Everything you need to know about PiqoAR.
The browser loads .obj and .stl files natively. Both are widely exported by Blender, Fusion 360, FreeCAD, SketchUp, Rhino, and all major 3D slicers (PrusaSlicer, Cura, Bambu Studio). Thingiverse, Printables, and MyMiniFactory all offer STL downloads for virtually every model.
On the Thingiverse model page, click Download All Files to get the .stl. Create a project in PiqoAR, upload the STL, enter the real-world height in mm in the editor (e.g. 200 for a 200 mm tall vase), then open the project on your Android phone and tap Enter AR. That's it.
WebXR hit-test AR requires Android with Chrome and ARCore. iOS Safari does not support WebXR hit-testing. However, iOS users can use the AR Quick Look flow: the editor exposes a .glb link per object that iOS Safari and the Files app open natively in AR with a tap.
3D model files have no inherent unit system — a door exported from one CAD tool might be 2.1 units tall, from another it might be 2100. The Real height field lets you tell PiqoAR "this object is 1800 mm tall in the real world." PiqoAR then automatically scales it so that 1 Three.js unit = 1 metre in AR. Once set, the scale is saved and used automatically every time you view the project in AR.
No app install is required to use the editor or view projects. For AR on Android you need Chrome and Google Play Services for AR (ARCore) — both are pre-installed on most modern Android devices, and ARCore is a free download from the Play Store if it isn't.
Yes. Toggle Public on a project to generate a public URL. Anyone with the link can open the project and view it in AR on their phone — no login, no account. You can also generate time-limited invite links with viewer or editor roles for collaborators.
Yes — use invite links to add collaborators with the editor role. Multiple editors can work on the same project. Changes are persisted immediately to the database. Live real-time sync (WebSocket) is not yet implemented, so collaborators need to refresh to see each other's changes.
The default upload limit is 50 MB per file. Typical STL and OBJ files from Thingiverse or consumer CAD tools are well under this. If you need larger uploads, the limit is configurable by the instance administrator.
Yes. The entire editor UI is static HTML/JS that communicates with /api/v1/* over JSON. You can build your own front-end, integrate with other tools, or automate project management using a Bearer token from your account.
Virtually all of them: Fusion 360, FreeCAD, SolidWorks, Rhino, SketchUp, Blender, Maya, Cinema 4D, Revit (via plugin), ArchiCAD, Vectorworks, TinkerCAD, Onshape, and all major 3D slicers. If your tool can export geometry, it almost certainly supports OBJ or STL.
No. PiqoAR requires a network connection to load your 3D files and persist transforms. The AR rendering itself happens on-device once the files are loaded.