To add a 3D product view with AR to WooCommerce, use the free Photo Sphere Viewer plugin: put a [psv_ar] shortcode with your .glb model in the product description, or use its AR 3D Viewer widget in Elementor. Shoppers rotate the product in the page, and phones that support AR can place it in their own room. Use a 360° panorama for showrooms.
Product photos show the angles you chose. A 3D model lets the shopper choose — turn the chair round to see the back, zoom in on the stitching, then see if it fits beside their sofa. This guide covers both kinds of immersive product content WooCommerce stores use, and how to add each.
Which kind of "360° view" do you need?
"360° product view" means different things, and picking the right one saves a lot of work:
| What it is | Best for | Photo Sphere Viewer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3D model with AR | A real 3D object, rotatable in any direction, placeable in a room on phones that support AR | Furniture, decor, electronics, footwear, anything shoppers want to "try" in their space | Yes — [psv_ar], free |
| 360° panorama | A spherical photo that surrounds the viewer | Showrooms, a product styled in a room, venues, rental properties | Yes — [psv], free |
| Turntable spin | 24–72 flat photos played in sequence | Simple spins without a 3D model | No |
If you already have — or can commission — a 3D model, it does everything a turntable spin does and adds AR.
Add an AR 3D model to a product
1. Get a .glb model
Export a .glb file from your 3D tool, manufacturer, or a scanning service. Before you upload:
- Keep it light. Aim for a few megabytes: compress textures and reduce polygons for parts nobody will zoom into.
- Center the model and set real-world scale, so it appears the right size in AR.
2. Host the file
WordPress doesn't accept .glb uploads by default. Either:
- Host it elsewhere — a CDN or cloud storage bucket — and use the file's URL, or
- Allow the file type with a plugin that manages upload types, then pick it from the Media Library in the Elementor widget.
3. Add the viewer to the product
Product description: paste the shortcode into the product's description in the WooCommerce editor:
[psv_ar src="https://cdn.example.com/models/oak-chair.glb" poster="https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/oak-chair.jpg" alt="Oak dining chair" height="500px"]
Elementor product template: add the AR 3D Viewer widget and choose the model URL or Media Library file.
Easiest: build it in the Shortcode Builder (in the Photo Sphere Viewer admin menu), check the live preview, and copy the result.
4. Set it up to sell
These settings are free:
- Poster image — shown instantly while the model loads. Use your best product photo.
- Alt text — describes the model for screen readers.
- Auto-rotate — a slow turn signals that the product can be moved.
- Shadow intensity — a soft shadow grounds the product so it doesn't float.
- HDR environment lighting — realistic reflections, so metal, glass and lacquer look right instead of flat.
- Skybox background — place the product in a scene.
- Width, height and alignment — fit the product page layout.
Add a showroom panorama
For furniture styled in a room, a hotel suite, or a car interior, a 360° panorama shows context a single product can't. Upload an equirectangular photo and add [psv] to the product description, or use the Photo Sphere Viewer widget or the 360° Panorama block.
Free info hotspots — up to five per panorama — let you label products in the scene with a short description and a link to each product page, turning one room into a shoppable display.
When Pro is worth it for a store
Photo Sphere Viewer Pro adds control that helps product pages look consistent:
| Pro feature | What it does for a product page |
|---|---|
| Custom camera orbit | Every model opens at the same flattering angle and distance. |
| Lock zoom and tap-to-rotate | Turns off zooming and tap gestures, so the product stays framed the way you set it — useful for a fixed showcase. |
| Unlimited hotspots with photos | Label every product in a showroom panorama and show its photo in the panel. |
| Full-resolution originals | Keeps large showroom panoramas sharp instead of WordPress's 2560px copy. |
| Priority email support | Direct help from the WPXERO team. |
Pro starts at $19.99 a year or $59.99 lifetime for one site, with a 30-day money-back guarantee — there's no per-model or per-view fee.
Privacy note
The AR 3D viewer loads Google's model-viewer script from Google's CDN, only on pages that contain a 3D viewer. As with any externally hosted script, this exposes the visitor's IP address and browser to Google, so mention it in your privacy policy. The plugin sends nothing to Google itself.
How it compares
Other plugins handle parts of this. Panorama by bPlugins adds a "360° View" tab for product panoramas, and WPVR has a Pro WooCommerce add-on for tour hotspots; neither plugin includes an AR 3D model viewer. See our comparison of WordPress 360° plugins for the details, or the complete Photo Sphere Viewer guide for every setting.
Get started free with Photo Sphere Viewer on WordPress.org.