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3D point cloud
We all know that augmented reality programs are on the rise, now, it's up to the world of 3D scanning technology. It is taking impressive leaps both in quality and in new techniques and software that are incorporated every day.
From a professional perspective in the architecture, engineering or industrial design sector, the 3D point cloud scanner it is already one more tool in many offices.
The point cloud in 3D modeling it represents the most advanced, fast and accurate option for data collection, measurements, volume calculations and 3d models.
Before seeing the new App and its sensational results, as a small paragraph and to understand the concept of what is a 3D point cloud, we want to provide the following scheme (See more information on Wikipedia):
The two base technologies in the field of 3D measurement, as we see in the image, are the 3D laser scanner and the Photogrammetry digital. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, more precise or less, but when we transfer them to the mobile … What is the final result? Well, imposing levels of precision.
Unfortunately, if we want accuracy in 3D surface scanning, the technological cost of professional laser measurement is still high; both in devices and in prices of the programs that handle the point cloud renderings. But, this is where the topic gets interesting.
Now, there are affordable options to "play" with it. 3D point cloud scanner based on LiDAR technology, simply with our mobile, easy to use and very cheap.
If we combine the LiDAR technology (Pulsed laser that allows generating a 3D model), good software, Artificial Intelligence that we have learned in the architecture sector and a powerful iPhone mobile, we will have 3D renderings by point cloud like the following …
Imagine what you could do with this 3D scanner technology on your mobile
We can do this with our mobile. And not just for the exterior in the style of digital laser surveying, which works very well. For the interior of houses, the results are equally surprising.
This is where a new version of the Polycam App - LiDAR 3D Scanner with AI that is revolutionizing the 3d scanner at a very low cost, and although the precision in centimeters is still "weak" from a professional perspective, the evolution over the years is overwhelming.
If we compare two captures with the same App Polycam Among its versions and made with the mobile, left four years ago and right, a few weeks ago, we have:
The new version of the Polycam app allows users to publish directly to Sketchfab (Community of professionals in the field of 3D and Virtual Reality) where you can create virtual tours and much more.
An example of what we can do for him 3D scanning of interior spaces. A scan in about 4 minutes with a new iPhone (Its camera uses LiDAR technology), and processed in ~ 100 seconds with the Polycam (We can see many examples with movements from Sketchfab):
The sensor LiDAR in new Apple devices allow you to quickly create color 3D scans of objects and spaces. The app's coloring engine is optimized to generate high-quality color 3D scans in no time.
We can access to download the Polycam - LiDAR 3D Scanner App from HERE. Important !!… To test it, first you have to pay for the Polycam Pro for a month, which is $ 3.99, and remember that it only works with a device with a LiDAR sensor (Come on, the new Apple products).
The catches of the 3D application They are quite accurate and can easily measure the distance between any two points.
According to the design company behind the application, the errors in measuring distances are a couple of centimeters (Remember that we saw a 3D scanner for architecture on a tablet, but in this case, we had to buy a coupling to handle precision) .
Professional users can export their scans in a variety of formats known to 3D rendering such as OBJ, USDZ, GLTF, and STL, as well as a number of 3D point cloud formats such as PLY, XYZ and PTS, to allow easy import into a 3D model viewer or editor.
As we are here to test, second and this time for free, we have 3d Scanner App that we can see from HERE (App Store) whose results are also quite surprising.
There are other apps like the Trnio 3D Scanner, which plays with photogrammetric technology, but it is more for figures and objects in the field of industrial design. Actually, it doesn't quite convince users and … What about 3D scanner apps for Android? Is there one that can do something similar …
Well, actually, and unfortunately, not at the moment. Is there any app 3D scanning for objects and people like the Qlone or the PIX4Dcatch 3D scanner app, which is one of the best.
Both are a 3D scanning software for mobile all in one. They allow you to scan in 3D and produce a 3D model just with your smartphone. Subsequently, the model can be exported to various 3D formats and sent for 3D printing. Although for the architecture sector, they fall short.
Remember that we already talked about an app to measure distances from this article. The technology of measurement and rendering with mobiles is constantly changing and I am sure that we will soon see new advances that will facilitate our daily work.
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