Changelog

Replica features and fixes, starting with the most recent version.

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v1.4.1: October 7, 2026

Version 1.4.1 adds AprilTag calibration and improves VFX exports, image loading and project management.

AprilTag calibration (Pro, Beta)

• A straight two-tag bar sets the scale in metres. A three-tag L bar also levels the model and sets its ground plane, origin and +X direction.
• Find tags automatically finds tag36h11 IDs in aligned images. Choose centres in the viewer and assign A/B or Origin/X/Y. When several bars are present, choose the one to use.
• JSON is optional. Import JSON… (optional) reads IDs and nominal dimensions; actual print measurements take precedence when you enter them. Without JSON, enter the measurements manually.
• After applying the scale, check another known distance on the subject. The feature is Beta and does not certify metric accuracy. AprilTag Scale Bar explains the steps.

Video and VFX

• Exports keep the mesh, photo cameras and animated camera aligned. They apply the current Refine and gizmo transforms once and reject nonuniform or invalid scale.
• import_in_blender.py imports the bundle and sets calibration, metric units, timeline and preview. For video, it also prepares the full-resolution plate compositor and reference-mesh shadow catcher, preserving unrelated scene content.
• Lower-resolution test renders keep video and CG aligned. USD bundles already use Z as the vertical axis, so Blender needs no extra Y-up to Z-up rotation.
• Extraction and tracking follow the actual decoded frame times, including for variable-frame-rate videos. Smoothing better preserves reliable observations. See Video import and camera tracking and USD for VFX for the steps.

Two image loading modes

The new Input Loading control, available in all editions, offers two modes:

• Save Memory loads images one at a time and limits RAM use to help keep your computer from slowing down or freezing when you work with lots of photos. This is the default mode.
• Performance loads and keeps images in RAM to prioritise loading speed. Replica estimates the memory needed and warns you if the project needs a lot.

Replica saves the choice with projects and presets. Older projects and presets use Save Memory. Session configuration explains when to use each mode.

Exported scale

• GLB, OBJ, FBX, STL, AR and PLY exports keep the transform shown in the viewer. Earlier Refine scales are no longer multiplied again. Converted Replica Link exports use the same rotation fix.

Saving and opening projects

• Each successful save immediately updates File → Open Recent. A new filename adds an entry; overwriting moves the file to the top without duplicating it. A failed save leaves the list unchanged.
• Replica writes projects atomically to avoid leaving an existing file partially overwritten.
• After installation, you can open .replica files from Finder. If Replica still shows its splash or licence screen, it waits until the main window is ready. Existing saved projects and recent-project lists remain compatible. See Getting started.

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v1.4.0: September 15, 2026

New features

• Smart video import: A project can now start directly from a MOV or MP4 file. Replica analyzes a dense set of candidate frames, rejects blurred or poorly exposed ones, and selects visually diverse images with good temporal coverage. Duration, resolution, frame rate, rejected frames, and progress remain visible during import.
• Video camera tracking: Replica reconstructs the camera path along the timeline using Object Capture poses as anchors. The track is stored in the project as camera_track.json, can be reopened without recomputation, and is shared by the review tools and VFX export pipeline.
• Tracking gap recovery: Unsolved intervals can be recovered using bidirectional anchor evidence, spatially distributed image points, and robust local refinement. Incoherent excursions are rejected without changing the reference poses.
• Camera review in the viewer: Double-click a photo or video frame to display its undistorted plate with opacity from 0 to 100%. Timeline, seek, preroll, follow, and manual modes clearly preserve unsolved gaps.
• USD for VFX with an animated camera: The VFX bundle now includes an animated camera, the complete sequence of full-resolution undistorted video frames, and the external track alongside the existing USD assets.
• Blender video preview: Each VFX export generates plate_preview.mov in ProRes 422 Proxy with a maximum long edge of 1920 px and timing identical to the full-resolution frames. The bundled fix_in_blender.py configures the camera, overlay, and timeline, and finds the bundle even when the Blender file is unsaved or stored elsewhere.
• Colored point-cloud export: The point cloud can be exported as binary little-endian PLY with XYZ positions and RGB colors, even before the textured mesh is ready. Export applies the same scale, rotation, translation, and Refine chain used by the mesh.

Improvements

• Progressive input preparation: The new PhotogrammetrySampleStream feeds photos to the session one at a time instead of materializing the full sample array in advance. The session starts off the main thread, cancellation also stops the stream, and invalid inputs are skipped without blocking the dataset.
• More stable tracking: Smoothing removes isolated spikes, reconstructs short missing stretches, and reduces jitter while preserving anchor timestamps and poses exactly. The same deterministic filter is applied both after computation and when loading a saved track.
• Correct projection with full intrinsics: Overlays and exports now use the complete intrinsic matrix, including cx and cy, rather than assuming the principal point is at the image center.
• Lighter video playback: Playback textures are capped at 1920 px on the long edge while original intrinsics remain available for geometry, overlays, and export.
• Metal-accelerated undistortion: Calibration, GPU pipeline, and buffers are created once and reused during export. If Metal is unavailable or fails for a frame, Replica automatically falls back to CPU and records the actual backend in the manifest.
• 3D and processing controls: New rotation, scale, and translation gizmos; a dimension editor; unified toolbar; dedicated Pan control; and a processing inspector with status, ETA, and estimated memory.

