Free 3D scanning app Kiri Engine now supports Lidar
Kiri Innovations has relesed Kiri Engine 2.10, the latest version of its 3D scanning app for Android and iOS devices.
The update adds support for Lidar scanning on compatible models of iPhone and iPad Pro, and users with Lidar-equipped iOS devices can also now process photogrammetry-based scans locally on the device, without the need to upload data to the cloud.
Both features are available to users with free Basic accounts.
A free AI-enhanced 3D scanning app for Android as well as Apple phones
First released in 2022, Kiri Engine is a 3D scanning app for Android and iOS devices.
It began as a photogrammetry tool, reconstructing 3D models from source photos of real-world objects, and uses AI techniques for object masking and noise removal.
This year, Kiri Innovations added support for Neural Surface Reconstruction: a new AI-based approach to reconstructing 3D models, available to users with paid Pro accounts.
Models can be generated in a range of common 3D and point cloud formats, including OBJ, FBX, STL, glTF/GLB, USDZ, PLY and XYZ.
Potential use cases include AR and previs, while users with Pro accounts get features to improve the quality of the assets generated, including retopology and PBR material generation, making output more suitable for game development and motion graphics.
Kiri Engine 2.10: support for LiDAR scanning
To that, Kiri Engine 2.10 adds support for Lidar scanning for users with Lidar-equipped iOS devices: the iPhone Pro 12 and later, and the 2020 iPad Pro and later.
Compared to photogrammetry, generating a 3D model from LiDAR data reduces the time needed to capture data, and works much better in low-light conditions.
New Object Capture mode generates an unlimited number of 3D scans for free
To support Lidar, the app uses the new version of Apple’s Object Capture API available in iOS 17.0, which is due out of beta next Monday.
That opens up a second new option for users with Lidar-equipped iOS devices: to generate 3D models using photogrammetry, but to process the scan data locally, removing the need to upload photos to the cloud, then download the processed model.
You can see the capture process in the video at the top of the story: rather than having to take photos individually, users walk in a circle around the object being scanned, then repeat the process with the object in two more orientations.
Processing is done entirely on the iPhone or iPad Pro, which takes “several minutes”.
And unlike when processing photos in the cloud, there is no limit to the number of 3D models that can be generated for free each month when using Object Capture mode.
Still some limitations, but will be updated in future releases
In Kiri Engine 2.10, the new Object Capture mode can only generate models in USDZ format, although Kiri Innovations says that it will extend its functionality in future updates.
It also does not currently support PBR material generation or retopology, so Pro users are still advised to process data in the cloud for “professional, high-quality” models.
Pricing and system requirements
Kiri Engine 2.10 is available for Android 7.0 and iOS 14.0. The new Object Capture mode and Lidar scanning require a Lidar-equipped iPhone Pro or iPad Pro and iOS 17.0.
The app itself is free to download. Free Basic accounts include the new Lidar scanning and Object Capture features, and can export three 3D scans from the cloud per week.
Pro accounts cost $14.99/month or $59.99/year, make it possible to export an unlimited number of scans from the cloud, and unlock the advanced features.
Download Kiri Engine for Android from Google Play
Download Kiri Engine for iOS from the iOS App Store
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