Turn photos into 3D models using your iPhone

Free app 123D Catch comes to the iPhone, making photogrammetry modelling quick and easy. Check out these cool videos showing what designers have created with it!

Our Verdict

With the iOS release, 123D Catch really brings 3D scanning to the masses. It’s never been easier or cheaper to create 3D models from photographs, offering exciting new possibilities for designers and 3D artists.

For

  • Very simple to use
  • If photographed with care the resulting scans are a very good quality
  • Easily share captures via email
  • Free!

Against

  • Limited editing capability on the iPhone app
  • Needs the desktop version to export 3D files to other formats

Why you can trust Creative Bloq Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Words: Paul Roberts

If a project calls for a 3D model but you haven’t got time to learn a complicated 3D app, your phone might just provide the solution. Formerly only available to PC or iPad owners, last week Autodesk made 123D Catch available for iPhone 4 and 4S, putting advanced photogrammetry modelling in the hands of millions of designers.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The Verdict
9

out of 10

123D Catch

With the iOS release, 123D Catch really brings 3D scanning to the masses. It’s never been easier or cheaper to create 3D models from photographs, offering exciting new possibilities for designers and 3D artists.

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq. 

Latest in 3D Software
An image of someone using Da Vinci Eye Apple Vision Pro app
This Apple Vision Pro art app revolutionises learning to draw
Reallusion Live capture screenshot
How to make the most of AccuFace Facial Mocap
ZBrush, everything you need to know; digital sculpting and painting of elephant in ZBrush and Photoshop by Rob Brunette
ZBrush: everything you need to know
RailClone 6 review; a designer home next to a river
RailClone 6 review: makes CG scenes easy
Cinema 4D, everything you need to know; a render created with Cinema 4D by Forrest White
Cinema 4D: everything you need to know
3ds Max 2024 review; a render of a house and trees in a 3d app
3ds Max 2024 review: a surprisingly fresh annual release
Latest in Reviews
ABS Cyclone Ruby
I've tested the ABS Cyclone Ruby gaming PC, and it could be a good option for creatives too
A liquid silver Xiaomi 15 on a desk
I've had the Xiaomi 15 for a week, and I never want to see a Samsung or iPhone ever again
Sorry We're Closed review; a digital illustration of a stylised female character, featuring vibrant colours and a unique design, is presented against a dark background.
Sorry We're Closed review: a bewitching, bizarre and often frustrating horror cocktail
Wanderstop review; a stylised digital illustration shows a whimsical landscape with a large, stout figure gazing at a quaint, fantastical structure beneath a decorative archway.
Wanderstop review: a surprisingly intricate, de-stressing tea-making indie game
A white Boox Palma 2 ereader tablet on a yellow background
Boox Palma 2 review: ereader deja vu
The Sihoo C300 Pro office chair, facing a desk, in a home office.
Sihoo Doro C300 Pro review: A good-to-great ergo chair that's worth your time (when it's on sale)