Verified performance

• 99.5% fewer simultaneous inputs during preparation: In the 188-image reference case, Replica's controlled buffer drops from 188 resident samples to approximately one. This measures input preparation, not total application memory or reconstruction time.
• 93.75% less per-frame memory in warm playback: In a 60-frame BGRA test, the buffer drops from 126.56 to 7.91 MiB per frame. Median time falls from 12.9 to 5.5 ms per frame, a 57.4% reduction. This is not a full-scene benchmark.
• Approximately 22% less time in the measured 8K export segment: On the same first 20 8K frames, export drops from 14.19 s with CPU processing to 11.10 s with Metal. The measurement includes undistorted JPEGs, ProRes preview, and manifest, but not the full reconstruction or full video.
• Tracking and overlay verification: In one reference replay, anomalous spikes fall from 5 to 0 and path RMS from 0.04653 to 0.00581 model units while all 581 reference poses remain unchanged. In the 8K geometric overlay check, offset falls from 347.438 px to under 0.005 px.

Stability and fixes

• Project-bound tracking state: Cancellation, project switching, and recomputation can no longer apply late results to the wrong project.
• Explicit gap handling: Temporal gaps over 0.15 s and unsolved interpolations over 0.75 s remain visible; playback stops instead of concealing them.
• Atomic VFX export: Regenerating a bundle preserves .blend files and personal root folders and safely replaces only Replica-managed assets.
• Disk-space checks: Available space is checked before copying and during frame generation using a dynamic estimate plus a safety margin. If space runs out, the previous bundle remains intact.
• Automatic temporary-file cleanup: Object Capture temporary directories are removed after cancellation and concurrent sessions without touching user photos, projects, exports, or checkpoints.
• Export and interface fixes: Improved Y-up coordinate handling, alignment between viewport, point cloud, and mesh, FBX/USD/STL export, edition-specific TIFF support, frame write permissions, keyboard shortcuts, and processing-panel layout.

Optics note

Video undistortion uses one fixed calibration derived from aligned frames. To keep camera and plates consistent, lens, zoom, and focus should remain stable throughout the recording.

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v1.3.0: June 2026

New features

• COLMAP export: Export cameras, poses and a sparse point cloud in COLMAP format (cameras.txt, images.txt, points3D.txt), together with the photos rectified to a pure PINHOLE model. Because the images are already lens-undistorted, the package drops straight into 3D Gaussian Splatting, NeRF/Nerfstudio, and other reconstruction tools with no manual undistortion step. See COLMAP Export for details.
• USD for VFX: A new export bundle (model.usda + mesh.usdz + undistorted plates) built for camera projection and matchmove in Blender, Maya, Houdini and Nuke. Free and Lite export a 2-camera preview; Pro exports every camera in the project. See USD for VFX for details.
• Camera pose photo overlay: The 3D viewer can now project the original, undistorted photo onto its camera pose as an image plane, with adjustable opacity and click-to-fly navigation to jump straight to any camera.
• Measure & Scale (Pro): A new Refine operation that lets you scale and level your 3D model using real-world distance measurements. Supports multiple measurement pairs with a best-fit (least-squares) scale, an optional vertical reference for automatic levelling, and grounding the model to Y = 0. Useful for indoor captures and any dataset where GPS is unavailable. See Refine Operations for the full workflow.
• Recent projects: Replica now keeps track of the projects you have recently opened, so you can resume your work in one click without browsing through folders.

Improvements

• Configuration Presets visible on Free and Lite: The preset picker in the Session Configuration panel is now visible on all Replica editions, so Free and Lite users can pick the same recommended starting points as Pro. Saving and deleting custom presets remains a Pro-only feature.
• Smoother 3D viewer rotation after zoom: The viewer no longer accumulates an unwanted rotation when you zoom in or out: navigation stays predictable across long inspection sessions.
• Refine delete now resets the model: Clicking Delete on any Refine operation now removes the operation, restores the 3D viewer to the original pre-refine state, and clears the applied state of all other Refine operations. Viewer and export stay consistent.
• Camera pose click works correctly after Refine: Previously, clicking a camera pose after applying a Refine operation would send the view to the wrong position. The view now lands exactly at the clicked camera's world transform regardless of any Refine applied.
• Per-point marker delete in Measure & Scale: Each placed marker (Point A, Point B, Ground, Top) can be individually removed with a small x button next to it, without deleting the whole measurement pair.
• Active Refine operation resets when switching project: The orange vertical reference arrow and any pending marker placement no longer persist across project switches.

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v1.2.0: April 4, 2026

New features

• Replica Link (Beta): Process photogrammetry remotely by uploading a dataset to a companion server and tracking progress from the desktop app. This release adds project management on top of the initial beta: rename and delete remote projects, download the original photos as a ZIP, and automatic discovery of existing projects when the server starts. The 3D model view now refreshes dynamically as remote processing completes. See Replica Link and Replica Link API for details.
• STL export on all editions: STL is now available as an export format in manual export, Workflow export, and Replica Link, across Free, Lite and Pro.

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v1.1.0: February 27, 2026

Improvements

• Smoother 3D viewer: The 3D viewer performance has been optimized for a smoother navigation experience.
• Zoom adapts to model size: The zoom level now automatically adjusts based on the size of the loaded model.
• Default folder in manual export: In manual export, the default destination folder is now the same as the dataset folder.
• Drag & drop import support: Files and folders can now be dragged and dropped directly into the dataset folder, in addition to the + button.
• Automatic selection of imported folder: When a folder is imported, it is now automatically selected in the list.

Fixes

• Dataset deletion confirmation: A confirmation dialog has been added before deleting a dataset, to prevent accidental removals.
• Computation deletion button in sidebar: Fixed an issue with the computation deletion button in the sidebar not working correctly.

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v1.0.0: February 16, 2026

First Version