Unity has acquired RestAR to enable AI-based 3D capture

Game engine maker Unity has acquired RestAR, a Tel Aviv-based computer vision and deep learning company that enables fashion brands, online retailers, and marketers to scan and render physical consumer products in high-quality 3D, using only a mobile device.

This acquisition is coming on the heels of the launch of Unity Forma, a new tool that enables marketers to create and publish interactive experiences from 3D data. RestAR will enable marketers to generate a digital twin of any product or object in 3D. The deal is one among many for Unity, which is competing with Epic Games, the maker of the Unreal Engine, for talent related to digital entertainment, games, and digital commerce.

With the acquisition of RestAR, Unity will enable brands, retailers, and consumers to engage in digital marketing for almost any product, Unity said.

Creating realistic 3D models is normally a time-consuming, manual, and expensive process that few companies can afford. With RestAR, scans take about a minute to complete. More than 95% of scans are processed successfully, RestAR says, with no need to retake the video or apply manual touchup. Users capture a video, and they don’t need technical knowledge or special hardware. The video is processed and highly compressed in the cloud using AI-based technology.

RestAR works with fashion brands and ecommerce platforms such as UGG, Off-White, Wix, Dafiti, Hoka One One, Palm Angels, Heron Preston, and others.

RestAR CEO Bar Saraf said in a statement that the pandemic has accelerated the expansion of retail and other industries into the world of digital commerce. He added that RestAR’s purpose is to help those companies with their digital visual needs. His employees will join Unity and continue working from RestAR headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel.

This acquisition complements the recently announced Unity Forma, which enables businesses to transform 3D product data into interactive 3D configurators, stunning images, and more.