You can use Scene Viewer and scene-based apps in desktop web browsers that support WebGL, a web technology standard for rendering 3D graphics. For best results in Scene Viewer, verify that your browser and computer hardware meet the Scene Viewer requirements. It is also recommended that you use the latest version of Chrome or Firefox. Currently, Scene Viewer is not supported on mobile devices for ArcGIS Enterprise.
Browser requirements
Scene Viewer and scene-based apps require a desktop web browser that supports WebGL. The latest versions of the most common desktop browsers have built-in WebGL. To test whether your browser has WebGL enabled, open get.webgl.org. To troubleshoot WebGL-related issues, visit WebGL troubleshooting. Make sure you keep your browser up to date as WebGL is an evolving technology and each browser version brings improvements that Scene Viewer uses for optimal performance. To use Scene Viewer, your browser should have hardware acceleration enabled.
Scene Viewer and scene-based apps support the following web browsers:
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Internet Explorer 11*
- Edge*
- Safari 9 and later*
*The WebGL implementation of this browser is not optimized for memory-intensive applications, and it may not work reliably when opening certain scenes.
Tip:
Adjust the performance-quality settings in your browser to optimize performance or quality in your scene.
Internet Explorer 11
When using Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11), make sure to update your browser to the latest version. Scene Viewer is only supported in IE 11 with WebGL 0.94. Earlier WebGL versions are outdated and do not work with Scene Viewer or scene-based apps. You can check your WebGL version by visiting www.webglreport.com.
Note:
There is a known memory issue when using IE 11 with Scene Viewer and scene-based apps. If you experience performance issues, close your browser and reopen it. Reloading the page or opening a new tab will not clear the memory. You must close and reopen your browser.
Additional WebGL requirements
In addition to basic WebGL support, Scene Viewer and scene-based apps have the following requirements for WebGL:
- High precision fragment shaders
- Vertex shader samplers
- Uint vertex indices (OES_element_index_uint extension)
You can verify your browser meets these requirements at www.webglreport.com.
Hardware requirements
Your computer hardware needs to have a minimum of 2 GB system memory and a video graphics card that supports WebGL with 1 GB of video memory. For best results, it is recommended that you have at least 4 GB of system memory, especially for working with larger or more memory-intensive scenes.
Graphics cards
Your graphic card needs to support OpenGL 3.0 (Shader Model 4.0) with the following specs:
- AMD/ATI: Radeon 4xxx or higher
- NVIDIA: GeForce 2xx or higher, Quadro FX 3800 or higher
- Intel: HD 4000 or higher
Nonmobile versions of graphics cards typically have better performance than mobile graphics cards (denoted with m or mobile).
Note:
Some systems can automatically switch between integrated graphics and dedicated graphics cards to render 3D graphics. Scene Viewer and scene-based apps work best with a dedicated graphics card; therefore, in your graphics card driver settings, make sure the per-application settings for your web browser are set to the dedicated graphics card. If this is not set, some point symbols and labels may not display correctly.
For more detailed information about WebGL requirements, visit WebGL troubleshooting.
Mobile requirements
Scene Viewer offers mobile support for the following:
- iOS:iPhone 8, iPhone XS, iPad Pro (Safari browser)
- Android:Samsung S8, Samsung S9, Samsung Tab S3 (Chrome browser)
If you're using a mobile device other than those listed above, your device should have a minimum of 2GB of RAM (4 GB recommended), a powerful multi-core processor and GPU, and the latest Android or iOS version installed.
Web styles installation
Esri provides a growing set of 3D models to symbolize points in your scenes. Consequently, a limited set of 3D models (Basic Shapes) is installed by default in the symbol gallery. For ArcGIS Enterprise 10.7.1 and later, in order to get the complete set of 3D symbology in your symbol gallery, such as Vegetation, install the Web Styles setup. Web Styles is available for download from My Esri.
When installing ArcGIS Enterprise through ArcGIS Enterprise Builder, the Web Styles are automatically installed. Otherwise, install Web Styles after all other ArcGIS Enterprise components have been installed.
Troubleshoot rendering problems
Scene Viewer requires optimal browser functionality to perform properly. You will see a Problem loading Scene Viewer message when Scene Viewer detects that rendering in your browser is compromised. Furthermore, the error message will give additional details as to the nature of the problem:
- Your browser isn't using hardware acceleration for rendering
- Your browser doesn't seem to support WebGL
Additionally, Scene Viewer might open without an error message but the rendering quality is still compromised.
Your browser isn't using hardware acceleration for rendering
When Scene Viewer doesn't detect hardware acceleration in your browser you will get this message. Common reasons why the hardware acceleration isn't enabled can be that your browser settings aren't configured properly or the browser has blacklisted your graphics card.
Configure hardware acceleration in your browser settings
Each browser has its own configuration options, and the hardware acceleration can get disabled. To enable hardware acceleration for rendering in your browser, see below:
For Chrome, do the following:
- Go to Settings > Advanced > System.
- Click the Use hardware acceleration when available toggle key to turn on the graphics card rendering.
- Restart your browser.
For Firefox, do the following:
- Go to Tool Options > Advanced > Browsing.
- Check the Use hardware acceleration when available option.
- Restart your browser.
For IE 11, do the following:
- Click Advanced settings.
- Uncheck the Use software rendering instead of GPU option. If it is checked and unavailable, your graphics card or video driver needs updating.
- Restart your computer.
Your browser has blacklisted your graphics card
Some browsers will determine that a specific graphics card doesn't meet the requirements of the browser and will block or "blacklist" the graphics card. In this case, you still have the option to bypass the browser's decision to block your graphics card. Although this is not always recommended, it may resolve the issue in Scene Viewer.
For Chrome, do the following:
- Type chrome://flags in the address bar.
- Click Enable under Override software rendering list.
- Restart your browser.
For Firefox do the following:
- Type about:config in the address bar.
- Type webgl.force-enabled in the search bar.
- Set the value to true.
- Restart your browser.
Your browser doesn't seem to support WebGL
You will get this message when Scene Viewer doesn't detect WebGL in your browser. A good way to confirm this is to go to get.webgl.org. You should see a spinning cube to confirm WebGL is available in your browser. Otherwise, the website will indicate your browser doesn't support WebGL. If you don't see a spinning cube, you can try the following:
- Ensure WebGL is enabled through your browser settings.
- Ensure that your browser and hardware meet the Scene Viewer requirements.
Scene Viewer opens but the rendering quality is compromised
Sometimes Scene Viewer will open without an error message, but you still may experience a problem. Some examples of these are the following:
- All icons and labels are missing, but they display in another browser or device.
- Rendering artifacts (i.e., atmosphere and shadows rendering in black, geometry rendering with dots).
- Major color problem in the scene (i.e., all colors are inversed, all colors render green or black).
If you are experiencing any of the above issues, confirm the following:
- Your browser has hardware acceleration enabled.
- Your browser has WebGL enabled.
- Your browser and computer meet all the Scene Viewer requirements.
If you're still seeing an issue in Scene Viewer, try switching to another browser. Another option is to update your video driver. It is recommended that you go to the vendor's website to download the latest driver. Finally, if all the above suggestions haven't fixed the problem, report your problem in the GeoNet forums or contact EsriTechnical Support for additional help.