Frequently asked questions

AcademicAR turns the 3D models behind your research into an interactive web viewer with augmented reality and a stable QR code, so readers can explore your specimen, molecule, or artifact from a paper, thesis, poster, or slide.

You can upload GLB, STL, OBJ, FBX and STEP/STP (CAD) files. We automatically convert and optimize them to web-friendly GLB (Draco-compressed geometry) and generate an iOS-ready USDZ for AR. The parts of a STEP assembly stay separate, so viewers can show or hide them in the Layers panel.

Yes. Upload a DICOM series as a ZIP and pick what to extract (bone, skin, contrast-filled vessels, or an automatic threshold), or upload a segmentation you made in 3D Slicer, ITK-SNAP or TotalSegmentator (NIfTI, NRRD, DICOM-SEG, or a ZIP of masks): each structure becomes its own layer with its volume. Remove patient-identifying information first; the raw scan is deleted after processing. The result is for education and presentation, not diagnosis.

Yes, on paid plans. Save up to 12 scenes per model (which layers are shown or faded, the camera angle, labels and a section plane); each scene gets its own link and QR code, opens in AR with only its visible structures, and plays as a presentation. You can also cut the model with a section plane, read structure sizes and the shortest distance between structures, export a high-resolution figure with a scale bar and legend, and share a before / after comparison of two models behind one link.

No. The viewer runs in any modern browser. On most phones and tablets, readers can also tap to place the model in augmented reality without installing anything.

Every model gets a stable QR code and short link. The QR resolves to the same model even after you replace the file, change its color, or upgrade its license, so printed posters and PDFs never break.

Access depends on the model's plan: Free access lasts 3 days, Academic gives 3 years, and Extended Archive keeps it online for 10 years. You can upgrade a model at any time without changing its link or QR code.

Yes. On a public project, the Embed button on each model card copies a ready-made iframe, so you can place the interactive 3D model on a lab page, blog, course page (Moodle, Canvas) or repository alongside your publication.

You retain ownership of everything you upload. Uploading requires confirming that the content is anonymized where needed and that you hold the rights to share it.

Yes. AcademicAR works across disciplines — anatomical and medical models, molecular structures, biological specimens, archaeological and paleontological scans, geological samples, and engineering parts all render in the same interactive viewer.