An End-to-End Guide to Photogrammetry with Mobile Devices

If you don't need publication-quality 3D models, the latest iPhones have built-in LIDAR sensors, both front (for facial recognition) and back (for AR).

There are a variety of apps that can use these built-in sensors to build 3D models of the environment in what I think is a pretty painless and intuitive way. The results aren't publication-quality like the NYTimes' guide's results but it's quick, easy and "good enough" for many purposes.

Personally, my preferred scanning app is Heges [0]. Record3D [1] by the same developer is also really cool, albeit not a scanner app.

One note though: if you want high-quality 3D geometry, use the front LIDAR sensor, not the back. The front sensor is much more precise.

[0]: https://hege.sh/

[1]: https://record3d.app/

At the startup I work at we make a platform allowing users (mainly telecom providers) to upload drone images from some site. Then we generate a 3d model and do additional computer vision tasks such as finding rusty parts, simulate coverage to find more optimal antenna placements, real time collaboration etc.

Have a look at: https://platform.myxrobotics.com/twins/109/?invcode=Db4GksYM https://platform.myxrobotics.com/twins/3/?invcode=EhiGcTX-

The technology stack is pretty similar to nytimes's:

1) Compute the model and divide it into 3d tiles.

2) Load the model in the browser and overlay changes on top.

Except that instead of story telling we help telecommunication engineers :D

As a 3D artist, photogrammetry is one of my favorite casual creative activities. Compared to the time it would take to model these environments, it almost feels like cheating. I recommend it to anyone with enough computing power!