Earlier today, we reported that Intel has plans to begin shipping all of their tablets with RealSense 3D scanners starting next year. Today, Autodesk has informed 3DPrint.com that they have just made their 123D Catch 3D scanning app available on Android devices.
“The 123D Catch app is now available on Google Play, enabling Android lovers to turn their photos into a realistic 3D model by taking a series of photographs from different angles,” explained Jennifer Gentrup of Autodesk to 3DPrint.com. “With 123D Catch, a free app, you can capture things such as friends, sculptures and buildings, and transform them into interactive 3D models that can be 3D printed or shared with friends through Twitter, Facebook and email.”
123D Catch has been available on the iPhone for many months now, and many 3D technology enthusiasts have been pondering over the question of when its Android counterpart would also be made available. Well, now is the time.
Once objects have been scanned using the app, they can then be shared, or even 3D printed. Users can take the 3D virtual model and then use the 123D Catch Web App to prepare it for 3D printing. STL files can be generated, the models can be sliced, and then they can be sent off to your at-home 3D printer or uploaded to websites such as Shapeways to be printed on high quality color printers.
This will undoubtedly open the door to the creation of even more unique 3D printable objects, as well as expand the ever growing library of 3D models available on the internet. No longer are we limited to only sharing photographs and videos on the net. Now we can share 3-dimensional objects that allow us to get a better idea of what things really look like.
What do you think about the latest Android release of 123D Catch? Have you used it on your smartphone or tablet? Discuss in the 123D Catch forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out the video of the iOS version of the app below: