It’s been a few years since Autodesk announced their Memento product, a software solution for “converting any reality capture input (photos, scans) into high resolution 3D digital mesh replicas.” In that time, Memento has been in Beta testing, meaning customers have been trying it out and giving Autodesk the real-world feedback needed to finalize the software.
As of today, the Memento solution is available as a commercial release with a new name: ReMake.
Autodesk explains that the new ReMake includes a “smart toolset” that enables users to “clean, repair, and optimize the mesh for design and engineering workflows, digital archiving, interactive AR/VR experiences, and fabrication.”
Theses meshes are smaller and require less computing power to manipulate than denser 3D like point clouds. ReMake can visualize and edit models of up to one billion polygons, which Autodesk says is typical of detailed captures using multiple sensors.
Notably, ReMake is also the latest Autodesk software to receive the cloud treatment. Since Autodesk’s cloud-computing resources handle the heavy computing load, this means the software will run on a wide variety of internet-connected devices. It’s not just for spec’d-out computers anymore.
All of these developments are meant to help further Autodesk’s goal of making reality capture data easy to work with across a wide variety of industries, and for a large number of users.
“We are amazed by the creativity of our Beta community and the variety of industries using ReMake software,” said Tatjana Dzambazova, Senior Product Manager at Autodesk in a prepared statement. “The positive feedback we’ve received on how simple ReMake is to use is very encouraging, as making complex technology easy-to-use was our main driver.”
The software is currently available for PC, with a Mac version planned soon.
Autodesk offers a number of examples of how the software has already been used in unexpected ways:
• Made in Space integrated a 3D scanning system in their 3D printer on the International Space Station, utilizing ReMake software to compile the data and create a 3D model used to verify the dimensions of the printed part.
• The Smithsonian Institution teamed with Autodesk to scan and create a 3D model of the iconic Apollo 11 command module for preservation, education and further research.
• Hardshell Labs to create digital models of tortoise shells for 3D printing and conservation efforts to help save desert tortoises.
• Renowned paleontologist Dr. Louise Leakey used the technology to create digital replicas of the oldest stone tools known to man to share with scholars and enthusiasts in the African Fossils virtual laboratory.
• The Hydrous, a science communication non-profit, is using ReMake to create detailed 3D models of coral reefs to monitor changes in size and color for conservation efforts.
