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Design

3D Modeling Made Easy With A Point-And-Click 3D Camera

The Lynx A Camera makes it real easy to create 3D models.

With cameras on all our devices these days, we’ve got used to the point-and-click way of doing things. No messing around with ISOs, apertures, or shutter speeds for us—just open an app, start snapping away, and you have your 2D image. But how about if you could create 3D models using the same easy point-and-click technique?

This is the idea behind the Lynx A Camera—which launched a Kickstarter campaign that has already very nearly met its target—a point-and-click 3D modeling camera which looks like a giant bulky tablet. It’s not the sort of device you could casually hold with one hand, but you can’t have everything. It uses a 640×480 color camera and a 3D sensor on the front to allow you to capture instant 3D models of whatever objects you want. You can can then scroll through them using a joystick mounted on the back.

The idea is to make the interface as easy to use as possible so anyone can pick it up and start snapping away using its three different modes: scene modeling, object modeling, and motion capture. You can see its potential for game designers and animators, as well as a simple way to create 3D models to 3D print. But it does come with a hefty price tag, from $1,799 for the most basic to $2,699 for the top end—so it may need the price to come down a bit before it can oust the Kinect from its throne.

[via Gizmag]

@stewart23rd