What Is Nira?

What Nira is, what it does, and the (minimal) hardware and browser you need to run it—for anyone evaluating Nira or sharing a link with a client for the first time.

Written By Nira.app

Last updated 8 days ago

What Nira Is

Nira is a web-based platform for viewing, inspecting, measuring, annotating, and sharing massive 3D datasets—in real time, on any device, through a standard browser. There is nothing to install: no plugins, no desktop app, and no high-end GPU on the viewer's machine.

You upload a finished 3D model, point cloud, or Gaussian splat once, and anyone you share the link with can open it in their browser—on a phone, tablet, or laptop—and navigate the full-resolution data immediately.

ℹ️ Note: Nira does not process raw photos or scans into 3D models. See What Nira Is Not below.

What You Can Do in Nira

Capability	What it does
3D viewing	Real-time navigation of meshes, point clouds, 3DGS, and orthomosaics
Measurements	Distance, area, volume, slope, and elevation on the actual geometry
Callouts & annotations	Pin defects, notes, or rich media (images, video, embeds) to 3D locations
Photo inspection	Sync the 3D camera with source photos and mark up the original imagery
PDF reports	Generate downloadable inspection reports from callouts and measurements
Asset compare	Overlay versions of the same asset (A/B wipe) for change detection
Sharing	Public links, password protection, role-based access, and inspection links
Embedding & white labeling	iFrame embeds and fully branded, Nira-free experiences for clients

Feature availability depends on your plan. See Plans & Feature Comparison.

How It Works: Pixel Streaming

Nira's core technology is pixel streaming (server-side rendering).

Most web 3D viewers send the actual 3D geometry down to your browser and render it there using WebGL. That approach is limited by the viewer's device—big models stutter or fail to load, and results vary by GPU and browser.

Nira works differently. It renders the 3D scene on its own servers and streams the result to you as a low-latency video feed. Your browser only decodes video while sending back your input (mouse, touch, keyboard). Because the heavy lifting happens on the server, this architecture gives you:

Unlimited model complexity. A 200-million-triangle model performs the same as a 1-million-triangle one. The viewer's device never has to hold the geometry.
Any device. Old phones, tablets, and laptops all work, because the device is only decoding a video stream.
IP protection. The 3D data never leaves the server. It can't be downloaded, reverse-engineered, or scraped from the browser.
A consistent experience. No variation based on the viewer's GPU, driver version, or browser WebGL support.

Common Use Cases

Drone survey delivery. A surveyor processes a site into a model, uploads it, and sends the client a link instead of a 50 GB file no one can open.
Remote inspection. Inspectors pin defects and measurements to exact 3D locations and export a PDF report.
Progress monitoring. Teams compare captures over time to track construction progress or stockpile volumes.
Client and stakeholder review. Non-technical stakeholders open a link on a phone—no software, no training.

What Nira Is Not

Nira sits at the end of your workflow—delivery, review, and collaboration. It is not a replacement for your capture or processing software.

Not a processing tool. Nira does not perform photogrammetry, meshing, or point cloud registration. You create your model in software like DJI Terra, DJI Modify, Agisoft Metashape, or RealityCapture, then upload the finished result to Nira. See DJI Terra & DJI Modify Export Guide.
Not a marketplace. Unlike Sketchfab, Nira is a private delivery and collaboration tool, not a place to publish models for public sale or discovery.
Not a BIM platform. It can display BIM-origin data but does not manage clash detection or 4D scheduling.
Not a GIS platform. It supports georeferenced data and map views but is not built for global-scale geospatial tiling.

💡 Tip: A common first question is "Do I still need my drone processing software?" Yes. Your drone photos still go through Terra, Modify, Metashape, or similar to become a 3D model. Nira is where that finished model goes so you can view, measure, and share it.

System Requirements & Browser Compatibility

Because Nira renders everything server-side, client requirements are deliberately minimal. If your device can play a YouTube video smoothly, it can run Nira.

Supported Browsers

Use the current version of any major browser:

Google Chrome (recommended)
Microsoft Edge
Mozilla Firefox
Safari (macOS and iOS)

💡 Tip: Keep your browser updated. Pixel streaming relies on modern video decoding; a badly out-of-date browser is the most common cause of a black or frozen viewport.

Hardware

No dedicated GPU required. The server does the rendering.
No minimum RAM or CPU spec beyond what your browser already needs.
Works on desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones—including older hardware.

Mobile Devices

Nira runs in the mobile browser on both iOS (Safari, Chrome) and Android (Chrome). No app to install. This is what lets you send a client a link and have them open the full model on their phone in the field.

ℹ️ Note: On mobile you navigate with touch gestures—drag to orbit, pinch to zoom, two-finger drag to pan. Some advanced editing actions are easier on a desktop with a mouse.

Network

Pixel streaming sends a live video stream, so a stable internet connection matters more than a fast device.

A typical broadband or 4G/5G connection is fine.
On a weak or unstable connection you may see reduced image sharpness or brief lag, since the stream adapts to available bandwidth.
Very restrictive corporate firewalls or VPNs can occasionally block the stream. See Troubleshooting below.

Problem: The viewport is black, frozen, or never loads. Cause: An outdated browser, a blocked video stream (firewall/VPN), or a dropped connection. Fix: Update your browser to the latest version and reload. If you're on a corporate network or VPN, try a different network (such as a phone hotspot) to confirm whether a firewall is blocking the stream, then ask your IT team to allow Nira's streaming traffic.

Problem: The model looks laggy or blurry. Cause: Limited or unstable network bandwidth. The stream lowers quality to keep up. Fix: Move closer to Wi-Fi or switch to a stronger connection. Quality recovers automatically once bandwidth improves. This is a network condition, not a problem with your uploaded data.

Problem: "Do I need to install anything or check my graphics card?" Cause: Expectation carried over from desktop 3D software. Fix: No. Nira renders on its servers. Any modern browser on any device works—no downloads, drivers, or GPU checks.

Problem: The model looks different from how it appeared in Terra, Metashape, or my source tool. Cause: Nira renders through its own streaming-optimized pipeline, so lighting and texture appearance can differ. This is expected and does not mean data was lost. Fix: Adjust display, environment, and post-processing settings in the viewer. See Why My Asset Looks Different After Upload.

What's not needed on the client: dedicated GPU, WebGL support, plugins, or any installed software. All rendering is server-side.
What still runs on your machine: the capture and processing workflow. Nira begins only after you have a finished model, point cloud, or splat to upload.
Streaming vs. downloading: because only video reaches the browser, viewers cannot extract the underlying geometry. This is a security feature, not a limitation to work around.