Using LiDAR to Map Your Home
Moving is hectic. Last minute, I grabbed an app and mapped my old space for posterity, but it didn't work terribly well. Then I found Polycam. It's fast, fun, and creates really detailed memories of places you want to remember.
I saw a (tasteful) designer on twitter mention how he's looking for a new apartment and used LiDAR to quickly map out apartments he saw to help when he eventually moved. He used Polycam, so I quickly went to download and give it a try. My past experience while limited, wasn't good and I wanted to find a better app.
I took a quick capture of my desk, and was particularly impressed with how it captured the cloth I have draped over my chair and the pic of the kiddos on the wall. Obviously, the scan isn't perfect – it's literally the first one I did, and did it quickly. Have a look:
What's nice is that with the tap of a button I can measure all of the elements in the room, or create a floor plan. What's fun though is the realism that jumps out at you after capturing something.
I've long been bullish on what's coming in AR/VR from Apple. Slowly, we're starting to see the pieces come together.
Give it a try, and have some fun.
If you're really into technology or Apple, you might, like me, believe that augmented reality is a next major frontier of growth.
If you're curious about what this might mean, read 'How Will LiDAR Unlock AR's Promise?' to learn more about LiDAR and what the future holds.
Also, follow Robert Scoble's latest twitter persona where he will be covering Apple's AR launch, something he believes happens in the next 12 months (it's now March '21).
I am expecting Apple to announce many Spatial-Computing-related things over the next year.
— 🟣Scoble (@Scobleizer) March 21, 2021
So I am tracking everything Apple is doing over on this Twitter account: @AppleXRStrategy.
If you care about Apple follow along.
The photo is of Apple’s new headquarters in Cupertino. pic.twitter.com/yPONnxEMZN
If you'd like to find other people to learn from in the AR space, here's a nice list of the AR influencers.
I'll leave you with these fine words from the amazing Horace Dediu:
Man, this Apple AR head-mounted thing is rumored to be quite the thing. Must ignore rumors but there is so much design space available… Hard not to be excited.
— Horace Dediu (@asymco) March 19, 2021
