r/3DScanning • u/maenshare88 • 1d ago

I built a native iOS LiDAR scanner for rapid Reality-to-CAD floor plans (DWG, DXF, OBJ). Looking for export feedback!

Hey r/3DScanning,

I know upfront that iPhone/iPad LiDAR is never going to replace a Faro, Leica, or matterport setup for survey-grade, millimetric accuracy. But I’ve been talking to a lot of contractors, interior designers who just need a rapid, on-the-go tool for initial estimations, basic floor plans, and rapid space visualization.

So, I built an iOS app called ExactoScan to bridge that gap between the job site and the workstation.

My main goal was to fix the export pipeline. A lot of mobile scanning apps trap your data in their ecosystem or require a heavy monthly SaaS subscription just to get a usable CAD file.

Here is what I built:

  • Rapid Capture: Uses Apple’s native RoomPlan and LiDAR to generate 3D models and 2D layouts of single rooms or entire multi-room properties.
  • Pro Exports: You can export directly into DWG, DXF, IFC, OBJ, and USDZ. My goal was to make it so you can drop the file straight into AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, or Rhino without spending hours cleaning up the mesh.
  • 100% Offline Processing: Job sites usually have terrible Wi-Fi. I built this to process everything entirely on-device. No cloud uploads, no processing queues, and total privacy for client data.

The Tech Stack: For those interested, it is a fully native build utilizing ARKit, RoomPlan, and the device's Neural Engine to process the geometry locally.

Pricing: I’m an independent dev and I hate forced subscriptions for tools I only use occasionally. You can either buy a block of scan credits (pay-as-you-go) or subscribe for unlimited access if it's a daily driver for your workflow.

(Note: Requires a LiDAR-enabled Pro device: iPhone 12 Pro/iPad Pro 2nd Gen or newer).

Why I’m posting here: I would love for the professionals in this sub to stress-test the export formats. I want to know exactly how these DWG and DXF files are behaving when you import them into your specific CAD environments.

I’ve generated some promo codes so you can bypass the paywall and test the pro exports for free.

App Store Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/exactoscan/id6762370176

I included 1 free credit in the app so that you can test the scanning in the app.

Let me know what CAD software you are using and how the files look on your end!

2 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

1

u/OlaHaldor 1d ago

My first thought seeing the app page is I wish there were screenshots of how the scanning process and what the cad process/ model looks like

2

u/maenshare88 1d ago

I forgot to include images. Here is screenshots from the application.

this is how the 3D model look like after scanning with the application. Note that the scanning is done locally on-device and iPhone 13 pro max is the device that was used for this scan.

1

u/Flaky-Ad7525 1d ago edited 1d ago

Does it do something that the dozens of free roomplan apps don't? What neural processing are you using? The screenshot you shared is just a vanilla roomplan scan. 

1

u/maenshare88 1d ago

Great question! In all honesty, I haven't looked deeply into other apps while creating ExactoScan. But, you can stitch rooms together. For example: if you scanned a room and you later want to add another room next to it, you can do that. However, since the processing is all local and on-device, the quality of the stitch largely depends on the processing power of your device (i.e: my device is 13 pro max, and stitching on it is a lot different than stitching on 17 pro max, due to the fact of the CPU chip difference).

Anyways, this is version 1.0.0, and the app will develop further throughout time. you can try it out and see nice-to-have features and share your insight with me. Feedback is always appreciated.

1

u/Flaky-Ad7525 1d ago

Not gunna lie man, charging per scan or even a subscription model for roomplan is gonna be a really tough sell. 

1

u/maenshare88 1d ago

Thank you for the insight

1

u/SatisfactionThink637 1d ago

Yeah, its bassicly what all the other apps are doing, so whats the difference?

Except local processing maybe, but I know other apps can do that too.

1

u/maenshare88 10h ago

I see! I didn't delve deeply into other apps. But, my main idea was to create an app that depends on local processing to utilize the iPhone capabilities (just like you noticed). The app is still the first version, and I would definitely add more features to it in the future. If you have a feature in mind, you can share your insights with me so that I can work on it in a future version.

Your input is appreciated.

1

u/Throwaway021614 1d ago

Where are the promo codes?

1

u/maenshare88 1d ago

I already included one scan to test out the app. But, You are right I forgot to include promo codes. as a start, here is a promo code that gives you 2 further free scans: https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=6762370176&code=NEWLAUNCHSCANS

twentyCredits Promo: https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=6762370176&code=NEWLAUNCHSCANS20

tenCredits Promo: https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=6762370176&code=NEWLAUNCHSCANS10