A jar for the things around you
Scan Jar is one shared, public collection of real objects, each scanned in 3D on an iPhone. A mug from a kitchen in Denver sits on the same shelf as a pine cone from someone's walk and a toy car from a kid's bedroom.
How a scan gets into the jar
Open the Scan Jar app and point it at something. The app uses Apple's Object Capture with the phone's LiDAR sensor: you walk slowly around the object while it takes a hundred or so photos, then the phone builds a textured 3D model from them, right on the device. Nothing leaves your phone until you put the finished jar in.
When you do, Claude looks at a picture of the model, writes the paper label (a short name, a shelf and one line of description) and checks that it belongs in a public jar. It then gets a jar number and sits on the shelf for everyone, in the app and here on scanjar.com, where you can spin it around, open it in your room with AR on an iPhone or iPad, or download the model.
Why there are no accounts
There is nothing to sign up for. The app makes a random ID the first time it opens and keeps it on your phone. That ID only marks which jars are yours, so you can find them under Mine and take them out again. No name, email or location is stored with a scan.
What can go in
Almost any physical thing: food, tools, toys, rocks, plants, shoes, gadgets, art, keepsakes. Some things can't:
- people, faces, or body parts as the subject
- nudity, gore, or weapons shown threateningly
- documents, cards, screens or anything else with personal information on it
- hateful symbols or slogans
- broken scans where you can't tell what the object is
If a jar slips through, report it in the app. Jars reported by several different phones come off the shelf.
The iPhone app
IN TESTING
Scan Jar for iPhone is being tested now and will come to the App Store next. Scanning needs an iPhone with LiDAR (iPhone 12 Pro or later Pro models). Any phone or computer can browse the jar on this site.
Tips for a good scan
- Put the object on a plain surface with space all around it, away from busy patterns.
- Even, soft light works best. Avoid harsh shadows and very shiny, clear or thin things.
- Move slowly and keep the object in the middle of the screen. Flip it over for a second pass if it's safe to.
- Objects between the size of a coin and a chair scan well.