<model-viewer> vs. Spatial.io

Q: How does Needle Engine compare to ?

Google's is a web component for embedding a single 3D model with basic rotation and AR placement via HTML attributes. Needle Engine is for building full interactive 3D/XR applications — configurators, multi-user apps, games — with custom logic, a built-in optimization pipeline and Unity/Blender authoring. Use for simple model display; use Needle when you need real interactivity.

	Web-first runtime integrated with Unity and Blender plugins, complemented by Needle Cloud for optimization and hosting. Needle	A Google-developed web component for easily embedding interactive 3D models (glTF/GLB) and AR experiences into HTML pages. <model-viewer>	A web-based platform focused on creating and hosting social 3D environments accessible via web and VR. Spatial.io
Core Platform & Workflow
Solution Type	3D Engine Cloud Platform Authoring Tool Optimization Tool Web Component Needle Solution Type: 3d-engine, cloud-platform, authoring-tool, optimization-tool, web-component A comprehensive suite including a runtime engine, cloud services for optimization/hosting, authoring via Unity/Blender plugins, and embeddable web component output. Needle Engine Needle Cloud	Web Component <model-viewer> Solution Type: web-component A custom HTML element (<model-viewer>) designed for simple 3D model display and AR. model-viewer Website GitHub	Cloud Platform Authoring Tool Spatial.io Solution Type: cloud-platform, authoring-tool A platform for building, hosting, and experiencing shared social 3D spaces ('metaverse'). Spatial Website
Made for the web	Needle Made for the web: Yes Built from the ground up for the web, focusing on fast loading, efficient rendering, and cross-platform web deployment. Needle Engine Samples	<model-viewer> Made for the web: Yes Focuses on ease of use, optimized loading (lazy loading, poster), and performance for web display.	Limited Spatial.io Made for the web: Limited Designed for accessibility across web browsers and VR, balancing fidelity with performance for social experiences. Load times are relatively high because it builds on Unity's WebGL platform.
Typical Workflows	Unity Editor Blender Editor Code HTML Asset Upload Needle Typical Workflows: Unity Editor, Blender Editor, Code, HTML, Asset Upload Primary workflow involves using Unity or Blender as the authoring environment, exporting scenes and logic. Custom scripts (TypeScript/JavaScript) extend functionality. Needle Engine Samples	HTML <model-viewer> Typical Workflows: HTML Used by adding the `<model-viewer>` tag to an HTML page and configuring via attributes. model-viewer Docs - Getting Started	Web Editor Unity Integration Spatial.io Typical Workflows: Web Editor, Unity Integration Users build and customize spaces using intuitive, integrated visual tools and templates. Spatial Create Page
Use with Unity	Needle Use with Unity: Yes Deep integration with Unity Editor via dedicated plugin, allowing export of scenes, C# scripts (transpiled), materials (Shader Graph), animations, and components. Needle Engine Documentation - Getting Started	<model-viewer> Use with Unity: No Consumes glTF files, which can be exported from Unity.	Spatial.io Use with Unity: Yes Via Spatial Toolkit, offers SDKs for importing assets or integrating experiences built with Unity. Spatial Documentation
Use with Blender	Needle Use with Blender: Yes Integration with Blender via addon, supporting export of scenes, materials, animations, and custom logic nodes. Needle Engine Documentation - Blender	<model-viewer> Use with Blender: No Consumes glTF files, which can be exported from Blender.	Spatial.io Use with Blender: No Imports standard 3D asset formats like glTF.
Interactivity Building Blocks	Needle Interactivity Building Blocks: Yes Includes a rich set of components for common interactions, animations, and UI elements. Needle Engine Documentation	<model-viewer> Interactivity Building Blocks: No Provides built-in features for model display, camera controls, and AR placement, but not for broader interactivity. model-viewer Documentation	Spatial.io Interactivity Building Blocks: Yes Provides components for social interaction, media sharing, and space customization. Spatial Platform
