Consumer 360 Cameras Replace $50K LiDAR Scanners in 3D Reconstruction

Insta360 and Splatica have partnered to automate 3D scene reconstruction from consumer 360-degree video, eliminating traditional LiDAR equipment and photogrammetry rigs. Their platform processes raw video into production-ready 3D assets in minutes without manual intervention. The shift mirrors earlier democratization cycles in drone photography and smartphone computational imaging—expensive specialized tools becoming accessible through consumer hardware paired with sophisticated automation.