Consumer 360 Cameras Now Handle Jobs That Once Needed $50K LiDAR Rigs

Insta360 and Splatica have partnered to automate 3D scene reconstruction from consumer 360-degree video, sidestepping expensive LiDAR scanners and manual photogrammetry work. Their platform converts raw video into finished 3D assets within minutes. The pattern repeats: specialized, costly tools become accessible through consumer hardware paired with smart automation—much as smartphone computational imaging democratized what once required dedicated cameras.