Extensible with Coding	Needle Extensible with Coding: Yes Uses TypeScript with full IDE support in both Unity and standalone projects. Needle Engine Documentation - Scripting	<model-viewer> Extensible with Coding: No Allows for JavaScript event handling and basic property manipulation via API, but not for extending core functionality. model-viewer API Reference	Limited Spatial.io Extensible with Coding: Limited Primary creation is through no-code tools; Unity SDK allows interpreting a C# subset for more advanced applications. Spatial Documentation
Engine Capabilities
Physically-Based Rendering	Needle Physically-Based Rendering: Yes Supports Physically Based Rendering (PBR), custom shaders (via Unity Shader Graph export), lighting, and post-processing effects. Needle Engine Feature Overview	Limited <model-viewer> Physically-Based Rendering: Limited Supports PBR materials, environment maps, and basic lighting/shadow options, but no control over per-object shadows, reflection probes, lightmaps or other advanced rendering features. model-viewer Docs - Lighting & Env	Moderate Spatial.io Physically-Based Rendering: Moderate Balances visual quality with the need to support many concurrent users and run smoothly on web/VR.
Component System	Needle Component System: Yes Leverages the component-based architecture of Unity/Blender, extended with custom web-specific components. Needle Engine Documentation - Scripting	<model-viewer> Component System: No Internal structure, not exposed as an ECS.	Spatial.io Component System: No Uses an internal architecture managed by the platform.
Built-in Networking	Needle Built-in Networking: Yes Built-in real-time networking for multiplayer and collaborative applications. Needle Engine Documentation - Networking	<model-viewer> Built-in Networking: No Not designed for networked experiences.	Limited Spatial.io Built-in Networking: Limited Built-in networking for avatar interactions, voice chat, and shared experiences. Not extensible.
Timelines and Sequencing	Needle Timelines and Sequencing: Yes Supports timeline-based sequencing, complex animations, animator state machines, blending, and more.	<model-viewer> Timelines and Sequencing: No Can play animations embedded in glTF but has no built-in sequencing system. model-viewer Animation	Limited Spatial.io Timelines and Sequencing: Limited Basic trigger-based interactions but no comprehensive timeline system in the platform itself.
Animation Controls	Needle Animation Controls: Yes Supports complex animations authored in Unity (Animator, Timeline) or Blender and exports them for the web. Needle Engine Feature Overview	<model-viewer> Animation Controls: Yes Can play animations embedded within the loaded glTF model. model-viewer Docs - Animations	Limited Spatial.io Animation Controls: Limited Supports avatar animations and basic object animations.
Animated Materials	Needle Animated Materials: Yes Supports material animations, shader graph, and procedural material effects.	<model-viewer> Animated Materials: No Supports materials in the glTF, including basic animation defined in the model, but no dynamic material creation or animation.	Limited Spatial.io Animated Materials: Limited Supports animated textures but limited material animation capabilities.
Audio Playback	Needle Audio Playback: Yes Supports spatial audio configured via Unity/Blender components. Needle Engine AudioSource API	<model-viewer> Audio Playback: No Does not have built-in audio features.	Spatial.io Audio Playback: Yes Includes spatial audio for real-time voice communication between avatars.
Video Playback	Needle Video Playback: Yes Supports video textures and playback controlled via components. Needle Engine VideoPlayer API	<model-viewer> Video Playback: No Does not directly support video textures.	Spatial.io Video Playback: Yes Supports screen sharing and embedding media within spaces.
Physics Integration	Needle Physics Integration: Yes Integrates with physics engines, configured via Unity/Blender components.	<model-viewer> Physics Integration: No Focuses on model display, does not include physics.	Limited Spatial.io Physics Integration: Limited Handles basic avatar movement and interactions within the platform constraints.
