Every store doing AR eventually hits this fork: pay a 3D asset production SaaS pipeline per model, or build the capability in-house. There is no universal answer. - For catalogs under a few hundred SKUs, or a first AR experiment, SaaS is almost always the right call. - In-house wins on volume and control: adding hundreds of products a month makes per-model pricing hurt. - A small capture setup plus one trained person can pay for itself fast, and you control turnaround. - The hybrid is underrated: SaaS for the backlog, in-house for the ongoing flow. - Whatever you choose, keep file hygiene from day one: versioned models, clear naming, one source of truth. - The mistake: building in-house before you have proof AR works for your products. Rent the capability, prove the behavior, then buy it. ModelSnap produces the 3D model and AR preview file, $4.99 per HD model.