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Polycam

Pocket 3D scanner

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Half the Fortune 500 companies use what Polycam built. That's not marketing fluff — it's reality. This 3D capture tool has become serious business for professional workflows.

Your phone becomes a spatial measurement device. Polycam uses photogrammetry and LiDAR scanning to make it happen. Capture entire rooms. Individual objects. Floor plans. Aerial views. Whatever your project needs. Spatial AI does the heavy lifting while you point and shoot.

Construction project managers can walk through job sites with their device. Capture everything in 3D. Generate instant floor plans with precise measurements. No tape measures required. The digital twin gets shared through AutoCAD or Unreal Engine.

Cross-platform support works across different devices. Gaussian splatting expands your options. So does drone photogrammetry. Both go beyond handheld scanning.

Polycam targets professionals in architecture, engineering, construction, forensics, product design, manufacturing, and media production. The 7-day business trial gives teams time to test workflows before committing. Integration with Maya, Unity, Blender, and Apple Vision Pro means your captures flow into existing pipelines without friction.

There's a learning curve though. Spatial AI doesn't fix poor capture technique. Lighting conditions matter too. You'll still need photogrammetry basics to get consistent results across different environments and object types.

Does Polycam require special hardware or will any phone work?

Any modern smartphone works fine. You'll get way better results with LiDAR sensors though -- like the newer iPhones and iPads have. Photogrammetry mode? That'll work on pretty much any standard phone. For drone stuff, you need a compatible drone that can grab those overlapping shots Polycam needs.

How accurate are the measurements from Polycam scans?

LiDAR scans can hit millimeter-level accuracy for stuff up close. Photogrammetry usually gets you centimeter-level precision. Here's the thing -- it really depends on how you scan, your lighting, and how far you are from whatever you're capturing. Most pros still double-check critical measurements with traditional tools (just to be safe).

Can I export Polycam models directly into CAD software?

Yep! Polycam exports to formats that work with AutoCAD, plus mesh formats for 3D software like Maya, Unity, and Blender. You can even generate 2D floor plans from your 3D captures. The exports keep their scale and measurements intact -- so they'll drop right into professional workflows without any extra calibration.

What's the difference between Gaussian splatting and regular photogrammetry in Polycam?

Gaussian splatting creates way more photorealistic renders. Better lighting, better reflections -- especially on complex surfaces. Traditional photogrammetry gives you cleaner mesh models that work better for CAD and engineering stuff. Gaussian splatting's the newer tech that's amazing for visualization, while photogrammetry gets you more practical 3D models.

How large can spaces be when scanning with Polycam?

There's no hard size limit, but bigger spaces need more planning and processing time. Construction teams scan entire buildings all the time -- they just do it floor by floor. With aerial drone captures? You can cover acres of terrain. Processing time scales with how big your area is, and really large scans might need to get broken into sections.

What happens after the 7-day business trial ends?

You'll need to pick a paid plan to keep the business features and processing power. Your existing scans stay accessible -- that's good news. But new captures and exports get limited on the free tier. The trial gives you full access to professional tools, so teams can actually test their workflows before committing.

Why do some Polycam scans come out blurry or incomplete?

Poor lighting's the biggest problem -- especially for photogrammetry captures. You need good overlap between photos and steady movement while scanning. Shiny or transparent surfaces don't capture well with any photogrammetry tool (that's just how it works). LiDAR mode handles tricky lighting way better, but it's got shorter range limits.