How to get and use Google 3D animals

Google, the leading tech firm in the industry, keeps figuring out ways to keep us on our toes. From creating one of the most celebrated smartphones to pioneering driver-less cars, there’s practically no end to Google’s genius, and we are all grateful for it.

At its core, however, Google is still a “good old” search engine, and the company most certainly hasn’t forgotten its roots. After revolutionizing the way we search, Google has been striving to make everything more palatable and transparent, trying to make its search results more illustrative than ever.

The US-based multinational believes that there’s no better way to learn about something than seeing it up close, maybe even in your living room. And to do so, Google has sought the help of Augmented Reality or AR.

Since promising to incorporate AR in its search, Google has gradually rolled out a bunch of 3D animal models, all carefully crafted to bring out even the most minute details.

Today, we’ll tell you all you need to know about Google’s 3D animals, helping you get the most out of this Google feature.

How to get Google 3D Animals?

To make this feature as accessible as possible, Google displays the animals right at the top of the search — in a Google Search Knowledge Panel.

Example: If you search for “tiger” on Google, the Search Knowledge Panel will show a 3D model of the tiger, with the caption “Meet a life-size tiger up close.” You’ll also find a little “View in 3D” button over there, which leads to the AR experience.

Requirements

If you were hoping to experience Google’s 3D animals on your laptop or desktop’s bigger displays, we’re sad to inform that you won’t have any luck. Google has created this feature for mobile devices only — tablets included —and won’t be available on PC any time soon.

Furthermore, your device needs to be running at least Android 7 Nougat for viewing 3D results in your Google search. However, to interact with 3D characters in AR, you will need a more recent phone. You can check out Google’s device list for AR compatible devices here.

Apple users, on the other hand, will need iOS 11.0 or higher, coupled with iPhone 6s or newer.

Google 3D Animals for PC

Sadly, the 3D feature is based on AR and thus, your laptops and desktops are automatically ruled out for this feature. You will need an Android device or iPhone/iPad to use the 3D animals feature on PC.

What is a life-sized animal in Google?

Google uses AR to create life-size models of your favorite animals. After searching for an animal, you’ll see an animated 3D model of it in the Google Search Knowledge Panel.

Upon tapping on ‘View in 3D,’ you’ll be redirected to a white room where you’ll get a 360-degree view of the animal. Not only are the models anatomically accurate, but they also bark, growl, and howl just like their flesh-and-blood counterparts.

How to bring the animals to your living room?

Given you’re running Android 7/iOS 11 or higher, you’ll see an interesting button: “View in your space.” Tap on it and Google will ask you to “point your phone downwards and move it around.” After doing it successfully, the animal of your choice will appear on your floor, in all its unadulterated glory.

How to move and resize the animals?

Move the 3D animal

To move, simply drag the 3D model anywhere you like. You can move the camera to wherever you want, but do choose a suitable area to place the 3D animal.

Even more, you can walk to a different room while dragging the 3D animal to move it from one place to another. It will just follow the viewfinder.

Resize the 3D animal

The animals are scaled to 100% by default. But you can resize the models by pinching in and out. To bring the animals back to 100%, simply perform a quick double-tap.