April 6, 2022 – Epic Games, developer of Unreal Engine, has this week introduced RealityScan—a new free 3D scanning app that turns smartphone photos into high-fidelity 3D models. Developed in collaboration with Capturing Reality (creator of RealityCapture) and Quixel (creator of 3D asset library Megascans), Epic stated that the app builds on the pioneering technology of the companies to broaden access to sophisticated photogrammetry for creators of all levels.
In a blog post covering the announcement, the company stated that this release represents a new milestone in the growing Epic Games family, blending technology and talent across Unreal Engine, Capturing Reality, Quixel, and Sketchfab to deliver integrated, end-to-end content creation tools at consumer scale.
According to Epic, capturing real-world assets for digital experiences has traditionally been complicated, technical, and labor-intensive. RealityCapture provides a photogrammetric software solution that is able to reconstruct objects and scenes of any size from images or laser scans, yielding 3D scans with high levels of accuracy and mesh quality at high speeds. Now in limited beta, the RealityScan app takes 3D scanning capabilities of RealityCapture and puts it in the palm of a user’s hand, making capturing assets as straightforward as unlocking a smartphone.
“AR-powered 3D scanning of the real world is the future of virtual content creation. For years it was just a dream that many of us held, but today it’s a dream that we can begin to realize.” Martin Bujnak, co-founder at Capturing Reality.
Michal Jancosek, co-founder at Capturing Reality, added: “RealityScan is the first step on our journey to make 3D scanning available to all creators. We believe that this tool will greatly help people of all skill sets to better understand basic scanning principles, bridging the gap between beginners and professionals. We’re excited to develop the app with feedback from the community and to introduce new features as we approach the full release.”
As part of the RealityScan limited beta, Epic is granting access on a first-come, first-served basis to 10,000 users via TestFlight, with a wider Early Access release for both iOS in Spring, followed by Android later this year. To download the limited beta, click here.
For more information on Epic Games and its software solutions, Unreal games engine, and video game development, please visit the company’s website.
Image / video credit: Epic Games / YouTube
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.