glTF 3D Support	Excellent Needle glTF 3D Support: Excellent Uses glTF as its core runtime format and supports import of various formats (FBX, USD, VRM etc.) which are converted. Needle Cloud	<model-viewer> glTF 3D Support: Yes Designed specifically for loading and displaying glTF 2.0 models.	Spatial.io glTF 3D Support: Yes Supports uploading glTF models for use in spaces. Spatial Help - Supported Files
Custom User Interfaces	Needle Custom User Interfaces: Yes Facilitates creation of UI using standard HTML/CSS and frontend frameworks, integrated with the 3D scene. Needle Engine Documentation - HTML	<model-viewer> Custom User Interfaces: No Provides basic interaction controls (orbit, pan, zoom) and hotspots. Customization primarily via HTML/CSS/JS API. model-viewer Docs - Controls model-viewer Docs - Hotspots	Spatial.io Custom User Interfaces: No Provides the user interface for navigation, communication, and interaction within the platform.
Web Integration & Deployment
Web Component	Needle Web Component: Yes Exports projects as standard web components (<needle-engine> tag) for easy embedding into any HTML page or web application. Needle Engine Documentation - Web Component	<model-viewer> Web Component: Yes It is fundamentally a web component.	Spatial.io Web Component: No Experiences are accessed through the Spatial platform/website.
PWA Support	Needle PWA Support: Yes Being web-native, Needle Engine projects can be easily included in Progressive Web Apps for offline capabilities and installation.	<model-viewer> PWA Support: No Can be included in Progressive Web Apps but provides no specific PWA features itself.	Spatial.io PWA Support: No The platform is web-based.
HTML/CSS Integration	Excellent Needle HTML/CSS Integration: Excellent Designed to seamlessly integrate with HTML, CSS, and frontend frameworks (React, Vue, Svelte etc.), allowing blending of 2D UI and 3D content. Needle Engine Documentation - HTML	Excellent <model-viewer> HTML/CSS Integration: Excellent Designed specifically for seamless integration into standard HTML pages.	Limited Spatial.io HTML/CSS Integration: Limited Focus is on the immersive 3D environment within the platform.
Host Anywhere	Needle Host Anywhere: Yes The core runtime can be self-hosted on any static server. Needle Cloud features (optimization, hosting, analytics) require the cloud service. Needle Cloud	<model-viewer> Host Anywhere: Yes Requires only static hosting for the component and model files.	Spatial.io Host Anywhere: No Requires Spatial's backend infrastructure for hosting, networking, and persistence.
Asset Hosting	Needle Asset Hosting: Yes Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized assets. Needle Cloud	<model-viewer> Asset Hosting: No Requires external hosting for the glTF/GLB model files.	Spatial.io Asset Hosting: Yes Hosts user-uploaded assets and created spaces.
App Hosting	Needle App Hosting: Yes Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized applications. Needle Cloud	<model-viewer> App Hosting: No Requires external hosting for the HTML page and model files.	Required Spatial.io App Hosting: Required Experiences are hosted on the Spatial platform.
Performance & Optimization
Engine Size	Medium Needle Engine Size: Medium Optimized runtime aims for minimal footprint, size depends on included features.	Small <model-viewer> Engine Size: Small Relatively lightweight as it bundles a subset of three.js.	Large Spatial.io Engine Size: Large Includes rendering, networking, avatar systems, and platform features.
Loading Performance	Excellent Needle Loading Performance: Excellent Rapid development cycles and fast loading times through optimized runtime and asset handling. Needle Engine Samples	Fast <model-viewer> Loading Performance: Fast Implements strategies like lazy loading and posters for optimized loading experience. model-viewer Docs - Loading	Moderate Spatial.io Loading Performance: Moderate Loading times depend on the complexity of the space and number of assets.
Runtime Performance	Excellent Needle Runtime Performance: Excellent Designed for efficient rendering performance across desktop, mobile, and XR devices.	Good <model-viewer> Runtime Performance: Good Offers good performance for its primary use case of displaying and interacting with single models.	Moderate Spatial.io Runtime Performance: Moderate Performance can vary depending on scene complexity, number of concurrent users, and device capabilities.
