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Scene Viewer requirements

You can use Scene Viewer on mobile devices and in desktop web browsers that support WebGL, a web technology that is standard for rendering 3D graphics. For best results, verify that your mobile device, browser, and hardware meet the Scene Viewer requirements.

Browser requirements

Scene Viewer supports the latest versions of the following browsers:

  • Google Chrome
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Safari

Only WebGL-enabled, 64-bit browsers are supported.

The latest versions of the most common desktop browsers have built-in WebGL. To test whether your browser has WebGL enabled, open get.webgl.org. To troubleshoot WebGL-related issues, visit WebGL troubleshooting. Be sure you keep your browser up to date, because WebGL is an evolving technology and each browser version brings improvements that Scene Viewer uses for optimal performance. For more information about WebGL requirements, visit the khronos.org WebGL wiki page.

Additional browser considerations are listed below:

Hardware requirements

For best performance, it is recommended that your browser have a minimum of 8 GB system memory and modern graphics hardware for 3D.

Minimum requirements are a high-performance graphics card with at least 512 MB of video memory. For the best performance, it is recommended that you have a graphics card with at least 1 GB of video memory, especially for working with larger or more memory-intensive 3D scenes. High-performance, stand-alone graphics cards typically have better performance than integrated graphics cards.

Mobile requirements

Scene Viewer offers mobile support for the following:

  • iOS Safari on iPhone XS, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPad Pro 11-inch (2018) and later
  • Android Chrome on Samsung S10, Samsung S20, Samsung S21, Samsung S22, Samsung Tab S4 and later

If you're using a mobile device other than those listed above, your device should have a minimum of 4 GB of RAM, a powerful multicore CPU and GPU, and the latest Android or iOS version installed.

Portal for ArcGIS Web Styles installation

Esri provides a growing set of 3D models to symbolize points in your scenes. Consequently, a limited set of 3D models (Basic Shapes) is installed by default in the symbol gallery. For ArcGIS Enterprise 10.7.1 and later, to get the complete set of 3D symbology in your symbol gallery, such as Vegetation, install Portal for ArcGIS Web Styles. The Web Styles setup is available for download from My Esri.

When you install ArcGIS Enterprise using ArcGIS Enterprise Builder, the Web Styles component is automatically installed. Otherwise, install Web Styles after all other ArcGIS Enterprise components have been installed.

Troubleshoot rendering problems

Scene Viewer requires optimal browser functionality to perform properly. You will see a message that states there is a problem loading Scene Viewer when Scene Viewer detects that rendering in your browser is compromised. The error message gives additional details as to the nature of the problem:

Additionally, Scene Viewer may open without an error message, but the rendering quality is still compromised.

Your browser isn't using hardware acceleration for rendering

When Scene Viewer doesn't detect hardware acceleration in your browser, this message appears. Common reasons the hardware acceleration isn't enabled can be that your browser settings aren't configured properly or the browser has blocked your graphics card.

Configure hardware acceleration in your browser settings

Each browser has its own configuration options, and the hardware acceleration may be disabled. To enable hardware acceleration for rendering in your browser, see below.

Configure hardware acceleration in Chrome

For Chrome, do the following:

  1. In the browser menu, go to Settings > Advanced > System.
  2. Click the Use hardware acceleration when available toggle button.
  3. Click Relaunch to restart your browser.

Configure hardware acceleration in Firefox

For Firefox, do the following:

  1. In the browser menu, go to Menu > Options > System.
  2. Click General.
  3. Under Performance, check the Use recommended performance settings check box.
  4. Restart your browser.

Configure hardware acceleration in Microsoft Edge

For Microsoft Edge, do the following:

  1. In the browser menu, go to Settings > System.
  2. Click the Use hardware acceleration when available toggle button.
  3. Click Restart to restart your browser.

Your browser has blocked your graphics card

Some browsers determine that a specific graphics card doesn't meet the requirements of the browser and block the graphics card. In this case, you still have the option to bypass the browser's decision to block your graphics card. Although this is not always recommended, it may resolve the issue in Scene Viewer.

Bypass a blocked graphics card in Chrome

For Chrome, do the following:

  1. Type chrome://flags in the address bar.
  2. Click Enable under Override software rendering list.
  3. Restart your browser.

Bypass a blocked graphics card in Firefox

For Firefox do the following:

  1. Type about:config in the address bar.
  2. Type webgl.force-enabled in the search bar.
  3. Set the value to true.
  4. Restart your browser.

Your browser doesn't seem to support WebGL

This message appears when Scene Viewer doesn't detect WebGL in your browser. A good way to confirm this is to go to get.webgl.org. You should see a spinning cube to confirm WebGL is available in your browser. Otherwise, the website indicates your browser doesn't support WebGL. If you don't see a spinning cube, ensure that WebGL is enabled through your browser settings and your browser and hardware meet the Scene Viewer requirements.

Scene Viewer opens but the rendering quality is compromised

Sometimes Scene Viewer opens without an error message, but you still may experience a problem. Some examples are as follows:

  • All icons and labels are missing, but they display in another browser or device.
  • Rendering artifacts (for example, atmosphere and shadows rendering in black or geometry rendering with dots).
  • Major color problems exist in the scene (for example, all colors are inversed or all colors render green or black).

If you are experiencing any of the above issues, confirm the following:

If you still see an issue in Scene Viewer, try switching to another browser. Another option is to update your video driver. It is recommended that you go to the vendor's website to download the latest driver. Finally, if all the above suggestions haven't fixed the problem, report your problem in the Esri Community forums or contact Esri Technical Support for additional help.