Google trick brings 3D lions, tigers, sharks and penguins into your home

With the UK now in its second week of coronavirus lockdown, many bored Brits are scraping the barrel for activities for their families.

If you’ve blasted through all the board games, puzzles and colouring books in your house, you’ll be happy to hear that there are several technology-based alternatives to keep your kids entertained.

One of the best options is Google ’s AR animals feature, which lets you view and interact with 3D animals from the comfort of your home.

The feature actually launched last year, but has gained popularity again this month due to the lockdown.

Writing at launch, Aparna Chennapragada, VP, Google Lens and AR, explained: “You can view and interact with 3D objects right from Search and place them directly into your own space, giving you a sense of scale and detail.

The app brings 3D animals into your home (Google)

“For example, it’s one thing to read that a great white shark can be 18 feet long. It’s another to see it up close in relation to the things around you.

“So when you search for select animals, you’ll get an option right in the Knowledge Panel to view them in 3D and AR.”

With Google’s 3D animals feature, you can view a range of weird and wonderful creatures in augmented reality.

These include an alligator, brown bear, cheetah, eagle, giant panda, octopus, shark, tiger and lion (scroll down for the full list).

You can read more about the 3D animals here.

Tap on the ‘View in 3D’ button to access the feature (Google)

Here’s how to view the animals in 3D in your home:

1. Open Google on your smartphone, and search for one of the animals listed at the bottom of this story
2. Scroll down the results page, and tap on the ‘View in 3D’ button
3. Your smartphone camera will then open, and you’ll be prompted to ‘Move your phone’
4. Move your phone around to show the whole room, and the animal should appear!
5. Pinch the animal to resize it, or drag it to move it around the room

A lion in 3D (Google)

Animals available on Google AR

Alligator

Angler fish

Brown bear

Cat

Cheetah

Dog

Labrador Retriever

Pug

Rottweiler

Duck

Eagle

Emperor penguin

Giant panda

Goat

Hedgehog

Horse

Lion

Macaw

Octopus

Racoon

Shark

Shetland pony

Snake

Tiger

Turtle

Wolf