Epic’s new RealityScan app can make 3D models from smartphone photos

The new app can be used to create 3D models of objects from a series of photos. The idea is that you will be able to use the app, RealityScan, to take a picture of an object in the real world and then use it in your game or project.

You can see how it works in the video at the top of the post, which features someone scanning a brown chair, the result of which looks like a handcrafted 3D model. The app is currently available in a first-come, first-served test version on Apple's TestFlight platform.

The RealityScan app is easy to use. To take a series of photos, you can either hold the capture button down or take the shots individually, and as you do, you will want to slowly move around the object to take various shots. You have to take at least 20 images. After you have scanned the site, you can send the model to Sketchfab, a 3D-modeling platform, and after a few minutes, you will be able to see the scans you have taken.

I took two separate scans of my desk chair, but they weren't as good-looking as the one that is featured in the marketing.

Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

The water bottle was scanned on a table.

Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

There could be a number of reasons why my RealityScan models weren't up to par. Maybe my cameras aren't good enough. Maybe I was in a dark room. I may not have taken enough scans. The app is in a limited alpha state, so it will probably be released in the official version.

I still think the app has a lot of promise, as it could be a really useful tool to quickly create 3D models using just your phone. There will be an early access release for the app on the iPad in the spring, and a later release for the app on the phone.

This isn't the only developer tool news we'll get this week; the company is hosting a State of Unreal event on Tuesday, April 5th.