Scanning from a Smartphone for building CAD files

Scanning objects with a smartphone or a dedicated scanner has become an essential tool for many professionals. In most cases, the expected results are 3D textured meshes, 360 images or videos, or point clouds. These different file formats respond to different needs and use cases.

In some cases, professionals want to scan a complex scene, but with the aim of modelling a simplified version of that scene. The end result is expected to be a type of Computer Aided Design (CAD) file that can be used in design software, either for editing or as a reference for a design. For example, you don’t want to scan a room with all the paintings, furniture, lights, etc. You just want to get the dimensions of the room and the main elements and integrate that into your workflow.

This nugget describes how the combination of Augmented Reality guidance with depth sensing unlocks the ability to model CAD-like files directly from your smartphone during the scanning process.