your model.

If you heaving troubles with USDZ automatic export, an optional exporter lets you force object conversation and export before generating your AR-ready file.

To preview your model, simply open the exported file on your mobile device. If your device doesn’t support direct viewing, EasyThree generate a QR code that links to your model, making it easy to test or share.

Lighting adapts automatically to your environment, thanks to XR light estimation. This means your model will feel naturally integrated, whether you're indoors or outside.

Whether you're testing a lamp, a chair, or a full product prototype, EasyThree helps you preview it in context, without extra setup or technical overhead. Just export, scan, and place.

UV mapping is the process of projecting a 2D texture onto a 3D model. The letters U and V represent the horizontal and vertical axes of the texture map like X and Y in 2D space.

Why UV Mapping Matters

Without proper UV mapping:

  • Textures may appear stretched, misaligned, or missing.
  • Lighting and shading effects can behave unpredictably.
  • Your model may not render correctly in engines like Unity, Unreal, or Three.js.

With clean UVs, textures wrap naturally, and baked maps (like ambient occlusion or lightmaps) align perfectly with the geometry.

How UV Mapping Works

  1. Unwrapping
    The 3D model is "unwrapped" into a 2D layout like flattening a paper model.
  2. Assigning Coordinates
    Each vertex on the model is assigned a U and V coordinate that maps to a point on the texture.
  3. Applying Textures
    The texture is projected onto the model using the UV coordinates, ensuring accurate placement.

Common Use Cases

  • Applying image textures (e.g., wood, metal, fabric)
  • Baking lighting and shadows into textures
  • Creating stylized or hand-painted assets
  • Preparing models for game engines or WebGL

Best Practices

  • Avoid overlapping UVs unless intentional (e.g., mirrored textures)
  • Use consistent texel density to avoid blurry or stretched areas
  • Pack UV islands efficiently to maximize texture space
  • Check for distortion using checkerboard test textures

What is Texture Baking

Texture baking is the process of pre-calculating visual data, like lighting, shadows, and procedural effects and embedding it into texture maps. This improves performance and ensures consistent visuals across platforms.

Common Baked Maps

  • Diffuse (Albedo)
    Base color of the surface, without lighting or shading.
  • Normal Map
    Simulates surface detail like bumps and grooves using lighting tricks.
  • Ambient Occlusion
    Darkens crevices and corners to add depth and realism.
  • Lightmaps
    Captures static lighting and shadows baked directly into the texture.

Baking Resources by Software

Blender

3ds Max

Maya

What About UVW Mapping?

While UV mapping is sufficient for most surface texturing, UVW mapping adds a third coordinate"W" which is useful for:

  • Volumetric textures (e.g., 3D noise, marble, wood grain)
  • Procedural materials that require depth
  • Advanced shaders and triplanar mapping

UVW is to texture space what XYZ is to model space. If you're working with procedural effects or volumetric data, UVW mapping gives you more control.