Don’t get too excited folks, I’ve been in the AI, 3D Scanning, LIDAR, and FLIR world for over half a decade. iPhone 12 Pro or greater that use the LiDAR apps (Polycam, 3D Scanner), you will see a DIRECT correlation to how the X2/2+ Enterprise completes its scans by throwing out the mesh edges and then “painting” them with excessive imagery. Then one must take that imagery to a 3rd party and pay for processing if unable to do so yourself. I have a 2+ and EVO II Pro and I take every photo manually, process for free (or very cheap like AutoDesk ReCap) with my SkyDio and have yet to see a model worth $5,000+ more from 3D scan. I’m heading tomorrow to create a 3D environment for the biggest client in my 10+ year career after seeing the manual models, followed by one of the top ranked PGA courses.
I’m aware of a larger sensor (larger than the standard 20MP Mavic) and better 35mm equivalent (currently 21mm at 12.3MP) of course, but we are hitting the inevitable world of “LiDARgrammetry” which eventually will become just photogrammetry when the precision is there (aside from vegetation and specific use cases). I currently fly RIEGL VUX-1 Scanners with 15 RETURNS, which are incredible. RIEGL is amazing and will always have a critical spot in the industry. However, no one wants to fly that kind of money/weight when it’s overkill.
I’ve been able to capture up to 488 photos in one S2 battery, all at different angles/orientations. Not as fast as 3D Scan, but close enough that seeing things an AI can’t and knowing to grab extra photos is priceless. I’m NOT advertising, but have a look at what you could be doing if you know photogrammetry. Happy to answer any questions/help!