Maybe you’ve already heard of Seene, the free iPhone-only app released earlier this fall that creates 3D images without any additional hardware. The app just received a mega-update today, allowing users to create and render complete 3D models that can be rotated.
Seene generates the models by applying yellow sensor dots on the intended subject before obtaining depth information from the parallax displacement affect, which caused by moving you phone around the captured object.
Dubbed “Seenes,” these images resemble are similar to interactive gifs.
Parallax is the difference in the apparent position of an object when viewed along two different lines of sight. In layman’s terms, it’s the angle of inclination between what your left eye sees and what your right eye sees. Seene stitches these images together to produce a perspective shift as seen in the image below.
The 3D-rendered models show much greater detail than the semi-3D “Seenes.”
The update raises the bar from “semi-3D” image to full 3D model, textures and all. The mechanism behind this remains largely the same; the changes are solely applied on the software side. Regardless, Seene has upped the ante from something that was fun ─ albeit trivial ─ to something practical that produces 3D-printable models.
“Our goal is to put the power of 3D capture into the world’s hands. Using just your smartphone you can model the world around you. Everything is captured and processed in your smartphone without any special sensors. Makes a complete 3D model with texture and everything,” claims one of the developers in the promotional video.
Using the app is a bit trickier than the developer would have you think, requiring a well-lit room and minimal surrounding objects. These requirements are easily met by placing the subject in front of a white backdrop and shining a light source, similar to what’s used in photography, but relying on outside tools is a bit counter-intuitive. Nonetheless, that’s not to say that you won’t achieve adequate results otherwise, but it may take a few attempts.
Via Gizmodo
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