Struggling to decide whether that Ikea sofa would match your living room? Someone's come up with a solution, and it allows more precision than the AR tools that some brands are now using.
Ikea's website allows you to view many items in 3D, but that doesn't always help you get an idea of what they would look like in your home. A developer has made a free open-source browser extension that allows you to download the models, which allows you to bring them into the best 3D modelling software.
Apinanaivot's IKEA 3D Model Downloader is a script that adds a 'Download 3D' button to the Ikea website. That allows you to simply click to download 3D models of furniture or decorations as GLB files. The downloaded files are automatically named based on the product name and colour, making them easy to identify.
They can then be opened in 3D software. That way you could create 3D models of spaces in your home and import the models to test them out or put them beside other furniture before deciding whether to buy (see our pick of the best 3D scanners if you want to make 3D models of you're existing furniture).
The script works on IKEA sites in different languages. Just remember that this should be used responsibly and only for personal home planning – don't go putting Ikea's 3D models into video games or other commercial projects!
You can find the IKEA 3D Model Downloader on GitHub.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
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