ScanTo3D | OpalAi vs Neuralangelo Research Reconstructs 3D Scenes | NVIDIA

ScanTo3D by OpalAi is a 3D generation app for iPhone Pro and iPad Pro that turns LiDAR walkthrough scans into floor plans, point clouds, and BIM-ready models. You walk through a space with your phone, capture geometry in InstaCAD or LiDAR mode, and export digital twins in formats like OBJ, GLTF, STL, and USDZ. It targets property owners, contractors, and facility teams who need as-built documentation without hauling a dedicated scanner.

Compared to renting tripod LiDAR hardware, ScanTo3D trades equipment cost for device requirements and optional cloud processing. InstaCAD mode builds 2D floor plans and 3D CAD models in real time for spaces under 2,000 square feet, while LiDAR mode handles larger environments with no hard size cap though OpalAi recommends keeping each scan under about 5,000 square feet.

Site managers, real estate teams, and construction sales staff use it for quick floor plans, ANSI-compliant gross living area calculations, and textured 3D exports. OpalAi claims less than 1 inch of error per 30 feet and about 98% accuracy on generated floor plans and BIM objects.

Neuralangelo is an NVIDIA Research model that reconstructs detailed 3D objects and scenes from ordinary 2D video. Feed clips filmed from multiple angles and the system builds textured meshes of buildings, sculptures, vehicles, and interiors suitable for games, digital twins, and robotics sims.

Earlier neural reconstruction methods blurred fine textures like roof shingles, glass, and marble. Neuralangelo extends instant neural graphics primitives from NVIDIA Instant NeRF to capture those surfaces with higher fidelity, so smartphone footage can produce assets creative teams can import into design tools without a laser scan or manual modeling pass.

Researchers, game artists, and robotics engineers use Neuralangelo to digitize real-world objects from Michelangelo-scale statues to campus buildings. The project is open source on GitHub under nvlabs/neuralangelo with no commercial license fees for the research code itself.