XR specialist using 3D gaussian splatting and machine learning to capture reality
Varjo has unveiled Teleport, a new service designed to transform how users create and interact with 3D environments for a wide range of spatial computing applications.
The technology preview highlights the service’s capability to quickly generate photorealistic 3D capture scans of real-world environments directly from an iPhone Pro / Pro Max and allows users to view these scenes from a variety of devices, including PCs, VR headsets, and more.
The idea behind Teleport is that anybody can create a high-resolution 3D model of their environment without needing skills in real-time 3D graphics or photogrammetry.
Teleport reconstructs the real-world scene with accurate lighting, shading, textures and reflections using what Varjo describes as breakthrough advancements in 3D gaussian splatting and machine learning technologies.
The resulting 3D reality capture can be viewed and experienced with a range of devices, starting with Varjo headsets, other PC-connected OpenXR headsets, or Windows desktops.
Varjo’s reality reconstruction technology is designed to enable users to virtually visit and interact with remote locations in ‘great detail’. Varjo names training, mission planning, and remote assistance as potential application areas.
The Finnish National Opera and Ballet will be using Teleport in its operations, as Hannu Järvensivu, XR Stage Project Manager explains. “Together with our XR Stage modelling tool, we expect it can improve the evaluation of new incoming rental productions significantly, as the digital twins of real-world sets can be investigated on the virtual stage in their authentic size and form, instead of trying to figure out their visual appearance and fit on stage only based on photos and CAD images.
Varjo doesn’t specifically mention construction as an application area, but we expect there will be some use cases for capturing as-built conditions or issue resolution.
According to Varjo, it has tested captures from 5m2 to 1,000m2. A ‘large room’ (5m x 5m) would take a few minutes to capture and need about 500 photos. Larger spaces can be captured up to a limit of 2,000 photos.
Varjo is inviting users interested in trying out the technology to join a waitlist. The service is expected to become generally available later in 2024.
