Share Options Overview

Nira gives you three ways to share an asset: public visibility, inspection links, and private user-role access. This guide compares all three so you pick the right one for your audience.

Written By Nira.app

Last updated 7 days ago

Prerequisites

  • At least one uploaded asset

  • Admin or Team Member role (required for sharing settings)

  • Professional or Enterprise plan for user-role sharing and inspection links

Quick Comparison

Feature

Public / Protected

Inspection Link

Private (User Roles)

Who can view

Anyone with the URL (or password)

Anyone with the link

Only invited users

Login required

No

No

Yes

Recipient can add callouts

No

Yes

If granted Edit access

Recipient can measure

No

Yes

If granted Edit access

Expiration dates

No

No

Yes (per user)

Audit trail

No

No

Yes

Download photos

If enabled

If enabled

If enabled

Plan required

All plans

Professional+

Professional+

Best for

Marketing, portfolio, public showcase

Client inspections, field review

Internal teams, controlled collaboration

Choosing the Right Method

Public or Password-Protected Visibility

Use this when your audience doesn't need a Nira account and you want zero-friction access. Clients click a link and see the asset immediately—no login, no invitation, no setup.

Public means anyone with the URL can view. Optionally, you can list the asset on your organization's public homepage for discovery.

Password-protected adds one layer: visitors must enter a password before viewing. Note that the asset's name and thumbnail are visible on the preview page before the password is entered.

Private (the default) restricts viewing to logged-in users with Team Member role or higher. This is the most restrictive visibility setting, but it's not the same as user-role sharing—it simply locks the asset to your internal team.

Set visibility at: Asset Preview Page → Share → Visibility.

⚠️ Warning: "Private" visibility and "Private Sharing via User Roles" are different things. Private visibility locks the asset to internal team members. User-role sharing lets you invite specific external users. See Private Sharing & User Roles for details.

Inspection Links

Use this when a client or collaborator needs to create callouts and measurements on your asset without creating a Nira account. Inspection links give full annotation access to anyone with the URL.

This is the go-to option for drone operators and surveyors delivering inspection data to clients. Your client clicks the link, reviews the model, marks defects, and you generate a PDF report from their callouts.

Generate an inspection link at: Asset Preview Page → Share → Inspection Link.

💡 Tip: Inspection links work regardless of the asset's visibility setting. Even a Private asset can have a working inspection link.

Private Sharing with User Roles

Use this when you need to control exactly who sees what, with audit trails and expiration dates. You invite users by email and assign them a role (Contributor or External Guest) with View or Edit access per asset.

This is the right choice for internal project teams, multi-stakeholder reviews, and any situation where you need to revoke access later.

Set up at: Asset Preview Page → Share → Users.

ℹ️ Note: Adding users may affect your billing. Check with your Admin before inviting users, or review Plans & Feature Comparison for user seat details.

What Recipients See

Understanding the recipient experience helps you choose the right sharing method and set expectations with your clients.

Public / Password Link Recipients

Recipients land on the asset preview page showing the asset name, thumbnail, and a View button. If password-protected, they'll see a password prompt first. Once through, they get:

  • Full 3D navigation (orbit, pan, zoom)

  • View-only access to callouts and measurements (can see them, can't create or edit)

  • No login required

Inspection Link Recipients

Recipients land directly in the 3D viewer with annotation tools available. They can:

  • Navigate the full 3D model

  • Create callouts (Defect, Annotation, Camera Bookmark types)

  • Create measurements (distance, area, volume)

  • View existing callouts and measurements from other users

They cannot delete other users' callouts, access account settings, or upload data.

Private Sharing Recipients

Recipients receive an email invitation. Depending on your organization's settings, they'll authenticate via:

  • Magic link (passwordless login sent to their email), or

  • Username and password (they create credentials on first login)

⚠️ Warning: If your organization uses magic links but a user expects a traditional login, they may get stuck in a redirect loop. See SSO & Login Troubleshooting for the fix.

Once logged in, they see only the assets shared with them. Their access level (View or Edit) determines what they can do.

Combining Methods

You're not limited to one sharing method per asset. Common combinations:

  • Password-protected visibility + Inspection link: The general public needs a password to view, but your specific client has an inspection link that bypasses the password and lets them annotate.

  • Private visibility + User-role sharing: The asset is invisible to the public, but invited External Guests can log in and view it.

  • Public visibility + User-role sharing: Anyone can view, but only invited users with Edit access can modify callouts.

What's Not Supported

  • Real-time multi-user collaboration: Two users can view the same asset simultaneously, but they won't see each other's cursors or live edits. Changes sync on page refresh.

  • Bulk sharing: You can't share multiple assets with one action. Each asset's sharing settings are configured individually.

  • Download of 3D data: Recipients cannot download the 3D model, textures, or point cloud data. Photo download can be enabled separately (Professional+ plans).

  • Folder-level sharing: Sharing is per-asset, not per-folder or per-project.

Troubleshooting

"My client says they can't see the asset."

Cause: The asset visibility is set to Private and they don't have a user account, or their invitation hasn't been accepted.

Fix:

  1. Check the asset's visibility: Share → Visibility. If Private, either change to Public/Password or invite the client via Share → Users

  2. If using user-role sharing, confirm the client accepted their invitation email (check spam)

  3. If using a password, confirm the client has the correct password

"My client can view but can't add callouts."

Cause: They're accessing via a public or password link, which is view-only.

Fix: Generate an inspection link (Share → Inspection Link) and send that URL instead. Alternatively, invite them as a user with Edit access.

"I shared an inspection link but my client sees a login prompt."

Cause: The client may have a cached Nira session from a previous login attempt, or the link was copied incorrectly.

Fix:

  1. Ask the client to open the link in an incognito/private browser window

  2. Verify the full inspection link URL was copied (it's longer than the standard asset URL)

  3. If the issue persists, regenerate the inspection link

Technical Notes

  • Inspection links are unique per asset and don't expire unless you regenerate them (which invalidates the old link)

  • Embedding: Any sharing method works with iframe embedding. Public is simplest; Private requires the viewer to be logged in first. See Embedding a Nira Asset for details

  • White labeling: Enterprise plans can remove Nira branding from the recipient experience. View-only and inspection link visitors see your brand, not Nira's

  • Custom domains: Enterprise plans can serve assets from your own domain (e.g., view.yourcompany.com)

  • Email notifications: On white-labeled orgs, invitation emails go to Admins (not directly to guests). Admins must forward the invitation link manually