How do you use Google's 3D Animals and Objects in Object View?

When you first open a 3D Animal/Object, you'll see an animated 3D animal against a white background in Object view. You can slide your finger on the animal to have it move up and down, side to side, and rotate a full 360 degrees so you can analyze every inch, from the backside to the underside. Zoom in by sliding your fingers out and zoom out by pinching them together.

You can tap the share icon near the bottom-right of your phone to share the 3D object through your preferred app, whether it be Twitter, Instagram, or as a regular text. When you do this, Google generates a link that goes right to the 3D item so people can just tap on it and instantly see said object.

How do you use Google's 3D Animals and Objects in AR?

In the AR view, move your phone around the room to map and process your surroundings. The animal will soon pop up, blended in with your environment. This might take a few tries, so be patient. Once it works, the animal will appear on your floor, perched atop a shelf, on your computer desk, or wherever you want to place it.

1. When viewing a 3D animal/object in Object view, tap View in your space.
2. Tap Give access.

3. Tap Allow all the time.

   

4. Tap Allow.
5. Your 3D animal/object will appear before your eyes.

6. Move around with your phone to look at it from different angles.

   

To change the animal's orientation to see the backside and tail of a cute French bulldog, for example, hold one finger on the animal/object and rotate it with another. You don't get the same 360-degree ability to view things like the underside or top of a duck as you would in Object view, but you can turn the animal around, so it's facing different directions.

If you hold the phone still, the animals will do things on their own, too (like wag a tail, hop, or sniff). The tiger, for example, will open its mouth to roar, and the snake will inspect its surroundings.

In this AR mode, you can also resize an animal/object by pinching and zooming on it. It'll be set at 100% by default to give you an idea of what it looks like in real life, but it can be fun to mess with the different sizes. Additionally, if you want to move a 3D animal/object to a different part of the room, place one finger on the animal and drag it to where you want it.

What is object blending and how do you use it?

Object blending is a feature available on Android devices that allows the animal to better blend into your real world. It allows the 3D objects to sense the world around them and adapt to the room/area they're in accordingly.

It's a neat way to make it look like a snake is hiding behind the couch, for example, more realistically displaying only the parts of the reptile that would be visible if it were actually real.

It's easy to use object blending. When in AR view, you'll see a small circle icon on the top-right with one half that's shaded and one clear. Simply tap that to turn object blending on and off. You need to get up close to the animal for it to work properly, and it takes a few seconds for the image to start fading out and blend in nicely. But once it's set perfectly, you can snap a photo to send to friends and family for a good laugh, and kids can have loads of fun playing around with it.

What kind of phone do you need to see Google's 3D Animals and Objects?

Google's 3D Animals actually work on many devices, including Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.

For Android, it must be an Android device or tablet with Android 7.0 or higher with the Google Play Store pre-installed.

For iPhones and iPads, the device needs to be iOS 11.0 or higher.

Some of the many devices that Google 3D Animals will work on include the Samsung Galaxy S8, S9, S10, S20, Note 8, 9, and 10; any Google Pixel phone; and select Android devices from LG, Motorola, OnePlus, Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi, Sony, and others. The iPhone 6S, 7, 8, X, 11, and most iPads will also display Google 3D Animals, provided the iOS is updated. If your device has the Google Play Services for AR app installed, chances are it will support the full Google 3D Animals experience. Google also provides a full list of supported Android devices and iOS devices.

Do Google's 3D Animals and Objects have sound?

Google 3D Animals actually do have accompanying sounds, which I could hear without issue on both Android and Apple devices.

The roar of the tiger is as menacing as if you'd heard one in real life, as is the grumbling of the alligator. The hissing of the Ball python as it moves around gives off the feeling that it's about the strike at any moment.

There are some cute ones, too, like the adorable bark and whine of the golden retriever or Welsh Corgi, the nay of the horse, and the quack of the duck. Even animals like the rabbit include audio with a quiet crinkling and sniffing sound as it searches for food and examines its surroundings. With the angler fish, another relatively quiet animal, you'll hear the sounds of water as it swims around on the screen.