Polycam | The Leading 3D Scanner App for Photogrammetry & LiDAR

In a world rapidly moving towards immersive digital experiences, the ability to capture reality in three dimensions is no longer a niche technology reserved for Hollywood studios. From architects creating digital twins of buildings to artists preserving sculptures in digital form, the demand for accessible and powerful 3D scanning tools has skyrocketed. At the forefront of this revolution is Polycam, the leading app that puts professional-grade 3D capture technology right in your pocket. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a curious hobbyist, this guide will walk you through everything Polycam offers, from its cutting-edge features and flexible pricing to how it stands out as the ultimate tool for reality capture.

Polycam harnesses the two most powerful technologies in the field: LiDAR and Photogrammetry. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), available on modern iPhones and iPads, uses laser sensors to map out spaces with incredible speed and accuracy. Photogrammetry, on the other hand, uses a series of photographs to reconstruct an object’s geometry and texture, resulting in stunningly photorealistic 3D models. By seamlessly integrating both methods and pioneering new technologies like Gaussian Splatting, Polycam provides a versatile and robust platform for anyone looking to turn the physical world into a digital asset. This article will serve as your comprehensive introduction to mastering this powerful application.

Unlocking Reality: A Deep Dive into Polycam’s Features

Polycam is more than just a scanning app; it’s a complete ecosystem for creating, editing, and sharing 3D models. Its feature set is designed to be both intuitive for beginners and powerful enough for demanding professional workflows. The platform’s strength lies in its multi-faceted approach to 3D capture, ensuring you always have the right tool for the job.

Powerful 3D Scanning Modes: LiDAR and Photogrammetry

The core of Polycam’s versatility lies in its support for multiple capture modes. For users with LiDAR-equipped devices (like the iPhone Pro and iPad Pro), the LiDAR scanning mode is a game-changer. It allows you to capture large-scale environments like rooms, buildings, and landscapes in seconds. The sensor projects a grid of infrared dots to measure depth with high accuracy, creating a precise point cloud that forms the basis of your 3D model. This is ideal for architects, contractors, and interior designers who need quick, dimensionally accurate floor plans and spatial data.

For capturing smaller objects with intricate details and vibrant colors, Polycam’s Photo Mode utilizes Photogrammetry. This technique, accessible on any modern smartphone (iOS or Android), involves taking a series of overlapping pictures of an object from multiple angles. Polycam’s advanced algorithms then process these images in the cloud to reconstruct a high-fidelity 3D mesh with photorealistic textures. This mode is perfect for artists, product designers, and e-commerce businesses looking to create detailed 3D models of products, artifacts, or sculptures. The beauty of Polycam is that you don’t have to choose; you can leverage the speed of LiDAR for base geometry and supplement it with photogrammetry for texture detail, all within a single, unified platform.

Introducing Gaussian Splatting: The Next Frontier in 3D Capture

Polycam continues to push the boundaries of reality capture by being one of the first mobile platforms to integrate Gaussian Splatting. This revolutionary technique is changing how we render 3D scenes. Instead of relying on traditional polygons and meshes, Gaussian Splatting represents a scene as a collection of millions of tiny, colored, and transparent particles (3D Gaussians). The result is an unprecedented level of photorealism and detail, capturing complex effects like reflections, transparency, and intricate textures with stunning accuracy. Scenes rendered with this method feel less like a computer-generated model and more like a navigable, 3D photograph. Polycam makes this advanced technology incredibly accessible—simply capture a scene using Photo Mode, and you can process it as a “splat.” This feature is perfect for creating immersive virtual tours, preserving detailed environments for VFX, and exploring the future of 3D content.

Beyond Capture: Editing, Measuring, and Collaboration Tools

Creating a 3D model is just the first step. Polycam provides a robust suite of tools to refine, analyze, and share your creations. Directly within the app or on the Polycam web interface, you can perform essential edits like cropping unwanted artifacts, scaling your model to real-world size, and simplifying the polygon count for performance optimization. The built-in measurement tool is incredibly useful, allowing you to take precise linear or area measurements directly from your LiDAR scans.

Collaboration is another key strength. Every capture can be securely shared with a simple web link, allowing clients or teammates to view the 3D model in high fidelity on any device without needing to install an app. For professional teams, Polycam offers plans that enable user management, centralized billing, and shared team libraries. Furthermore, Polycam supports a vast array of export formats, including OBJ, FBX, GLB, STL, and LAS, ensuring seamless integration with virtually any 3D software, game engine, or 3D printer you use.

