© Photo. Epic Games:Epic Games' RealityScan app, which lets you scan real-world objects and turn them into 3D models for video games or other projects, is officially available on iOS as a free download after a limited beta launch in April. The app can be a useful tool for recreating objects from the world around you without having to build them yourself from scratch
To "scan" an object in the app, you take a picture of it from as close an angle as possible. When you walk around an object and take a photo of it, RealityScan displays each photo taken in augmented reality with a heat map of where the object needs more coverage. You'll be able to preview your scan directly from the app to see how it looks before exporting it to 3D model sharing platform Sketchfab. (Epic says anyone who uploads a scan from RealityScan to Sketchfab will get a free year of Sketchfab Pro.) From Sketchfab, you can import the model into apps like Epic's Unreal Engine.
Watch this video to get an idea of how it works in practice.
I've been messing around with the limited beta and final app and it's very easy to use. My scan didn't go well, but I won't stress that too much; I'm using an iPhone 12 Mini, which doesn't have the best camera, and I don't think the lighting in my house is ideal for this scan.
Currently, RealityScan is only available for iPhone and iPad, but Epic says an Android version is in the works for 2023.
The app is the latest in Epic's growing suite of tools to help developers create 3D objects; The company's impressive MetaHuman technology was recently used for a realistic recreation of NBA superstar Luka Doncic, for example. In November, Epic announced that more than half of all announced next-gen games were built with the Unreal Engine, and that RealityScan and Metahuman Creator could help those developers create new games.
