I use the LiDAR scanner on the iPad Pro all the time, mainly for work purposes. Here are a few of the models I have publicly uploaded:
link
In terms of apps I only work in Scaniverse. Its completely free and does everything on-device. Crucially it also offers on-device Photogrammetry thanks to the LiDAR mesh data. Ordinarily you are reliant on either server uploads (not convenient in the field) to process the photographs or a very powerful PC which can take days. The iPad Pro can do highly detailed Photogrammetry ON DEVICE without needing a web connection. This is an insanely useful feature.
Raw Lidar data is great for large areas, either outdoors or in. Remember the scanning is done by the precise scattering of light rays so it will go straight through transparent surfaces and reflect off of mirrors, giving you additional mirrored mesh data. It also does not like rough natural surfaces like grass as the blades scatter the light around. The mesh detail from raw Lidar data is low resolution and masked by the textures Scaniverse applies to the surface.
Photogrammetry+Lidar data will give you a much higher polygon count on the raw mesh, however it should only be used for objects you can walk all the way around (like the car you want to scan). If it takes you longer than 5-7 minutes to scan an object there may be too much data for the iPad to process and the option may be greyed out. I got some tremendous detail out of some
old bricks I scanned
If you are making topographical scans of large sites (town squares, gardens) then it works best if you move in a zig-zag pattern, going from one end to the other and back again. If the areas is on a slope (
like this) then you should scan perpendicular to the slope rather than parallel.
As this is an Apple forum I thought I'd also share a
scan I did of the street Ted Lasso lives on in Richmond, London!
I have pushed the iPad to its limits and found it can scan some incredibly large areas before crashing. I have processed 200m square before, including details. I have been attempting to produce 3D surveying scans of the buildings on my campus but found that 2-3 storeys was too much data for the RAM to hold and it crashed. As I lost about 2 hours work I haven't attmepted it again since.
