The Star Trek Holodeck just got closer Apples new AI tool generates 3D
scenes from your photos in under a second for VR memories

Date:
Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:55:34 +0000

Description:
Apple has unveiled an AI tool that can convert images from 2D to 3D in under one second.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Apple has released a new AI tool for generating 3D photos The tool can convert a 2D image to a 3D scene in under one second This could be an upgrade to the existing spatial photos tool in iOS

Remember when Apple introduced spatial Lock Screen photos in iOS 26 ? This feature added a stereoscopic effect to flat images on your Lock Screen, and its neat, if a little gimmicky. Now, though, Apple has revealed a new trick that takes the effect to an entirely new level and it could be a brilliant addition to your Apple device if it gets a wider roll-out.

That new tool is called SHARP, and its just been unveiled in a research paper published by Apple. Titled Sharp Monocular View Synthesis in Less Than a Second, the paper outlines a new tool that can turn 2D images into 3D spatial scenes in under one second.

SHARP uses a neural network artificial intelligence (AI) , in other words
to quickly generate a 3D map of your image. Thats the part that is performed in less than a second. Once thats complete, the image can be rendered in real time.

Apple says it trained the model on around eight million synthetic images created in-house and 2.65 million licensed photographs, with the result that SHARP could learn to discern depth and scale and apply that knowledge to
input images.

It does this while maintaining consistency when it comes to aspects like
scale and distance, meaning you shouldnt see the sorts of stretching and warping that can come about when performing a 2D-to-3D conversion. Thats key to maintaining immersion and producing a 3D image that users actually want to keep. An evolution of spatial photos Apple's SHARP model generates photorealistic 3D Gaussian reps from a single img in secs.GitHub: https://t.co/wU6yTWRdClPaper: https://t.co/xUtr40pEJ9SHARP enables photorealistic NVS from one photo by regressing 3D Gaussian params via single NN fwd pass (<1s on std GPU). pic.twitter.com/Wo6EyZIPvL December 17, 2025

Right now, SHARP is more a proof-of-concept than a prime-time feature, and theres no indication of when or if it will come to Apples devices. While
its available to download on GitHub , its not yet baked into the likes of iOS 26 or macOS Tahoe .

That said, it seems like a natural evolution of the spatial photos feature that Apple has already released. If the Photos app on your iPhone will let
you explore your images in this way, it could be an attractive selling point for a lot of people. Add it to the Vision Pro headset and itll be even more immersive. (Image credit: Apple)

All that said, SHARP does have some drawbacks. For one thing, its focused on rendering nearby scenes, meaning you cant stray too far from the original viewpoint before fidelity starts to suffer.

But as a starting point, its certainly promising, especially when you
consider how quickly it can operate. Dont be surprised to see it roll out in Apples operating systems at some point in the future.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/the-star-trek-holodeck-just- got-closer-apples-new-ai-tool-generates-3d-scenes-from-your-photos-in-under-a- second-for-vr-memories


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