Tutorial – Canvas 3D

Occipital, a spatial computing company, released Canvas, a new 3D power tool for home improvement purposes. It enables users to create beautiful 3D models of real world spaces and convert them to InstaCAD and CAD format, without any hardware installation requirements. The newer Apple products including the latest iPhone and iPad are equipped with a LiDAR scanner which allows users to download and use Canvas very easily. It helps reduce measuring, drawing and modelling time by as much as 98%. With Canvas, one can quickly create a “digital twin” for any physical space and can revisit that space at any time (including from the web browser without any extra plugins or apps). Additionally, one can easily share the creation with project collaborators or for that matter, anyone with the application. The only restriction is that one must own a LiDAR-enabled iOS device.

Here, I outline the steps to use the application for 3D interactive modeling:

• Choose a hardware device containing the LiDAR scanning device.
• Next, download the Canvas application — it is available for free on the App Store under “Canvas by Occipital”.
• Set up your space and start scanning. It takes only a couple of minutes per room, or 30-60 minutes for a typical 3-bed, 2-bath home.
• Your scan is available to use immediately after you hit done — you can pull any dimension, view any angle, or add spatial annotations to review later.
• Upload your scan (or scans) to the Scan To CAD service
  • You should receive an editable, design-ready CAD file within about 2 business days.

Below, I’ve included some screenshots of immersive 3D scans I was able to generate using the application. The room featured is the Sayles 205 office on the second floor of the central campus building at Carleton (and the person featured is my friend, Sabrine!).

Here are some additional documentation links for those that are interested in delving deeper into this technical tool.

• Canvas Website
• A fun article on the use of Canvas