We’re launching Photo Mode, a new 3D capture tool capable of producing professional-quality 3D models with just an iPhone. Our new Photo Mode greatly expands our app’s capabilities. From small, detailed objects, to tall buildings and even people, subjects that are currently out-of-reach for mobile LiDAR capture can now be easily captured with Photo Mode.
The resulting 3D assets are ready-to-use in a wide variety of applications ranging from 3D art, gaming, AR/VR and e-commerce. We support data export in over a dozen file formats, including .obj, .gtlf, and .usdz, enabling compatibility with virtually any 3D software. The update was initially available through a private-access beta, and we have already seen huge interest in Photo Mode from users in many industries.
Polycam started a revolution in mobile 3D capture with the release of our LiDAR 3D capture app late last year, and we have processed over 2 million scans to-date. While initially limited to devices with the LiDAR sensor, such as the iPhone 12 Pro or 12 Pro Max, today’s Photo Mode launch brings mobile 3D capture to over 100x more iPhones.
“Polycam’s mission has alway been to bring 3D capture to everyone”, Chris Heinrich, Polycam’s CEO says, “and today’s Photo Mode launch is a huge step forward in this direction”.
The Polycam team will continue to develop and improve LiDAR Capture, alongside Photo Capture. “LiDAR and photogrammetry have different strengths and complement each other really nicely”, says Elliott Spelman, co-founder of Polycam. “While LiDAR is incredibly fast and great for scanning spaces, Photo Mode can capture objects with wonderful detail and precision.”
Polycam is available to download on the App Store. Sample 3D scans made with Photo Mode can be found here. Polycam was built by a small team of individuals with a passion for 3D capture, and deep experience in computer vision and 3D design.
