Download the free 123D Catch Mobile from the Apple App Store

Project Photofly graduated from an Autodesk Labs technology preview to become 123D Catch. The desktop version allows you to upload some digital pictures from your hard drive to our servers in the cloud. The servers then combine the pictures into a 3D model and return it. You use the 123D Catch desktop application to view and edit the 3D model. You can export it as DWG, OBJ, or FBX for use in other design applications.

Mobile devices like the new iPad have a built-in camera. What if we combined the step of taking the pictures and uploading them into a seamless workflow? Is this a good idea? Your feedback will let us know. For those in the United States, you can now go to the Apple App Store and get 123D Catch for the iPad. You can share your experience in the 123D Catch forum.

This latest 123D Catch includes a new feature for 123D applications called My Corner, which provides cloud storage for all 123D design projects while connecting 123D workflows. This lets you share files among 123D Beta, 123D Catch, 123D Make, and 123D Sculpt. How cool is that! The new iPad has a much better camera than the iPad 2, so let's see if the resulting 3D models, now known as "captures" instead of "photo scenes," reflect this. So please give this a try today.

Mobile 3D capture is alive in the lab.