KIRI Engine Review: Great Free Android & iOS Scanning App

KIRI Engine is one of the best free iOS and Android 3D scanning apps that I’ve tested. 

Overall, I found it very easy to use, it has generous free limits (though I upgraded to the premium version), and generated high-quality 3D scans using its clever AI features that remove background artifacts.

KIRI Engine Pros and Cons

Pros

• Full access to scanning capabilities, even in the free version
• Available for both iOS and Android
• Easy-to-use UX
• No artifacts or noise in scans
• Color scans
• Active Discord with responsive founding team
• Web version for desktop editing, and use with DSLR cameras or drones

Cons

• Limit of 3 weekly scans on free version
• No in-app scan editing tools, you’ll need to use ZBrush, Meshmixer, or similar

Introduction to KIRI Engine

KIRI Engine is made by KIRI Innovations, who you may recognize as they produced the Phiz 3D scanner that had a successful Kickstarter campaign before being released more widely. It was a low-cost 3D object scanner that used your phone, but they no longer sell physical scanners.

Since then, KIRI Innovations have moved purely to working on their 3D scanning app, KIRI Engine, and have focused on making it the most advanced and versatile photogrammetry app, also featuring LiDAR scanning features if you have one of the latest iPhones.

Differences Between Free and Premium Versions

There are no differences in scan quality between the free and versions of KIRI Engine, which is one of the best parts about the free scanning app version.

But, there are some differences in the number of photos, scans you can export, and your priority in the queue to use server resources to export your scan. The details are below:

Other feature differences include being able to upload images from your local storage for photogrammetry, rather than just taking the photos with your phone in the app.

If you use the free version, expect to wait 15-20 minutes from uploading your scan, to having the final OBJ, MTL, and image files ready to download. It’s much faster with the Pro version.

Test 3D Scans and My Review

Clean Quality Scans with No Artifacts

After testing out KIRI Engine, I was impressed with the clean, artifact-free models it generated. For some hardcore projects I’m working on that need very detailed 3D models (1M+ polycounts), like for 3D printing, I found that KIRI Engine is able to produce great quality scans. 

For example, here’s my scan of the statue that comes with the Revopoint POP 2 that I tested to compare:

You can view the file on the 3DSourced Sketchfab.

This came out well, and after some minor editing to remove the background would look even better.

To save time and storage, one handy feature is the ability to choose between low, medium, and high poly counts based on my needs. So if you need a lightweight scan that will render quickly for gaming or AR uses, you can. In the Pro version, you can set specific poly counts, too.

The KIRI Engine team themselves tested the app using a $3 camera with just 2 megapixels, and a $5 lens, and managed to create a very accurate 3D model.

I tried a more intricate scan next, using a shell I had in my house.

It managed to scan the textures very well, and I was impressed with the quality in some of the more precise parts. If I had taken more photos I think the minor imperfections would have been fixed. You can see it here:

You can view the full shell 3D scan on the 3DSourced Sketchfab.

The awesome thing about KIRI Engine is that it can easily export 3D scans with quad mesh and even AI-generated PBR materials. Quad meshes are great because they can accurately represent the surface’s local geometry, and PBR materials make the 3D model look even better when rendered.

There’s also new features (still in Beta) such as KIRI’s Featureless Object Mode, powered by NeRF. Traditionally, smooth, blank-colored objects have been difficult to pick up with photogrammetry. But, KIRI Engine combines photogrammetry with NeRF to make scanning these objects much easier. For a more detailed explanation with more technical specifics, KIRI have written up an excellent blog post on the differences and how NeRF is a game-changer.

In another test I did, you can see in this 3D scan of two ammonites that it correctly removed the background, keeping only the main objects to be scanned:

Particularly impressive was the detail on the left ammonite, with all the ridges and details kept in the color scan.

AI Object Masking

KIRI Engine’s AI object masking means you can move the object, rather than it being stationary and you taking pictures around it, so that you can capture the bottom of the object and any other places that you can lose otherwise.

For example, the first time I scanned this statue, it was stationary and the bottom of the statue did not come out correctly. But, using the AI object masking features and holding the statue in my hand to change its angle, I could capture the entire object.

For a more in-depth example, this video shows this feature well.

Exporting Scans

I am impressed with the range of options available, including popular formats like STL, FBX, OBJ, PLY, GDTF, XYZ, USDZ, and even upcoming formats on our roadmap. KIRI does not paywall any file formats, which is a big advantage.

This flexibility allows me to seamlessly transfer my models to any 3D editor I prefer, including renowned software like Z-Brush, Blender, Maya, Unity, and Unreal Engine, and you can easily import your scans into Cura or another 3D slicer for 3D printing.

Once you’ve taken all the photos of your object that you need, you choose the format, scan quality, whether you want to make the scan public, and click upload. The upload process is very quick as my scans were generally 60-120mb, but then if you do not have the Pro version, it will take longer to process and export, as you do not have priority in the queue for server resources.

Once exported, a download link is generated and emailed to you, which is valid for 24 hours. It used to just be one hour, but KIRI has increased this more recently.

Then, if you’re uploading these to Sketchfab or want to edit the color versions, remember you need to upload the MTL and JPG files to combine the textures and colors, not just the OBJ file or your chosen file type.

Quality vs Professional 3D Scanners

KIRI Engine is, in my opinion, the best photogrammetry scanning app on Android and iOS.

However, you still can’t expect scan qualities from your phone’s camera to seriously rival a specialized professional 3D scanner.

Even cheaper $500 3D scanners like the Revopoint POP range are powerful machines designed specifically for depth-sensing fine details and textures for reverse engineering. Your phone’s camera is unlikely to rival a precision 3D scanning machine.

So, consider these photogrammetry and LiDAR uses mostly for fun projects, for more basic 3D modeling and 3D printing needs, and for creating initial base projects in animation or CGI uses. It does all of these fantastically, and if you’re proficient in Blender or ZBrush, you can use these 3D scans as the base for some fantastic 3D modeling, animation, gaming and VFX projects.

LiDAR Features

If you have an iPhone 12 Pro/Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max, or iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max, you’ll have LiDAR features that KIRI Engine also supports.

One extra feature is RoomScan, which lets you capture an entire room’s layout in 3D, and automatically generate detailed and intricate floor plans with precise measurements. 

Overall

Overall, I think KIRI Engine offers an unbeatable set of features on a free scanning app that finally makes Android 3D scanning viable, and is still better than other iPhone scanner options.

It’s free to try, and then if you want unlimited scans and more photos per scan, you can upgrade to the very affordable Pro version.