preview USDZ without the need to use a static image

Please Refer to:

https://webkit.org/blog/8421/viewing-augmented-reality-assets-in-safari-for-ios/

In the "Linking to USDZ" section you can read that once the content is served with the correct MIME-type, you can link to USDZ content in the normal manner, e.g:

<a href="https://webkit.org/demos/ar/heart.usdz">https://webkit.org/demos/ar/heart.usdz</a>

https://webkit.org/demos/ar/heart.usdz

When you tap that link, Safari on iOS navigates to a NEW page that shows a static thumbnail of the 3D asset: this thumbnail is a render of the usdz that is computed on the fly (we are not passing a img placeholder like in the other method mentioned on that page).

What I want is to see this preview without the need to click the link, so, somehow to force the link execution and stream back to the original page (such as this forum post) the rendered thumbnail.

Basically Apple offers two methods:

  1. page 1: a text link is presented --> click --> go to page 2 where asset thumbnail is rendered --> click --> enter AR mode
  2. page 1: a static pre-rendered image is presented as a link --> click image --> go to ar mode (no page 2 needed in this case)

We need to combine these methods:

In page 1 you see an on-the-fly rendered preview (no pre-rendered static image) that is also a link, click --> go to ar view.

What I am saying is that the necessity of a pre-rendered static image is an unnecessary complication since the browser can obviously render this in method 1.

Paolo