Epic Games Rolls Out App To Turn Everyday Objects Into 3D Models For iOS
Epic Games, the company behind 3D computer graphics game engine Unreal Engine, is bringing 3D modeling to the hands of iPhone owners. The new RealityScan lets anyone with a smartphone point and shoot at the world around them and turn different objects into 3D models.
RealityScan takes after its parent company’s desktop software and stitches together 2D images to form 3D assets. This allows game developers and animators to use their environment to inspire their projects’ designs.
To access it, you will have to sign in to your Epic Games account. Then, to convert an object, you will be asked to capture a minimum of 20 pictures from all angles of the item you wish to digitize.
The app will guide you through the process and show you a quality map that lets you know how well the item has been shot. The green areas highlight parts of the object that have been well caught, while yellowed-out portions need to be reworked, and red parts mean you’ll have to take additional photos. These images are then uploaded 3D computer graphics game engineto the cloud and automatically aligned.
There are toggles on screen you can drag around to make sure that you solely capture the object, and not its background. You can even preview the model in-app and switch between the quality map and a complete render.
It should be noted that RealityScan works best with large and simple objects in direct or indirect lighting.
Epic Games suggests you export the render to Sketchfab, which it bought over last year, where you can carry out your 3D, VR, and AR projects. Additionally, you are also able to sell your models to other creators.
RealityScan is a product of another of Epic Games’ acquisitions, this time of photogrammetry software company Capturing Reality.
The app is free for download on the App Store and will head to Android systems soon, says the company.
Check out how the program works in the demo video below.
[via Engadget and Epic Games, screenshots via Epic Games]
