Hey Explorers,
We have a new addition to the Niantic family and you’re all warmly invited to be some of the very first to contribute gaussian splats directly to the Niantic Map, using the Niantic Scaniverse app.
With Niantic Scaniverse, you can scan any location as long as it’s a public place and follows our guidelines. Once scanned, you’re good to share it to the map directly. It takes just a few minutes to scan, process, and upload a 3D image using cutting-edge Gaussian splatting technology. Here’s a few splats to show you what’s possible, and a little video too:
Your contributions will help create a spatial map for exploring today, and developers to build games and other experiences on top of tomorrow. We’ve also launched the Scaniverse Community, which is based very closely on this community. They’re even having their first sweepstakes starting this week with some awesome prizes!
This new feature, adding splats to the map, is directly inspired by the Wayfarer Community. You’ve shown us that people around the world are eager to share interesting places on a playable map, and that they want to share the experience with others.
Note that, for now, only the iOS version of Scaniverse can post to and browse the map. Until we bring the map to Android, those users can still upload splats with geocodes that will show up on the map.
As always, I’m sure you have tons of questions. I’ll address a few now, and feel free to ask more. We also have some guidance and an FAQ for Scaniverse itself.
Q. Why are there now two ways to add places? Which should I be using now?
A. Wayspots are places that define where things can happen in Niantic games, you’re all very familiar with these by now. Scaniverse splats are high-quality 3D contributions that form the building blocks of a spatial platform that others can build on top of, as well as just being interesting and fun to browse around. You can use either or both, as you prefer.
Q. Can I re-scan an existing waypoint in Scaniverse?
A. Absolutely! Even if a previous scan is on the map, what you capture in Scaniverse will probably be higher quality. There’s no limit to how many scans you or anyone else can do of a given place. Try different times of day or weather conditions!
Q. Is there any gamification or badging in Scaniverse?
A. Not yet, but we know how fun and important it is to have challenges, recognition, and other motivation. Hang tight, and we welcome any suggestions on the Scaniverse Community!
Q. I tried logging into the Scaniverse Community but it didn’t work, what happened?
A. You need to first sign in with your Niantic ID in the Scaniverse app, which only the iOS version currently supports. We’re working on bringing Niantic ID to Android very soon.
Q. Does Scaniverse include scans from PGO and Ingress players as they have contributed scanning in the past?
A: We’re thrilled to announce that over 100,000 Wayspots around the world are now visible in Scaniverse. We’ve re-processed your in-game scans with the latest Gaussian splat technology to make these Wayspots more immersive and realistic. The Wayspots you see in Scaniverse are locations that have been scanned through submissions by Ingress Agents and Pokémon GO Trainers. You’ll see them as blue beacons on the map; splats scanned directly in Scaniverse show up as white.
Through Scaniverse, these players are able to see the results of their efforts for the first time and we’re excited to continue to explore ways to leverage these maps to deliver new in-game experiences in Ingress, Pokémon GO, etc. We greatly appreciate all of the contributions our players have made by submitting and scanning their local Wayspots and we look forward to seeing them share their Scaniverse scans on the map.
Check out the discussion HERE