How to Enable Animation in AR on IOS Devices

Learn how to view animated 3D models in AR on iOS using SwiftXR. Step-by-step guide to exporting USDZ from Blender and enabling animations in AR on iPhones and iPads.

Augmented Reality (AR) makes 3D models more engaging, but viewing animated 3D models on iOS can be tricky. That’s because iOS does not support animations in GLB files, the most common format used for AR. Instead, Apple requires the USDZ format (Universal Scene Description Zip) to support animations in AR.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to convert your animated 3D model to USDZ and view it on iOS using SwiftXR.

✅ What You’ll Need

• An animated 3D model (GLB, FBX, or other formats)

• Blender (free 3D software)

• A SwiftXR account

Prepare Your Animated 3D Model

To kick start this, you will need an animated 3D model. You can either

1. Have an already-made animated 3D model

2. Create one from a 3D Software, such as Maya, Blender etc

3. Download from an online marketplace such as Sketchfab, TurboSquid, etc

Downloading a Free 3D model from Sketchfab

Import the 3D Model into Blender

Open up your blender, click on file menu >import, then select the downloaded 3D model from Sketchfab from your device.

Export out a .USDZ File and GLB File (If you don't already have one)

In the Export Settings on the right side, configure options for your USD file. Click Export USD at the top right of the file browser to complete the export

Import the Exported .USDZ file into SwiftXR

Open up the SwiftXR editor. Click on the AR component and upload the file you downloaded from Sketchfab. Then head over to the right hand side of the editor, click on properties > advanced settings> manual USDZ IOS upload. Then add your exported model from blender.

View in Augmented Reality

After publishing your project, you can scan the QR code to view your model with your IOS device in your space