There you have it! Converting an interior space right into SketchUp with the iPad Pro (M4). No export or import took place.
“I can use it to scan into a SketchUp model, honey.” I realize I am begging.
It was being honest. My old iPad Pro 12.9 4th generation was not up to the task. SketchUp had announced a Scan-to-Design feature which promised that lets you simply wave your iPad around the interior of a house, office space, what have you (okay, I'm oversimplifying now) and it would be automatically converted into a 3D SketchUp model. This normally takes having to scan with the iPad, use a separate scanning app (I prefer Polycam) and exporting to SketchUp. It is not always a straightforward process and, as is common with converting formats, not always foolproof.
But the real roadblock was my aging iPad, now over two years old. Even though it had LiDAR and was letting me scan most of the time, it would get confused and stop scanning. If I was lucky enough to make it to the end of the scan, it would freeze or close down the app when came time to upload it for the conversion to a SketchUp model.
“What's the problem with SketchUp?" I demand an answer from the SketchUp product manager (editors can get away with this) who patiently explained to me that it was not SketchUp's fault, that having an iPad with LiDAR is not enough, I had to have on of the newer generation of iPads.
I would have known that if I had read the product specs. But who does that?
Chastened, I had to go shopping. Apple had recently introduced the iPad Pro with the M4 chip. It was the first device to use it. I was sure that this superfast, super thin iPad, could handle the scanning without problem.
Now this was getting exciting. Over $3K* later, I touch the Scan-to-Design button in SketchUp viewer on my new iPad. The camera turns on but the image freezes. I am breaking out in a sweat. Have I just bought something the most expensive iPad ever to watch NetFlix on?
I practice saying, “But just look at double OLED screen, honey.”
I restart the app again and thank God, the camera stays on and a mesh grows over the walls frozen no longer like an invasive ivy -- just like it should. Whew. I am free to move about the space and scan. I hold my breath and touch the Process button so my scan will upload and be processed into a SketchUp model. I make a cup of coffee. When I return, the screen shows a SketchUp model of my office space.
Success!
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*$2199 for iPad Pro with 1 TB storage, $129 for the Apple Pencil Pro, $349 for the Magic Keyboard, $169 for Extended Coverage, tax,