One of the most hyped features of the recently launched 2020 iPad Pro has to be the presence of a LiDAR scanner in the camera setup. The first batch of the iPad Pro has started shipping yesterday and people have already got their hands on Apple’s newest tablet.
A developer named Mark Dawson has uploaded a video on YouTube (via Reddit) demonstrating LiDAR meshing using ARKit. The video was presumably recorded with the recently updated ARKit 3.5.
ARKit 3.5 uses the new LiDAR Scanner and depth-sensing system on iPad Pro to make AR experiences more realistic than ever before, according to Apple. It comes with new Scene Geometry, Instant AR, and improved Motion Capture & People Occlusion.
“Scene Geometry lets you create a topological map of your space with labels identifying floors, walls, ceilings, windows, doors, and seats. This deep understanding of the real world unlocks object occlusion and real-world physics for virtual objects, and also gives you more information to power your AR workflows.”, explains Apple.
In the video, you will see how fast the new iPad Pro maps the surroundings along with excellent plane detection, thanks to the LiDAR Scanner. The depth mapping seems to be done with a decent amount of precision. Take a look at it below.
So yeah, the hardware on the iPad Pro is capable enough to bring excellent AR experiences. The question that remains now is how far app developers will make use of it to offer cool innovative features to users and only time will answer that.
