Devlog #1: Scanning the Real World

Welcome to the first devlog for Last Loop. In this post I’ll be covering the initial phase of development — scanning my university’s Learning Hub building and setting up the game’s physical environment in Unity. I’ll also go over some of the issues I ran into with Polycam and how I handled scene construction from raw LiDAR data.

Real-world environment scanning

I used Polycam on iOS to LiDAR-scan the Learning Hub, focusing on areas like stairwells, toilets, corridors, and lifts. The idea was to use the scan as a foundation to build the level around — treating it like a 3D blueprint. But Polycam didn’t like large spaces or glass — windows would often come out warped or missing, and long walls would stop scanning halfway through.

The fix? Chunk it.

I scanned wall-by-wall and reassembled everything manually in Unity. Then I replaced most of the mesh with Synty low-poly modular pieces to clean up geometry and get performance back up.

Issues faced:

• Polycam breaking scans on glass and distance
• Huge file sizes and bad pivot points on exports
• Rebuilding clean geometry from rough models

The final result is a space that feels both grounded and gamey — familiar to me, but fun to explore as a player.