Polycam Pricing: Finding the Right Plan for Your Needs

Polycam’s pricing structure is designed to be accessible to everyone, from casual users to large enterprises. The platform offers a generous free tier that allows you to get started and explore the core functionalities of 3D scanning.

• Free Plan: Perfect for beginners, the free plan allows you to perform a limited number of Photogrammetry and LiDAR captures, view them in 3D, and take measurements. It’s an excellent way to learn the ropes and see the power of 3D capture for yourself.
• Pro Plan: For serious hobbyists and professionals, the Pro plan unlocks the full potential of Polycam. Priced competitively at around $14.99 per month or with a significant discount for an annual subscription, this plan offers unlimited captures in all modes, including higher-quality photogrammetry processing. Most importantly, it unlocks over 15 professional export formats, the Room Mode tool for generating floor plans, and access to the full suite of editing and measurement tools. This plan is the go-to choice for architects, artists, developers, and anyone who relies on high-quality 3D models for their work.
• Team Plan: Designed for businesses and educational institutions, the Team plan builds upon the Pro features by adding collaborative tools. This includes unified billing, user management from a central admin console, and a shared team library for seamless asset sharing and project collaboration.

Here is a quick comparison to help you decide:

Polycam vs. The Competition: Why Choose Polycam?

The 3D scanning app market is growing, but Polycam maintains a distinct edge due to its comprehensive feature set, cross-platform availability, and commitment to innovation.

As the table shows, Polycam’s primary advantage is its holistic approach. It is one of the few apps that offers both high-quality LiDAR and Photogrammetry on multiple platforms (iOS and Android), all connected by a powerful web interface. While competitors may excel in one specific area, none offer the same level of integration and versatility. The addition of cutting-edge features like Gaussian Splatting and robust team collaboration tools firmly establishes Polycam as the most forward-thinking and professionally-oriented choice on the market.

Getting Started with Polycam: A Quick User Guide

Jumping into 3D scanning with Polycam is incredibly straightforward. Follow these simple steps to create your first 3D model.

Step 1: Choose Your Capture Mode

Open the app and select the big “+” button. You’ll be presented with several options.

• For large spaces or rooms: If you have a LiDAR-enabled device, choose LiDAR.
• For detailed objects: Choose Photo. This is the Photogrammetry mode.
• For floor plans: Choose Room Mode (Pro feature).

Step 2: The 3D Scanning Process

For a successful scan, keep these tips in mind:

• Good, even lighting is key. Avoid harsh shadows or direct sunlight.
• Move slowly and steadily. Whether walking around a room in LiDAR mode or circling an object in Photo mode, smooth movement prevents motion blur.
• Ensure plenty of overlap. For Photogrammetry, each photo should overlap with the previous one by at least 60-70%. Capture the object from all angles—top, bottom, and all sides.

Step 3: Processing and Exporting Your 3D Model

Once you’ve finished capturing, you’ll upload the data for processing. Polycam’s cloud servers will stitch everything together into a 3D model. After a few minutes, your model will be ready to view, edit, and share. You can even embed your interactive 3D model directly into a website using a simple iframe, making it easy to showcase your work.

Here’s an example of the embed code:

<iframe
  title="Polycam 3D Model"
  frameborder="0"
  allowfullscreen
  mozallowfullscreen="true"
  webkitallowfullscreen="true"
  allow="autoplay; fullscreen; xr-spatial-tracking"
  xr-spatial-tracking
  execution-while-out-of-viewport
  execution-while-not-rendered
  web-share
  src="https://poly.cam/capture/YOUR_MODEL_ID/embed">
</iframe>

Simply replace YOUR_MODEL_ID with the ID from your capture’s share link.

Conclusion: The Future of 3D Capture is in Your Pocket

Polycam has successfully democratized the world of 3D scanning, packaging the power of LiDAR, Photogrammetry, and next-generation techniques like Gaussian Splatting into an intuitive and affordable application. It bridges the gap between casual curiosity and professional necessity, offering a scalable solution that grows with your needs. By providing a seamless workflow from capture to edit to export, Polycam empowers creators, engineers, and businesses to digitize the world around them with unprecedented ease and fidelity.

If you’re ready to explore the limitless possibilities of reality capture, there’s no better place to start.

Download Polycam from poly.cam today and start turning your world into stunning 3D models.