Visualize Your 3D ArcGIS Data In Real Life

Looking Glass

• 3 min read
Visualize Your 3D ArcGIS Data In Real Life

A Unity-Based Integration Showcasing Enterprise Apps in 3D on Looking Glass

ESRI's ArcGIS users work with 3D data every day, including terrain, elevation, photogrammetry, underground utilities, and more. Even with all this depth and data, most of it is still viewed and shared on flat, 2D screens.

What if you could see that data in lifelike 3D? 

To explore that idea, we built a beta application that brings ArcGIS data into real 3D using Looking Glass displays. No headsets or extra coding required.

But this isn’t just about GIS. It’s an example of how any 3D-capable enterprise application — from infrastructure tools to simulation systems — can be enhanced with real spatial depth using the Looking Glass Unity Plugin.

Whether you're a GIS professional or a Unity developer, this post walks through what’s possible and how to get started.

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What you’ll learn in this post:

  • How ArcGIS data can be experienced in true 3D
  • What types of GIS layers are supported
  • Why spatial depth improves collaboration and communication
  • How the app was built using Unity and Looking Glass tools
  • How Unity developers can build similar integrations for other apps

For ArcGIS Users: Add Depth to Your Workflow

ArcGIS is the standard for managing and analyzing spatial data — from terrain and elevation to zoning, infrastructure, and environmental overlays. But while your data is inherently 3D, it’s still most often viewed in 2D.

The ArcGIS for Looking Glass beta application changes that, letting you and your stakeholders experience your data in real 3D.

What You Can Do

Once installed and connected to a Looking Glass display, you can:

  • Load basemaps and layers from ArcGIS Living Atlas and your own ArcGIS content
  • Navigate scenes with orbit, pan, and zoom
  • Visualize terrain, infrastructure, photogrammetry, and more in real depth
  • Adjust lighting and time of day for added context
  • Use a simple 2D UI overlay to toggle layers and settings

Supported ArcGIS Features

The application supports a wide range of features, including:

  • Basemaps (vector tile and image tile layers)
  • Elevation layers (from public ArcGIS image services)
  • 3D object scene layers (buildings, assets, etc.)
  • Integrated mesh scene layers (drone-captured urban models)
  • Building scene layers (including BIM-based content)
  • Raster and tiled imagery
  • Vector tile layers
  • Living Atlas and organization-hosted content

Who It’s For

  • GIS professionals who want to explore and present 3D data spatially
  • Urban planning, public sector, and infrastructure teams sharing data with stakeholders.
  • Organizations looking to improve collaboration through clearer spatial understanding.

👉 Explore the ArcGIS for Looking Glass beta

To use your own ArcGIS data, contact our sales team — we’ll help configure your layers for optimal 3D viewing on Looking Glass.

For Unity Developers: Build Your Own Integration

This application came together quickly because everything lived in Unity, from data integration to final 3D output.

Unity as the Foundation

  • The entire experience was built in Unity, using familiar tools for scene setup, interaction, and UI.
  • External data, 3D models, simulations, and geospatial content are all made available via the ArcGIS Unity SDK, making them available in the Unity environment.

Powered by the Looking Glass Plugin

  • The Looking Glass Unity Plugin replaces your main camera with a proprietary light field renderer.
  • It captures up to 100 views of your scene per frame and composites them into a single light field texture.
  • That texture is rendered on the Looking Glass display, creating a shared, spatial 3D image.
  • Viewers see real depth and parallax.  No headsets, no wearables

What You Can Build

  • Integrations with other tools based in Unity.
  • Internal decision-support tools for teams working with complex 3D data.
  • Presentation-ready demos for planning, sales, or public engagement.
  • Simulation and training environments that feel intuitive and alive in real space.

Unity made it easy to bring everything together. The Looking Glass Plugin made it real in 3D. Whether you're working with spatial data or designing interactive tools, this combo opens up new ways to see, share, and understand your work.

👉 Download the Looking Glass Unity Plugin

Try It or Build Your Own

👉 Explore the ArcGIS for Looking Glass beta

  • ArcGIS users: Contact us to use your own data.  No Unity skills needed
  • Developers: Use the Unity plugin to build real 3D experiences for your enterprise apps

Your data already lives in 3D. Now you can see it that way.