Polycam

Polycam is a 3D capture platform that turns phones, tablets, and cameras into scanners using LiDAR, photogrammetry, and Gaussian splatting. It produces 3D models, floor plans, and 360 captures that export to more than 15 formats for design, AR, games, and construction. It offers a limited free tier and Pro and Business subscriptions. Best results depend on hardware and capture technique.

Polycam brings professional-grade 3D scanning to consumer hardware. Using the LiDAR sensor on Pro iPhones and iPads, or photogrammetry on any camera-equipped device, users can capture objects, rooms, and outdoor scenes and convert them into textured 3D models. The platform has since added Gaussian splatting for photorealistic scene capture, alongside automatic floor-plan generation with measurements and area calculations from room scans. The output is built for real workflows. Models export to more than fifteen formats including OBJ, FBX, USDZ, GLTF, STL, and point-cloud formats like LAS and PTS, so captures can flow into 3D design tools, game engines, AR pipelines, CAD, and BIM. Polycam runs on iOS, Android, and the web, with cloud processing and sharing that let teams collaborate on captured content. Commercially, Polycam is freemium. A free tier lets people try scanning but restricts exports mainly to GLTF and caps captures, while Pro plans unlock the full export range and Business tiers add measurement and team features. The main caveats are hardware-dependent quality, where LiDAR captures need supported Apple devices for best results, and the fact that meaningful professional use quickly requires a paid plan.