Apple introduces Object Capture, an API on macOS Monterey that enables developers to turn 2D images of real-world objects into 3D models optimized for AR
Apple announced a ton of new software updates today and they all need new tools to allow developers to do what they need to if they want to make great apps.
The move matters because it makes macOS Monterey part of Apple’s AR production workflow, giving developers a native route from photographs to AR-ready object models.
First-order effects
Developers can turn image sets of physical objects into 3D models optimized for AR through Apple’s macOS API, reducing reliance on a separate modeling workflow for those assets.
Apple broadens its AR developer toolchain from runtime capabilities and authoring tools to object capture, reinforcing the role of its platforms in AR app production.
Second-order effects
AR developers using ARKit and RealityKit can move captured real-world objects into their app pipelines more directly, making asset availability a less distinct bottleneck than it was with rendering-only tools.
macOS gains a clearer role alongside Apple’s mobile AR platforms: it becomes a workstation for preparing content that can be used in AR applications.
Third-order effects
If Apple continues to add creation capabilities around ARKit, its ecosystem shifts toward an end-to-end AR stack in which capture, asset preparation, and runtime experiences are designed to work together.
The broader competitive boundary in AR development moves beyond device features toward ownership of the content-production workflow that determines how quickly developers can build experiences.
The trend: Apple is expanding AR from a runtime framework into a more complete developer workflow spanning real-world capture, content creation, and application delivery.
Object Capture is a revolutionary new API on macOS Monterey which uses photogrammetry to take a series of 2D images to create 3D content #WWDC21 https://twitter.com/...
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