Smart Asset Optimization	Excellent Needle Smart Asset Optimization: Excellent Needle Cloud provides significant automated optimization: LOD generation, mesh optimization, extensive texture compression (Basis Universal, WebP, JPG, PNG) and resizing options. Needle Cloud	<model-viewer> Smart Asset Optimization: Yes Handles progressive loading and encourages use of optimized formats like Draco and Basis Universal textures. model-viewer Docs - Performance	Limited Spatial.io Smart Asset Optimization: Limited Platform performs basic compression on uploaded assets, but no simplification.
Mesh and Texture LODs	Excellent Needle Mesh and Texture LODs: Excellent Supports automatic mesh simplification, level-of-detail generation and automatic texture compression with multiple quality levels.	<model-viewer> Mesh and Texture LODs: No Relies on optimization being done in the source glTF file; no dynamic LOD system.	Spatial.io Mesh and Texture LODs: No Platform automatically handles compresses textures, but does not generate mesh or texture LODs for uploaded assets. Texture Compression Toggle
XR Support (AR/VR/Spatial)
VR Support (WebXR)	Needle VR Support (WebXR): Yes Supports VR headsets via the WebXR standard. Needle Engine Documentation - XR	Limited <model-viewer> VR Support (WebXR): Limited Supports viewing models in VR via WebXR, without interactivity. model-viewer Docs - Augmented Reality	Spatial.io VR Support (WebXR): Yes Strong support for accessing spaces via VR headsets for a more immersive experience.
AR Support (WebXR)	Needle AR Support (WebXR): Yes Supports markerless WebAR on compatible Android devices via the WebXR standard. Needle Engine Documentation - XR	Limited <model-viewer> AR Support (WebXR): Limited Provides an AR button for viewing models in AR on compatible Android devices (via WebXR), without interactivity. model-viewer Docs - Augmented Reality	Spatial.io AR Support (WebXR): No Primary focus is on virtual spaces (Web/VR), not mobile AR.
AR Support (iOS)	Needle AR Support (iOS): Yes Supports interactive markerless WebAR on iOS devices via WebXR. Needle Engine Documentation - XR	Limited <model-viewer> AR Support (iOS): Limited Provides an AR button for viewing static models in AR on iOS using Apple's AR Quick Look. model-viewer Docs - Augmented Reality	Spatial.io AR Support (iOS): No Not supported.
AR Support (visionOS)	Needle AR Support (visionOS): Yes Explicit support for creating spatial computing experiences deployable on visionOS. Needle Engine Samples	Limited <model-viewer> AR Support (visionOS): Limited Provides an AR button for viewing static models in AR on iOS using Apple's AR Quick Look.	Spatial.io AR Support (visionOS): No Not supported.
AR Tracking Types	Surface Image Needle AR Tracking Types: Surface, Image Supports World Tracking via the WebXR standard on compatible devices. Image tracking is supported on iOS AR but requires a device-specific flag for Android AR. Needle Engine Documentation - XR	Surface <model-viewer> AR Tracking Types: Surface Supports World Tracking via WebXR (Android) and surface placement via AR Quick Look (iOS).	N/A Spatial.io AR Tracking Types: N/A Not an AR-focused platform.
Ecosystem & Support
Official Support Availability	Needle Official Support Availability: Yes Dedicated support available for licensed users. Needle Pricing	<model-viewer> Official Support Availability: No Support primarily through GitHub issues and community channels.	Spatial.io Official Support Availability: Yes Support available, particularly for paid/enterprise users.
Learning Resources	Needle Learning Resources: Yes Extensive documentation, tutorials, live samples, and active community support. Needle Documentation Needle Samples Needle Community Discord	Good <model-viewer> Learning Resources: Good Excellent documentation site serves as the primary learning resource. model-viewer Documentation	Good Spatial.io Learning Resources: Good Help center, tutorials, and community resources available for creators. Spatial YouTube
License	Commercial Needle License: Commercial Commercial license required for full features and deployment. Free evaluation available. Needle Pricing	Open Source <model-viewer> License: Open Source Available under the Apache License 2.0. GitHub License	Commercial Spatial.io License: Commercial Offers free access with paid tiers for enhanced features, capacity, or customization. Spatial Pricing

