Google has packaged a prototype of a 3D model viewer called “Article” for developers to try out in virtual reality and augmented reality environments.

In a blog post, Article is shown on desktop as a fairly conventional on-screen experience. As viewers scroll down a page, an inset of the Article model begins rotating to indicate that it is interactive. Clicking on the model takes the user into fullscreen mode where users can rotate around the model at-will.

Most of the same will apply for mobile views, but when tapping through to the fullscreen experience, users will be able to see the camera view and a reticle. They can trigger the model to appear in a certain location in approximately real-life scale and be able to manipulate the model as well as walk around it.

Many visual cues have been worked into the project to get users acclimated to an augmented reality interface like lighting, shadows and surface locator guide. That said, this prototype of Article features a low polygon-count model, low shadow resolution and efficient lighting to maximize smoothness of the experience in this early stage.

Article is being tested on Android and iOS devices right now and you can link up to the GitHub at the source link below.