Object Mode can capture mechanical parts and components of any size. Small objects are captured by rotating the object while the phone stays still. Larger objects like engines or machinery are captured by walking around the object while it stays stationary.
Pre-Capture Setup
1 Choose your surface
Place the object on a flat surface that is a different color from the object itself. Polycam uses background patterns and textures to align photos, so a plain white or gray surface with diffuse lighting is the most reliable default. Avoid backgrounds that share a similar color or finish with your object.
- Make sure you can walk or rotate completely around the object without obstruction
- Use a stable surface that will not shift or move during capture
- A textured background (such as wood or fabric) can improve alignment for difficult metallic parts
2 Set up your lighting
Use diffuse, indirect lighting. Harsh directional light creates strong reflections on metallic surfaces that look different from every angle, which can confuse the reconstruction process. Soft, even light from multiple directions produces the most consistent results for your captures.
- Good: Overcast outdoor conditions, evenly lit indoor spaces, softbox or diffused artificial lighting
- Avoid: Direct sunlight, single point light sources, bright windows behind the object
3 Enabling macro mode for small objects
If your phone will be closer than approximately 20 cm to the object, tap the to enable macro mode before you begin. This allows your camera to focus at shorter distances. Without it, close-up photos may be blurry, and the mesh quality will degrade.
Macro mode allows close focus, but getting too close pushes the background outside your camera's depth of field. Everything in the frame needs to be in sharp focus for photogrammetry to work correctly, including the background. If the background is blurry, photo alignment will fail.
Capturing Small Objects
4 Start the capture
Open Polycam, tap the button, and select Object. Tap the white circle to begin, then slowly move the phone up and down to capture all sides of the object from your starting position.
5 Use the haptic feedback
Your phone vibrates each time a photo is taken. If you move to a new position and do not feel a buzz, return slightly until one triggers before continuing. Each photo should overlap at least 70-75%% with the previous one.
6 Rotate and repeat
After one complete vertical pass, rotate the object slightly on its base and repeat the up-and-down movement. Continue until you have covered the full 360 degrees. When you return to your starting position, continue slightly past it so that your final photos overlap with your first ones. Closing the loop allows Polycam to stitch the full sequence together correctly.
7 Capture the underside
If the object has geometry on the underside you want to include, carefully turn it over and repeat the same capture steps for the base and sides. Before processing, enable the button so the system knows the object changed position during capture.
Capturing Larger Objects
For larger mechanical objects, keep the object stationary and walk around it.
- Move around the object in a complete 360-degree path, raising and lowering the phone while keeping it pointed at the center of the object
- Wait for the haptic buzz at each position before moving to the next
- If any part of the object blocks another part from view, capture dedicated angles around and behind the obstruction.
Processing
Upload your photos as a photogrammetry mesh to start. To compare the same photos as a Gaussian splat without recapturing:
- Open the capture and tap the three dots in the corner
- Tap Duplicate to create a copy
- Open the copy, tap Process, then select Gaussian Splat
- Re-upload your photos to begin splat processing
Troubleshooting
Misaligned geometry or a failed scan
Move the object to a different surface. A textured background gives Polycam more reference points to align photos against. A plain white or gray surface with diffuse lighting is the most reliable starting point for metallic parts.
Geometry misaligned when using macro mode
This can occur when the phone is too close to the object. Increase your distance until the background fills more of the frame and stays sharp throughout. Everything in every photo must be in focus, not just the object itself.
Reflections causing poor results
Shiny and metallic surfaces are challenging because their appearance changes with viewing angle. To reduce this:
- Move to a location with softer, more diffuse lighting
- Avoid scanning near bright windows or strong overhead spotlights
- For highly reflective parts, apply a temporary matte spray coating before capturing