3d Scanner App™

What it does

3d Scanner App™ is a powerful utility that transforms your phone into a portable 3D scanner. Using the device's camera and specialized sensors like LiDAR, it captures real-world objects and environments and converts them into detailed 3D models. Beyond simple capture, the app provides a suite of tools for editing, measuring, and visualizing these scans in various ways, including augmented reality.

Where it shines

The app's strength lies in its versatility and post-scan utility. The initial video demo (00:07) immediately establishes what's possible, from scanning small items to entire rooms. The real magic happens after a scan is processed. The app provides a robust toolkit, allowing users to crop messy edges (02:50) or take precise measurements of distance and area directly on the 3D model (04:04). This turns a simple scan into a functional tool for hobbyists and professionals alike.

UX highlights

Multiple Scan Modes: The app intelligently offers different scanning technologies (e.g., Photos, LiDAR, TrueDepth at 07:18) from a single menu, empowering users to choose the best tool for the job.
Real-time Feedback: During a scan, the app provides excellent real-time visual feedback, showing the mesh being constructed over the camera view (01:45). This helps users understand what has been captured and where they need to move next.
Direct Manipulation: Editing tools like cropping are intuitive. The app presents clear bounding boxes and views (02:51) that make it easy to isolate the desired part of the model.
In-App Tool Suite: After capturing a model, a rich set of tools for measurement, visualization, and AR viewing are readily available, keeping the entire workflow within the app.
Clear Onboarding Demo: The app forgoes a traditional tutorial for a quick, compelling video that showcases the final output (00:07-00:34), effectively selling the value before asking for anything from the user.

Monetization & growth

The app gates its functionality behind a subscription paywall, which is presented immediately after a short, compelling video demo (00:36). It uses a common free trial model to encourage sign-ups, offering a choice between weekly and yearly plans. The user must subscribe to a trial to proceed into the main app. After subscribing, the app immediately prompts for App Tracking Transparency and Camera permissions (00:58), which are essential for its operation.

Who it’s for

This app is designed for a broad audience, from tech enthusiasts and 3D printing hobbyists to professionals in fields like interior design, architecture, and construction. Anyone needing to quickly capture the dimensions or shape of an object or space without specialized equipment could find it useful. Its user-friendly interface makes it accessible to beginners, while the advanced LiDAR modes cater to those with more demanding technical requirements.

Notes & opportunities

The app delivers a powerful scanning experience, but the initial scan processing can be abstract. At 02:15, the initial processed scan is a fragmented mess before the user opens the editing tools. A brief guided tour on the first successful scan could help users understand how to refine their model immediately. Additionally, the measurement tools are powerful but could benefit from more explicit snapping points to make measurements even more precise and user-friendly.