FAQ

Frequently asked questions about mapping.

How do I contribute my scans to MeshMap?

Once you've mapped your own scans using a mobile app (such as Polycam, Immersal, Scaniverse, or Pix4D) or professional scanning equipment (such as the Leica BLK2Go) you can export them as GLTF files (for LiDAR and photogrammetry) or PLY files (for Gaussian splatting). Then, import that file and its metadata into your MeshMap account at https://app.meshmap.com/scans.

See Mapping for best practices.

What is LiDAR scanning?

LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) is a method for creating accurate 3D representations of objects and environments. LiDAR-equipped devices use a laser to emit infrared light pulses which hit and reflect off of nearby objects. By calculating the time between the emission and reflection, it determines the distance to objects and is thus able to create accurate representations.

Many modern smartphones are equipped with LiDAR scanners. iPhone 12+ Pro and Pro Max models are all LiDAR capable.

What is photogrammetry?

Photogrammetry is a method of ingesting and triangulating a set of 2D images in order to construct an accurate 3D representation of an object or environment.

Any camera can be used for photogrammetry since the input is a set of regular images. Wide lenses will capture more of an area in each image, increasing the overlap between images to improve the overall accuracy of the outcome.

What is Gaussian splatting?

Gaussian splatting is a rasterization method to create photorealistic 3D reconstructions of environments from a sampling of images. Unlike LiDAR and photogrammetry, splatting does not produce a 3D mesh of the object or environment.

Any camera can be used for Gaussian splatting since the input is a set of regular images.

Should I use LiDAR, photogrammetry, or Gaussian splatting?

It depends on the scenario of data collection and the intended use case for the data.

LiDAR excels at quickly capturing an environment, but cannot capture glass, water, and dark shadows because the laser’s light pulses are not reflected back to the LiDAR sensor.

Photogrammetry is more time consuming since it requires taking hundreds of overlapping images, but it can produce more photorealistic representations with finer details.

Gaussian splatting can also quickly capture an extremely photorealistic 3D environment when viewed from certain angles but does not produce a 3D mesh.