Can you imagine being able to scan any object around you and create an exact 3D copy on your mobile? With RealityScan, the new 3D modeling app from Epic Games, you can do it. Discover everything that this fantastic tool has for you and why it can be so important for the future.
Create high quality 3D models with your mobile camera and a simple app
Epic Games, the company behind great games like Fortnite or Gears of War does not only know about these things. It turns out that they are also experts in 3D modeling and invest a lot in R&D for these technologies. Proof of this is that they recently introduced Unreal Engine 5, the latest update to one of the most famous graphics engines, but it wasn’t the only thing.
Along with this launch came RealityScan, an app that makes use of RealityCapture, an augmented reality photogrammetric technology capable of reconstructing anything around you from images. The app is free, can be installed on your phone, and creates high-fidelity 3D models that you can use for lots of things.
When using it, RealityScan will guide you so that you can correctly scan the object or environment to be virtualized. Once the scan is finished, the application will join all the collected data and generate a virtual 3D model in a matter of seconds.
At the moment, the application is available as a beta only for iPhone mobiles, a curious move considering the problems that Epic Games and Apple have. Even so, it will arrive at the end of the year on Android . But to all these, why is this app so special?
Bringing real objects into the virtual world easily is the future
Beyond the fun fact of creating a 3D model of your bed, table or sofa, you may be wondering why an app like RealityScan is so important? Epic Games points out that these types of applications are the future of virtual content creation .
First, because it will greatly facilitate the design and inclusion of 3D objects in games ; second, because it allows the creation of much more realistic virtual environments for audiovisual productions; third, remember that the metaverse grows bigger every day, so this would be an easy way to bring objects to that digital universe.
And in other matters, it turns out that RealityScan 3D models can be easily exported to Sketchfab, an online 3D model trading platform owned by Epic Games.
Any additional use? Surely Epic didn’t think so, but with a high-precision 3D model you can always send the real object to be restored without fear of it being different later. That, and you could even use virtual copy to find that same item in a store (perhaps using tools like Google Lens or something).
