If you’ve ever put together a computer project with animated 3D models for something like a computer game, you know that developing 3D stuff is not an easy job!
3D model development is one of the most tedious and complex tasks in the world of computing. It typically requires expensive scanners, software tools, powerful computers and lot of expertise.
The Austin, TX-based startup Lynx has developed an all-in-one 3-D camera called “Lynx A” that aims to makes this process easy and affordable.
The Lynx A is basically a camera that rapidly captures the 3D models of the objects it points at. All you do is point the camera at the object, move it through different angles, and the camera instantly generates the 3D model.
The Lynx A looks like a tablet with a 14” color LCD screen on the front. Behind the LCD screen, the Lynx A packs a high-performance computer that does all the computing and image processing. It has a powerful graphics card for capture/render and high-capacity storage. The device uses specialized, front-mounted optics including a 640x480 color camera and a 3-D sensor. The camera allows you to navigate your captured models using joysticks, just like a videogame controller. The battery is good for four hours.
The camera allows you to select from three types of capture: scenes, objects and motion.
Scene modeling lets you scan the surfaces of the objects around you. The camera automatically captures the 3D models of each shot and creates an entire scene by ‘stitching’ different images. This feature can be used for generating 3-D model of many objects, although we’re not clear on how high the resolution is.
To capture motion, point the Lynx A at a moving object or an actor. This feature is useful if you are making a video game or animated movie.
The Lynx A is going up on Kickstarter today. At $1,800 to $2,600, the purchase price may seem a little high for a beginner, but there is a lot of technology in the box. If you need 3D scene and motion scanning for your project, the Lynx A is likely the most affordable way to get it.