Overview
Polycam is a cross-platform 3D capture app that turns phones and tablets into scanners. It supports LiDAR capture (on compatible Apple Pro devices), photogrammetry from a phone camera, Gaussian Splat capture, AI-generated captures, and 360° capture, then rebuilds the result into meshes, point clouds, and shareable web viewers. It is aimed at anyone who needs a quick digital twin of a room, object, or site without renting professional surveying hardware. The maker, Polycam, positions the product for real estate, construction documentation, product visualization, and creative 3D work across iOS, Android, and the web.
Polycam's capture quality is impressive for its price class. LiDAR modes on recent iPhones and iPads produce clean, detailed meshes of furniture, rooms, and medium objects within seconds, while photogrammetry lets Android users contribute captures from ordinary camera phones. Gaussian Splat support has expanded creative use cases such as volumetric captures of spaces and people. The web editor means a team member on any OS can clean up, measure, and share a scan without owning the capture device, a meaningful collaboration win for distributed teams.
Key Features
- Capture modes: LiDAR (iOS only), photogrammetry, Gaussian Splats, AI generation, 360°.
- Instant and editable 2D/3D floor plans with area and furniture detection.
- Measurement tools: ruler, auto-measure, pen measurement, saved results.
- Wide export: meshes (GLTF/OBJ/FBX/STL/USDZ) and point clouds (Business+).
- Shareable web viewer, embeds, Apple Vision Pro viewing.
- Editing: remesh, crop/extend, AI texture, background and color grading.
- Team features: comments, albums, shared library, centralized billing.
Pros (from user feedback)
- Fast, intuitive LiDAR scanning for small spaces with real-time mesh preview.
- Broad export formats and a no-desktop-required web viewer.
- Free tier lowers the entry barrier for students and hobbyists.
- Strong fit for real estate and product photography workflows; polished UI.
Cons (from user feedback)
- LiDAR is limited to Apple Pro hardware and a practical depth of ~5 meters.
- No outdoor, aerial, or large-scale capability; multi-room scans drift and show gaps.
- No published accuracy specs, no GCP/RTK or georeferencing, no survey/forensic certification.
- Business-tier features (floor plans, georeferenced export) push real utility up the price ladder.
- Accuracy suits visualization only — not measurement, engineering, or legal documentation.
Who It's For
Polycam is best for creators, realtors, product photographers, and indie game/env artists who want fast, shareable scans of objects and interiors. It is not a substitute for survey-grade or engineering measurement.
Verdict
Polycam is the most approachable consumer 3D scanner available and excellent for visualization and content. Just respect its accuracy ceiling: use it to capture and share, not to certify measurements.