Epic Games has announced a new smartphone app capable of building 3D models of objects from a series of smartphone photos.
Epic Games, the studio responsible for games like Fornite, has unveiled a new 3D scanning app for iOS and Android smartphones called RealityScan. Application Uses smartphone cameras and photos to create high-resolution 3D imaging models Real world objects for use on digital platforms.
RealityScan was developed by Epic Games in collaboration with Capturing Reality (which it acquired last March) and Quixel (the creator of Megascans). ” This app builds on their groundbreaking technology to extend access to advanced photogrammetry for creators of any skill level Epic Games writes in a press release.
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How does RealityScan work?
Thus RealityScan will allow creators to scan real-world objects, such as an armchair as in a video, for the purpose of using them in their digital projects. Creating a 3D object is very simple. After logging in with your Epic Games account, The app will prompt you to take at least 20 photos of an object. As shown in the video, you can also hold your finger on the capture button as you move around the object.
Once the application processes the images and turns them into a 3D object, you will be able to Export the file to Sketchfab (A 3D asset platform also acquired by Epic in 2021.) So the application should greatly simplify the life of game developers who need a specific object to place in a virtual environment. This may be Sell these 3D files to other creators or use them in their 3D projects.
Epic clarified that the app was not yet ready for release to the general public. It is currently only available in Limited trial for the first 10,000 iOS users. With this app, Epic intends to expand access to photogrammetry, a practice that is not new, but for the most part requires skilled technicians and specialized hardware to correctly capture realistic objects.
Making it available to everyone on simple smartphones will undoubtedly democratize it, But it can also lead to deviations. In fact, creating 3D models of some everyday items can raise significant copyright issues if used in digital projects, so Epic will need to clearly explain to users what they can and can’t do with its app.
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