How AR Preview Works for Physical Products
Augmented reality on smartphones works by detecting flat surfaces — tables, shelves, floors — using the phone's camera and depth sensors, then rendering a 3D model as if it's sitting on that surface. The model moves as you move the phone, maintaining its position in the real space. ARKit on iPhone and ARCore on Android provide the underlying platform that apps build on top of.
The quality of the experience depends heavily on two things: the quality of the 3D model and the quality of the AR implementation. A low-polygon model with flat textures will look obviously artificial. A high-quality model captured via photogrammetry or built by a 3D artist will integrate convincingly into a real scene.
For collectors, the most practical use case is scale and placement — getting a sense of how large the figure actually is relative to your shelf space, and whether its color palette works against your wall. Even a simple AR preview reveals spatial relationships that photos and descriptions don't communicate clearly.
Apps and Tools Worth Using Today
Adobe Aero is a free AR creation and viewing app for iOS and Android that lets you import 3D models in USDZ, GLB, or OBJ format and place them in your real environment. If you've created a 3D scan of a figure using Polycam, you can export the model and import it into Aero for AR preview. The app is straightforward to use and the AR quality is excellent on modern iPhones.
IKEA Place is the most consumer-polished AR placement experience available and, while built for furniture, it demonstrates the technology ceiling for what figure AR could look like. The company's ARKit implementation is highly refined — models track surfaces accurately, scale is correct, and the rendering quality is convincing. It's not for figures, but using it gives you a realistic expectation of what good AR should feel like.
Shopify AR is increasingly used by direct-to-consumer brands to embed AR preview directly into product pages. When a store has implemented Shopify AR, you'll see a 'View in your space' button on the product page that opens an AR preview in Safari (iOS) or Chrome (Android) without downloading any app. As more collectible sellers adopt this, it will become the standard way to preview figures before purchase.
How to Create an AR Preview of Any Figure
If no AR preview is provided by the seller, you can create your own using a 3D scan. Use Polycam or RealityScan to scan the figure as described in our 3D scanning guide. Export the model as a USDZ file (iOS native AR format) or GLB file. On iPhone, tapping a USDZ file in Files app opens it directly in AR Quick Look — no app required. On Android, GLB files open in Scene Viewer from Chrome.
For figures you're considering buying but don't yet own, search Sketchfab for existing community-created 3D models of the same figure or similar figures from the same series. Sketchfab has a large library of designer toy and art toy 3D models uploaded by collectors and artists. Many can be exported or viewed in AR directly from the mobile Sketchfab app.
Printable paper rulers are an underrated low-tech alternative. If you can't access AR, print a paper ruler at scale (most browsers have a print-at-100% option), cut it to the figure's stated dimensions, and place it on your actual shelf. This simple physical mock-up tells you more about size and shelf fit than any photo at unknown scale.
Limitations and Realistic Expectations
AR preview on a phone screen is a useful planning tool, not a perfect simulation. The rendering on a small screen in ambient room lighting doesn't fully capture how a figure's colors interact with your room's light sources, or how the figure's texture reads at close range. Use AR to evaluate scale and basic placement, then trust photography and in-person viewing for color evaluation.
The technology is best suited to answering the question 'Does this fit?' rather than 'Does this look great?' For scale, proportion, and spatial relationship to other objects on the shelf, AR is genuinely useful and accurate. For color matching and aesthetic harmony with your space, your eye and good reference photos will serve you better.
As more retailers adopt Shopify AR and similar tools, preview quality will improve and the friction of setting it up will decrease. For now, the DIY workflow of scanning the figure yourself and using AR Quick Look or Adobe Aero is the most reliable way to get useful AR previews of the specific figures you're considering.