Director's pick - An app that could be a 3D AR game changer

While I love what it can do, I should tell you up front that the app isn’t actually available for public download - yet.

But, when it does hit the App Store for iOS, it looks like it’s going to be a game changer in the sector. So, what is this app and why am I raving about it when I can’t even use it??

3D Scanner Pro | iOS: £TBC

3D Scanner Pro - what it’s all about?

Well, the name kind of gives it away, but in a nutshell, 3D Scanner Pro is an app that lets you create 3D models of objects and spaces just by using your phone’s camera. That’s the simple way to put it anyway. In reality, it’s a bit more in-depth than that.

3D Scanner Pro is an augmented reality (AR) app, so its main purpose is to turn any real object or space into a 3D virtual object or space to be used in an augmented reality environment. By using the inbuilt Apple ARKit and TrueDepth dot projector on the iPhone X and iPhone XS, the app is able to scan objects around you and turn them into 3D models to use as augmented reality objects.

It’s ideal for anyone with online stores to help show full 360˚ images of their products, or even if you want to check if that funky new sofa will actually fit into your front room. But its capabilities in capturing indoor and outdoor environments are impressive too, helping you create virtual walkthroughs or scale models of rooms for precise measuring.

Why do I like this new app so much?

For me, the best thing about this app is that it will let the public fully engage with augmented reality as a medium. Prior to this app, you needed to have a big interest in 3D design and development to get anywhere close to placing objects in an AR environment. So for any non-techy people, it’s been an area that’s been reasonably limited.

The general public has largely been restricted to viewing and interaction with AR, without actually being able to create it, and this is where 3D Scanner Pro comes into its own - all the heavy lifting is done for you. The app opens up the possibilities not only for user creation but also the sharing of AR ready materials making the production and exploration of 3D environments much more accessible, quick and easy.

So what makes 3D Scanner Pro so unique?

3D scanner apps aren’t a new thing by any means and there are already apps available for iOS and Android that do just that. But unlike other apps like this, 3D Scanner Pro can scan an object of any size - within reason - with hi-res precision giving you an immediate lifelike 3D model that picks up every detail.

Not only that, the app uses iOS 12’s Augmented Reality QuickLook so any 3D object or space can be shared with anyone and immediately placed into AR models without having to use additional apps to export or modify them.

The 3D Scanner Pro app is currently in development and not available for public download yet, but it promises to be an important step forward, and I think it could be the turning point for mass market adoption of AR.

To read another Director's Pick post, click here!

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