Create 3D Models Via iPhone App

Now this is really cool technology! I have seen 3d scanners that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Here’s a video of one in action:

Some really smart person has written an app for the iPhone 4 that takes advantage of the front facing camera and screen to create 3d models. So for a few bucks students can create 3d models. What can they use them for? Well for starters they can make a model of their face for use as an avatar in various 3d programs. They will also be able to create video game content pretty easily.

I would imaging that the technology only works for small objects and at close range but I am sure that limitation will be worked out too.

Here’s a video I managed to find about the technology.

That’s pretty awesome! You know at some point somebody is going to stick a LIDAR on a phone and really be able to scan things.

• GT | Newsroom – Georgia Tech Scientist Creates 3-D Scanner iPhone App

  Very cool iphone app to create 3d models via image

  tags: technology model 3d iphone innovative

  • Leave it to an iPhone app developer to turn a tool that costhundreds of dollars a year ago into something that can be done with a 99-centapp. Grant Schindler, research scientist in Georgia Tech’s College of Computing,created Trimensional, the first app that allows users with an iPhone 4, iPad 2or recent iPod Touch to take 3-D scans of faces or other objects and share themby e-mail. Now in the latest update, users can also e-mail animated videos oftheir 3-D models. For a few dollars more, artists and designers can even exporttheir creation to CAD programs or 3-D applications, such as Maya.
  • “If I take a scan of my face, the app asks ‘what does theimage look like if I shine the light from the left side, what does it look likefrom the right side,’ and so on. There’s one three-dimensional answer perpixel, and combining all those answers results in the full 3-D model,” saidSchindler.

  • The new pro upgrade for Trimensional (available as an in-apppurchase) will also send a file that you can use any 3-D program to open, soartists and other 3-D professionals or hobbyists can now use this $5 app toperform a task that used to require hundreds of dollars worth of equipment.

    “There are professional, $40,000 3-D scanners out there;this won’t perform like those do, but for anything under $100, this is yourbest bet,” added Schindler.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.