Epic Games, makers of Fortnite and the engine Unreal Engine, announced reality scana new application that generate 3D models using your iPhone’s camera. The iOS app captures images of an object from multiple angles and then processes them to build a 3D object that you can use in your projects.
RealityScan is based on RealityCapture, a powerful photogrammetry software what used to generate faithful representations of an object or texture. The technique is widely used by game development and special effects studiosalthough it requires having a good camera and following certain steps to obtain a better capture.
The app uses the same principle of taking multiple photos, only in a simpler way in order to democratize the creation of 3D objects. reality scan guide users through augmented reality and interactive feedback. After capturing the photos, they are processed and a model is generated that can be be published or sold on SketchFab.
The video shows a person scanning an old couch using their iPhone. The final result, available on SketchFabis a detailed model of nearly 100,000 triangles that looks decent enough to use in a game or architectural project.
RealityScan is part of a larger strategy by Epic Games and its subsidiaries
At first glance, RealityScan is not very different from what exists in other photogrammetry applications, although its advantage lies in the technology that supports it.
RealityScan was developed by Capturing Reality and Quixel, two companies owned by Epic Games that are dedicated to surface scanning. While the former competes head-on with Agisoft for the throne of best photogrammetry software, the latter is the leader in the sale of assets scanned thanks to its Megascans store.
RealityScan is the first step in our journey to make 3D scanning available to all creators. We believe this tool will greatly help people of all skill sets better understand the basics of scanning, bridging the gap between beginners and professionals.
Although Epic seeks bridge the gap between an ordinary person and a professional who captures photos with a DSLR or his drone, the lens goes further. The company used all of its subsidiaries to create a pipeline to keep you in their ecosystem of products.
‘Stay in our ecosystem, everything is simpler and free’
You can scan the objects into RealityScan and upload the models to SketchFab (owned by Epic) to share or sell. The 3D model can integrate into Unreal Engine and be combined with other items from the Megascans library.
RealityScan is to photogrammetry as Live Link Face is to capturing facial expressions. Both applications seek to facilitate the technical process, but the final objective is the same: stay in our ecosystem. We could say the same about MetaHuman Creator, another app to create digital characters and integrate them into the Unreal Engine.
Epic announced that RealityScan is available in a limited beta for 10,000 users through TestFlight. Because the places are sold out, we will have to wait a few months for the early access for more people on iOS. If you use an Android smartphone you will have to wait until the end of the year, when the beta for this operating system is released.