Frequently asked questions

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How does Needle Engine compare to <model-viewer>?

<model-viewer> is a web component designed by Google for easily embedding 3D models with basic AR viewing capabilities directly into HTML pages. Both Needle Engine and <model-viewer> aim to simplify bringing 3D content to the web, with Needle focusing on building complete interactive applications and <model-viewer> concentrating on straightforward model display and basic AR.

	Needle Engine	<model-viewer>
Primary Focus	Building interactive 3D/XR applications, including advanced product viewers.	Displaying static or simply animated 3D models; basic product viewers.
Use Case	Interactive configurators, virtual tours, product viewers, multi-user apps, web games, XR apps, educational apps.	Basic product previews, simple educational models, basic AR object placement.
Interactivity	High: Designed for complex interactions, custom logic, UI, animations, physics.	Limited: Primarily model rotation, scaling, basic animation playback, AR placement.
Optimization & Loading	Built-in Optimization Pipeline: Smart export, instancing, optional Needle Cloud automation (LODs, compression), Progressive Loading support for fast initial view.	Relies on manually pre-optimized assets; Browser caching. No built-in progressive loading logic within the component itself.
Workflow	Leverage Existing Tools: Use Unity/Blender to design scenes & interactivity.	Declarative HTML: Configure display options via HTML attributes on the component.
iOS AR	Export Interactive USDZ: We generate USDZ with interactivity for iOS Quick Look.	Displays USDZ: Can load existing static/basic-animated USDZ for iOS AR Quick Look.
Scene Complexity	Handles complex scenes with multiple objects, interactions, logic.	Best suited for displaying single models or simple arrangements.
Customization	Extensive: Full control over rendering (three.js), logic, UI integration.	Moderate: Customization via attributes, CSS, and limited JavaScript API.

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What is Needle Engine?

Needle Engine is a web-first realtime engine built on three.js that lets you create interactive 3D and XR experiences using standard web technologies. It integrates with Unity and Blender for authoring, exports to glTF and JavaScript/TypeScript, and is optimized for fast loads and small builds.

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How does Needle Engine work with Unity?

Design scenes and logic in the Unity Editor and export to the web with a fast iteration workflow. Needle translates supported Unity features to web standards like glTF and JavaScript, so your content runs natively in the browser without WebGL player overhead.

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How does Needle Engine work with Blender?

Use Blender to author assets and scenes, then export to glTF and run them with Needle Engine on the web. The pipeline focuses on PBR, lightmaps, instancing, and other optimizations so your Blender projects load quickly and look great online.

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How is pricing structured?

Needle offers a free tier for evaluation and non-commercial use and paid tiers per seat for commercial use, team features, and support. Educational licenses are available. See the Pricing page for details.

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Does Needle Engine support AR on iOS?

Yes. Needle can generate USDZ for iOS Quick Look to place models in AR, and it supports WebXR where available for on-the-web AR. Choose the best option per device and use case.

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Does Needle Engine support VR and WebXR?

Yes. Needle Engine is built for the web and supports WebXR for VR headsets and compatible browsers, so you can build immersive experiences that run natively without plugins.

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Do I need Needle Cloud to host my projects?

No. You can self-host any Needle project as a static site or integrate it into your web app. Needle Cloud is an optional service for automation, optimization, and collaboration that makes shipping and updating projects easier.

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Needle vs. <model-viewer> vs. Spatial.io

Frequently asked questions