All you have to do is open a compatible app and scan your environment. With just a few seconds, I was able to create the 3D floor plan of my living room just by pointing the iPhone at the walls.

I was able to try out the RoomPlan API on my iPhone 13 Pro Max using sample code provided by Apple. Instead, it requires developers to create and update their apps to support the new feature. Of course, since RoomPlan is an API, you won’t find it as a feature available right away by default on a device running iOS 16. These scans can also be the first step in architecture and interior design workflows to help streamline conceptual exploration and planning. Help customers make more informed decisions by using RoomPlan to create a floor plan of a room directly in your apps, such as real estate, e-commerce, or hospitality apps. According to Apple, the API can be useful for real estate, architecture, and interior design apps, since it is precise and easy to use. Now with iOS 16, Apple has combined LiDAR with iPhone and iPad cameras in the new RoomPlan API to let users create 3D floor plans in seconds.

As such, a LiDAR scanner is able to detect dimensions and even the shape of an object or indoor environment. When Apple introduced the LiDAR scanner with the 2020 iPad Pro and iPhone 12 Pro, it became easier to detect the dimensions of objects more accurately.įor those unfamiliar, LiDAR is a technology that emits lasers and calculates the time it takes for the light to return to the sensor in order to precisely measure the distance between the device and the objects. One of these technologies is “RoomPlan,” a new API that uses LiDAR scanning to quickly create 3D floor plans.Īpps capable of creating 3D floor plans using the iPhone and iPad camera aren’t exactly new, but they aren’t exactly accurate either. Apple didn’t say a word about augmented and virtual reality at the WWDC 2022 opening keynote (as if it was trying to hide something), but iOS 16 brings a lot of improvements when it comes to ARKit and related technologies.

Ipad app drawing house plans