Epic Games has released a fun mobile app for creators called RealityScan. Available for iPhone and iPad users, the free app, which was previously available in a closed beta, lets you scan objects and things in the world with your phone and then turn them into high-def 3D models.
Keep in mind Epic Games bought Capturing Reality, a photogrammetry software company. Like the company’s desktop software, RealityScan combines 2D images to make 3D assets for creators to use in graphic design, games, movie work, and more. Imagine being able to go anywhere and capture something with your phone that you can then manipulate and upload into a project of your own use.
The video below shows an example of how you could use the RealityScan app:
To use the app, you need an Epic Games account, and you need to take at least 20 photos of an object from all sides. As you move your phone around, you will see a map in real time that shows you well-photographed areas with green dots. Anything in yellow and red could use more images. You can switch between the map and a full-color render. The app uploads and aligns the images in the cloud so you can preview everything in the camera view.
Later, you can crop it, so you can capture a specific thing and not everything around it. Reflective or wet surfaces might not work, and you get better results with larger objects. Once you’re done, you can export it to Epic’s 3D platform Sketchfab for use in 3D, VR, and AR projects.
RealityScan is available for free for iOS and iPadOS users on the App Store. Epic said an Android version will arrive later in the year.