Epic’s RealityScan app, which turns real-world objects into 3D models, is now available on iOS

Epic Games’ RealityScan app, which lets you scan real-world objects and turn them into 3D models for video games or other projects, is now official Available on iOS As a free download after an initial 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 bunch of photos of it from as many angles as you can. As you walk around and photograph the object, RealityScan helpfully shows every photo you’ve taken in augmented reality, as well as a heat map of where the object needs more coverage. You’ll also be able to preview the scan directly from the app to see how it will look before exporting it to it scoutchab, a platform for sharing 3D models. (Epic says that everyone who uploads a RealityScan scan to Sketchfab will get a free year Sketchfab Pro.) From Sketchfab, you can bring the model into apps like Epic’s Unreal Engine.

I messed around with the limited trial and the final app, and it’s very easy to use. My sweeps weren’t great, but I wouldn’t put a lot of stock into that; I’m using the iPhone 12 Mini, which doesn’t have the best camera, and I don’t think the lighting is ideal in my house for these scans.

For now, 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 to create lifelike recreations of NBA star Luka Dončić, for example. More than half of its announced next-gen games are made on Unreal Engine, Epic said in November, and things like RealityScan and MetaHuman Creator can help those developers as they build new games.