When uploading content to Trace, it’s important to note that many assets—especially 3D models and 2D media—are often designed for other contexts like film, TV, video games, or traditional media. These assets may have unique characteristics, such as high polygon counts, unoptimized textures, or unsupported file formats, that differ from AR applications.

While most content can be used successfully in Trace, some assets may need minor adjustments or troubleshooting to ensure optimal performance in an AR environment. Our tools and guidelines are here to help ensure a smooth integration and don’t hesitate to reach out to our team as well.

You can upload content that has multiple types of content within it. It is recommended to use the following:

• 3D Assets
• Images
• Videos

Future updates will expand support for additional content types, including Text and VFX and more.

3D assets can cover a multitude of processes and techniques. These are the general considerations to have when uploading them into Trace: 

• File Types: .glb (recommended), .gltf, and .fbx (mixed results)
• File Size: Less than 100mb per 3D Asset
• Materials: Verify that the materials in your 3D asset are appearing as intended. Use the Trace Studio and its asset previews to visualize how your content will appear in the app.
• For individual 3D models, aim for 10,000–50,000 polygons, depending on object complexity.
• Reduce polycounts for complex models to improve performance without compromising visual quality. View our Optimize Content page to learn more.

• File Types: .mp4 (recommended)
• File Size: Less than 10MB per 30 seconds of Video. Try not to exceed 50 MB or 2:30 of video
• Other Considerations: 
  
  • Transparency is currently not supported due to .mp4 being our primary format
  • Compress videos to a target bitrate of 2–5 Mbps for 1080p resolution, ensuring minimal quality loss using Media Encoder, Handrake or similar compression tools.

• File Types: .png (recommended) and .jpg
• File Size: Less than 2MB per Image, under 1MB is preferable 
• Keep resolution to less than 2048 x 2048 pixels
• Other Considerations: 
  
  • To include transparency, use .png files, as .jpg does not support this feature
  • For background images or detailed visuals, use resolutions up to 2048 x 2048 pixels. For icons or small UI elements, resolutions of 512 x 512 or 1024 x 1024 are often sufficient and can help reduce file size.

To ensure smooth AR experiences, adhere to these performance targets when designing and uploading content for your scenes.:

• Polycounts
  
  • Maximum  500,000 triangles in any total scene. 100k-200k triangles is more optimal.
• Amount of Objects
  
  • Maximum 1,000 total objects in any total scene. Merge meshes where possible.
• File Size
  
  • Maximum 100MB per scene. Less than 10MB per individual asset

Our Optimize Content & Resolve 3D Asset Issues page goes in-depth on how to reach these targets on a per Asset basis.

For more Trace support, explore these overviews:

• ⚙️ Resolve 3D Asset Issues and Optimize Content – Fix common 3D asset issues.
• ⚡Quick Start Guide - Simple steps to kick off your journey with Trace
• 🎨 Trace Creator App Features – Deep dive into AR content creation on Mobile.
• 💻 Trace Studio Features – Manage projects, assets, and publishing
• 🕶️ Trace Viewer Features – Explore how visitors access your AR content on mobile and headsets.
• 📖 FAQ – Find answers to common questions about using Trace.

Create high-quality, smooth, and optimized AR graphics for ideal performance!