AutoDesk Releases 3D Scanner App

AutoDesk, a 3D design and engineering software company, has released an app which allows using your iPhone as a 3D scanner. Although it was once accessible only to a limited few, 3D scanning is definitely becoming more and more mainstream. Indeed, if you have an iPhone or even an iPad you can now take pictures of a person or object, have the app process the 3D design through its servers and 3D-print the file in the comfort of your own home (this part will require you to rent or purchase a 3D printer though). The number of pictures needed to produce a complete 3D design ranges from 20 to 40. To that end, AutoDesk has also released a video showing the process from beginning to end.

Given the fact that the app is powered by the camera of a smartphone, the conditions under which you take the pictures of the person or object you want to 3D-print must be relatively good. If there is too much light or if the object is too complex in terms of physical features the app will have a hard time working with it. As a result, it is still important to go for simple models if you want your 3D scanner app to work properly. While it is not perfect yet, the latter sure brings 3D scanning and modeling to the general public and even without a 3D printer you still can manage to have a good time playing around with your 3D designs online.

We are now at a crossroad where all efforts are put into making the world of 3D more mainstream, for instance with scan-to-cad solutions, but as this unfolds its accessibility could trigger real ethical debates as to what you can scan and produce through such technology.

Source: Printware