How to find 3D animals and objects on Google

Children can’t have fun without a cell phone anymore, can they? Google 3D models of animals and planets.

It seems that children can no longer have fun without a cell phone and, if you don’t see a problem with that, you can count on Google’s help. When searching for an animal or object in the search engine, a button activates its 3D version, in augmented reality, and the game is to find that animal or object, with the cell phone, in the environment.

More than ever, we must stay indoors now, during quarantine. However, this can be more fun when playing with 3D models on Google, available in search. Just use an Android or iOS smartphone (iPhone) and use your imagination.

Children can find domestic and wild animals, planets and several other models in AR (Augmented Reality), even including products from stores without much effort.

Augmented reality uses devices to add digital content to the real world. Unlike virtual reality, you don’t need headsets, glasses or other equipment. Just use your phone’s camera and an AR app.

All you need is a phone or tablet with Android 7 .0 (Nougat) or higher. Google has a list of all currently supported devices.

• Asus
• General Mobile
• Google
• Global HMD
• Huawei
• Infinix Mobile
• Kyocera
• LG
• Motorola
• OnePlus
• Oppo
• Samsung
• Sharp
• Sony
• Techno
• Live
• Xiaomi
• Zebra

Check if your cell phone appears in this list, in case something doesn’t work as expected.

For those with an iPhone and/or iPad, note that the ARCore system supports all ARKit-compatible devices running iOS 11 .0 or later.

How to find 3D animals and objects on Google

Now that you have everything ready and your Android or iOS device updated, just look for the terms listed below and then you should see a result that says “See in 3D”. Add the term “3D” to your search, you can do more accurate searches.

So for a 3D dog:

1. Open Google search (application or browser);
2. Search for “dog”;
3. Scroll down the page and find the “See in 3D” button;
4. Touch and you will see the dog in 3D;
5. Touch “see in your space” to see in augmented reality;
6. The system will “detect the floor” and overlap with the image of the dog.

Then, you can “take a picture” of the projection in your environment, together with the children and save it in the smartphone gallery to publish on any social network or website.

3D animals on Google

Technically, there is no official Google list of all animals available in 3D and augmented reality, but there are several known examples for you to test.

• Eagle
• Macaw
• Goat
• Horse
• Dog / Dog (generic)
  • French Bulldog
  • Pomeranian Lulu (Zwergspitz)
  • Labrador Retriever
  • Pug
  • Rottweiler
• Cat
• Raccoon
• Alligator / Alligator
• Leopard
• Lion
• Wolf
• Urchin
• Panda
• duck
• Royal Python (Snake)
• Octopus
• Pony
• Lophiiformes (Fish)
• Turtle
• Tiger
• Shark
• Bear
• Deer
• Cheetah
• Penguin

There are probably others and Google should add animals over time!

NASA

Google and NASA have also partnered to offer a vast collection of celestial bodies, like planets and their moons, but also some other objects like asteroids. You can find the AR versions of most of them by searching for names.

These 3D results, however, only appear when you see the NASA website (solarsystem.nasa.gov). It may be easier to include the term NASA in the search.

• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
  • Moon
• Mars
  • Phobos
  • Deimos
• Jupiter
  • Europe
  • Callisto
  • Ganymede
• Saturn
  • Titan
  • Mimas
  • Tethys
  • Iapetus
  • Hyperion
• Uranus
  • Umbriel
  • Titania
  • Oberon
  • Ariel
• Neptune
  • Merman
• Honourable mention: Pluto

In addition to the planets, NASA also allows you to view some of your vehicles and satellites as 3D models. Here are some of the search terms you can try.

• Voyager 1
• Apollo
• SMAP
• GRACE-FO
• Curiosity
• Spirit
• Cassini
• Juno
• Delta II
• 70-meter Antenna
• Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit

You can test your searches in English or Portuguese (or even in other languages).

Didn’t it work on your phone?

The system uses Google Play Services for AR to offer augmented reality experiences in apps created for the Google AR platform. If it didn’t work on your phone, you may have uninstalled the feature or it is out of date.

Thus:

Install Google Play Services for RA

1. On Android, open the Google Play Store app;
2. Find the Google Play Services app for RA;
3. Touch “Download” or “Update”.

You can also try body parts, cars, Santa Claus and other topics.

Related:

• How to Change Your Google Play Store Country
• 5 Best apps to discover the name of a song that is playing