How to host a 3D model on your website

Basically you need three things: a 3D file in GLB format, a place where that file is hosted and a viewer that shows the model to your visitors.

The GLB file is your 3D model, packaged in a format that browsers understand. The hosting ensures the file loads quickly and reliably, preferably from a server close to your visitor. And the viewer is the piece of software that renders the model in the browser: your customers can view the product from all angles, zoom in on details and on mobile even place it in their own living room using augmented reality.

Imagine you've had a beautiful brochure printed. You can't email it by stuffing the paper in an envelope, you need a digital version and a way to send it. With 3D it's similar: you don't just need the file, but also the infrastructure to show it.

You can, but it's more work than you might expect. You upload the GLB file to your own server and use a JavaScript library to show it in the browser. So far that sounds manageable.

In practice you quickly run into technical challenges. Your server needs to send the right headers so browsers are allowed to load the file. Without a network of servers close to your visitors, large 3D files load slowly. You need to test whether the viewer works properly on iPhones, Android phones, Chrome, Safari and all other combinations. Augmented reality requires specific technical configuration that differs per platform. And you have no way to see how many people actually view your models.

As an entrepreneur you want to present your products as beautifully as possible and focus on selling, not on keeping technology running. Every day you spend debugging your 3D viewer is a day you're not spending on your customers. Even if you have a developer on your team, the question is whether you want to burden them with maintaining something you can also get off the shelf.

At Virtualdisplay you don't have to worry about servers, configuration or browser compatibility. You upload your model to Portal and get two things: an embed code to place the model on your website and a shareable link you can send via WhatsApp, email or social media. The viewer works on every device, loads fast and automatically offers AR on phones. In your dashboard you can see exactly how many people view your models and how they interact with them.

What sets us apart is that you always know what you pay. No unexpected costs when your webshop grows, no more expensive tier when you get more visitors. With many other providers you pay per view, per interaction or per feature you enable. That adds up quickly and makes it hard to predict what you'll spend.

Installation is simple: copy one line of code and paste it on your website. Whether you have WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify or a custom website, it works anywhere you can paste HTML.

With Portal that takes three steps:

1. Sign up and upload your GLB file. Portal processes the model automatically and optimises it for the web.
2. Copy the embed code. That's one line of HTML you can paste into any website.
3. Paste the code on your product page. In WordPress you do this with an HTML block, in Shopify via the theme editor and in WooCommerce on the product page.

Your visitors can immediately view the product from all angles and zoom in on details. On a phone an AR button appears that lets them place the product in their own living room. Without having to install anything.

Portal costs €50 per month for up to 25 models. No extra costs per visitor and no limits on the number of times your models are viewed. Need more? You expand per block of 25 models.

Not everyone has a GLB file ready to go. With AI tools like Microsoft Copilot 3D you can experiment yourself: you create a free 3D model from a product photo. The result isn't always perfect, but it's an accessible way to discover what 3D can mean for your products. Want a professional result? Get in touch, we create photorealistic 3D models from your product photos.