Virtualizing Interior Spaces: A survey of 3D capturing tools for XR Visualization

XR development is still time-consuming due to the complexity of creating proper 3D assets and real-time performance requirements. From the whole pipeline of development, the most time-consuming part is still 3D data acquisition. An alternative to hand-made assets is 3D scanning, but there are many options, from cheap, consumer-grade devices to high-end professional-grade equipment that can cost even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Each project has different needs. Our article explores a series of low-to-medium budget pipelines in the context of XR development, wishing to help the reader identify the best solution for their specific project. We compare both technically and qualitatively nine popular techniques, inside indoor environments, and came up with a list of conclusions based on both what to use now, and what to expect in the future.