Just got a new iPhone 12 Pro Max - my first new phone in five years! Chose it specifically for the camera and am very impressed so far. One of the coolest features is the built-in LIDAR scanner. The camera uses LIDAR for very accurate autofocus and there's a app for measuring things, but you need a third-party app to unlock its real power.
I used the Polycam app to scan an old bench along a trail on my property. Polycam doesn't have much documentation, but it seems to work well. There are other apps I'll also want to try at some point. Scanning is pretty straightforward, just point the camera and walk around. A grid forms over everything you see and you get feedback about what is being recognized. It took less than 5 minutes to capture this, it's just a first test so there are some glitches. Some of this is my technique, but the software/hardware may also have limitations. With some planning and patience, I think it would be possible to scan a pretty large area (perhaps 50 x 50 ft?), the scanner itself has a range of about 16 feet but you can walk around while scanning. This certainly isn't the tool for scanning several acres however.
(this is just a static screen shot)
To view and manipulate the model in 3d, go the the link below. With a mouse, use the scroll wheel to zoom, hold the left button to rotate or the right button to move. On a phone or trackpad, pinch/spread to zoom, drag with one finger to rotate or two fingers to move. Click the full screen button for the best view, there is a fair amount of detail if you zoom way in - look at the acorns under the bench, for example.
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I used the Polycam app to scan an old bench along a trail on my property. Polycam doesn't have much documentation, but it seems to work well. There are other apps I'll also want to try at some point. Scanning is pretty straightforward, just point the camera and walk around. A grid forms over everything you see and you get feedback about what is being recognized. It took less than 5 minutes to capture this, it's just a first test so there are some glitches. Some of this is my technique, but the software/hardware may also have limitations. With some planning and patience, I think it would be possible to scan a pretty large area (perhaps 50 x 50 ft?), the scanner itself has a range of about 16 feet but you can walk around while scanning. This certainly isn't the tool for scanning several acres however.
(this is just a static screen shot)
To view and manipulate the model in 3d, go the the link below. With a mouse, use the scroll wheel to zoom, hold the left button to rotate or the right button to move. On a phone or trackpad, pinch/spread to zoom, drag with one finger to rotate or two fingers to move. Click the full screen button for the best view, there is a fair amount of detail if you zoom way in - look at the acorns under the bench, for example.
Rustic Bench - Download Free 3D model by ostroff
First test of the LIDAR scanner on my iPhone 12 Pro Max, captured with Polycam at my home - Rustic Bench - Download Free 3D model by ostroff
skfb.ly
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