3D content is all the rage these days. Unfortunately, the costs related to creating it can be somewhat prohibitive. According to Lynx Laboratories, the folks behind the Lynx A camera (funding through March 18), it would normally set you back several hundred thousand dollars if you were to pick up all the equipment and software necessary to allow for scene modeling, object modeling, and motion capture. Naturally, the Lynx A camera is a cheaper alternative—it it works, of course.
Unlike many current 3D-scanning solutions, the Lynx A will be a fully handheld device, not unalike your conventional video camera, capable of capturing models within minutes as opposed to hours or days, and presenting the “true dimensions of environments and objects in meters”. It will also include a 640-by-480 color camera, a 3D sensor, a 140inch color LCD screen, 500GB storage space, an Intel Core i5 2.6GHz processor, and USB 3.0 and HDMI connections.
If you want a Lynx A of your own, you’re going to have to fork out at least $1799. Lynx Laboratories will ship the cameras with free desktop software and plans to open source an image processing library later this year.
Confidence level
The team helming Lynx Laboratories might look to be a little on the young side, but it’s being backed by a variety of well-established people, including Dr. Sriram Vishwanath, an Associate Professor in the Electrical & Computer Engineering department at the University of Texas at Austin with years of startup experience. Plus, they also have a menagerie of awards to help solidify their case. The funding campaign is already successful with a month left to go.