New Epic Games app turns your iPhone into a 3D scanner
With RealityScan, engine-maker Epic Games introduces a simple way to photorealistically integrate real-world objects into digital worlds. The iPhone app could be a building block in Epic's Metaverse strategy. An Android app is being planned.
Almost exactly a year ago, Epic bought the photogrammetry professionals from Capturing Reality along with their software. The photogrammetry process involves stitching together numerous 2D photos of a single object to create a photorealistic 3D replica. Now Epic is introducing a new iPhone app powered by Capturing Reality's technology.
Photogrammetry app for iPhone
With "RealityScan" users should be able to scan real objects and environments in 3D comparatively quickly and easily. For a good quality at least 20 photos from different angles are necessary. Good lighting and a clear background help for a clean photogrammetry process.
Once the 3D object is captured with the app and processed in the cloud, it can be uploaded to Sketchfab and used for several applications from there. Among other things, Sketchfab supports an AR and VR view directly in the browser. Equally well, the object can be imported from Sketchfab into a 3D engine such as Unreal or Unity, where it becomes part of a virtual world.
The Slovakian studio behind Reality Scan, which is overseeing the app development together with Quixel, promises "fast and easy" 3D scanning that replaces previous "complicated, technical and labor-intensive" processes and makes photogrammetry more accessible for beginners and professionals alike.
RealityScan is launching as a beta that you can download through Apple's TestFlight service. The beta is currently limited to 10,000 users. In the coming weeks, the app will be rolled out continuously. An Android version is planned for release in 2022.
Making photogrammetry more accessible - a building block for Epic's XR strategy?
Easy to use Photogrammetry software might become a building block of Epic's XR strategy. According to our sources, the studio is planning an XR Store for Windows PC, ARM and Android, which will complement the Epic Games Store. The store is supposed to support various XR devices from different manufacturers.
With Fortnite, Epic Games also has probably the most frequently cited Metaverse prototype in its portfolio, since it is both a game and a social meeting place. Epic boss Tim Sweeney has repeatedly positioned himself as an advocate of the Metaverse concept in the past.
"The next three years will be critical for all the emerging Metaverse companies like Epic, Roblox, Microsoft and Facebook. It's kind of a race to get to a billion users, and whoever gets to a billion users first is the perceived leader who sets the standards," Sweeney said in November 2021.
Read more about Metaverse:
- Metaverse arms race: Alibaba joins Nreal
- Nearly 7 million people have visited Nike's Metaverse store
- Wendy's opens store in Metas Metaverse
Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.
