Best 3D scanner, regardless of price?

BackstreetZAFU · 2016-01-21T21:01:10.000Z

Hey guys,

I’ve got a pretty simple question this time: what’s the best HIGH-END 3D scanner out there? I’m looking to take complete 360 degree scans of action figures and small(ish) toys, and I’ve got some money to spend in doing so. So, I’d love to hear everyone’s opinion.

Right now, I’ve been looking at dental scanners (on eBay). I see one called the exocad that looks like a good machine, but I’m not sure how it would work for my specific purpose. Are dental scanners made only to scan dental items, or will they work on anything?

I’ve had (and resold) a Matter & Form scanner, and a Sense (Cubify). Neither of them worked well at all. If I have to pay a little (or a lot) more for a scanner to be idiot proof, then that’s fine. I just want one that will do a great job.

It should be worth noting that I’d ultimately like to 3D print these scans. I’m not sure if that has any bearing on recommendations.

Like I said, I’d love to hear from everyone.

Thanks!

matt

Irongiant3d · 2016-01-22T08:02:53.000Z

High end scanners can cost well over £30,000 !

youcan have a look at the Chinese Ein Scan which has a turntable and is a white light scanner. I saw one at the TCT show and it looked pretty good. It costs about £800

MetaCAD · 2016-01-22T09:21:11.000Z

This one I am looking to buy as the software it comes with looks solid and user friendly

http://3dgbire.com/collections/3d-scanners

Irongiant3d · 2016-01-22T09:29:09.000Z

Not seen it before. Just seen many others saying how great they are when the scan data lets you print the equivalent part that’s looks like a melted candle

MetaCAD · 2016-01-22T09:36:50.000Z

let me know what you get and what you think

Irongiant3d · 2016-01-22T11:35:54.000Z

Are you just saving the scan data or getting them printed. If printed what material are you printing.

Jory · 2016-01-22T15:24:41.000Z

From my research into this and with a fairly unlimited budget as it would be for my employer, I’ve found that the Artec Space Spider gave really nice results and it was fairly fast and picked up fairly small details with good accuracy. Granted, it’s still a $30K+ machine, but it did the job really well. Creaform and Nikkon also have some nice machines, but you’re looking at even more money. For the cheaper scanners, such as around $3K, a LOT of the scan detail is based on the software that is used thru post-processing. The NextEngine machine doesn’t have the highest res scans out there, but it uses pretty clever software. The Fuel3D scanner just got a software update to help get better depth with the scans and it’s not terrible for the money. The David3D SLS-2 which is a structured light scanner and can be calibrated for very small or very large objects an the software is quite solid and is about $3k

Consumer 3D scanning is still very much in it’s infancy and is well behind where even 3D printing is on the consumer level. 3D scanning with a consumer grade scanner (under $30k), can’t be utilized in much of any engineering aspect. Most handheld scanners in the $3K range are more for hobbyists and best used with organic shapes. When scanning perfectly flat surfaces, the scan data will nearly always produce noise or anomalies making a perfectly flat surface, less than perfectly flat. Some scanners do a better implementation of hardware technology and advanced software algorithms to do a significantly better job with both data capturing, in different environments, as well as stitching scan data to one another to create a water-tight mesh.

For those looking for 3D scanning to do QC measurement verification, working with engineering parts, or would even like to easily manipulate and modify your 3D scanned objects, then a high end professional scanner is definitely required at this time. Creaform or an equivalent system utilizing Geomagic software from 3DSystems is one of the best options for this type of workflow since you can scan, take measurement, see flat sides as flat and can even export in a way that you can edit the scan data as if it were designed in CAD software.

Hope this helps!

BackstreetZAFU · 2016-01-22T15:32:50.000Z

Hey Jory,

Wow! Thanks for all the info!

I actually looked at the David3D models, and was pretty impressed with what I saw online. Do you have any direct experience with that brand?

Thanks again!

Jory · 2016-01-22T15:51:24.000Z

Sadly no, I haven’t had the chance to get my hands on one. There’s a guy local to me that uses one and he speaks very highly of it, especially for the money. Don’t be afraid to e-mail them and ask for scan files since the worst they can say is no. Most of these smaller companies are very helpful and willing to work with you though. I would ask if they can do a custom scan of something specifically for you after you tell them what your intended use is.

steven_10 · 2016-01-25T08:16:33.000Z

hmm price is no object, I would go for a Hexagon Metrolagy, Cognitens wls unit…£100,000 + gives detail down to about 0.05mm, most important thing is it has feature recognition! so it knows when a round hole is a hole! and a slot is a slot etc. can do both inspection work, and reverse engineering.

I would say in defence of the Matter and form, it takes some trial and error to get the lighting correct, but the overall results can be great with some patience! just check out my “Scrumpty”…lol…I have also recently done a Mars Attacks alien bust with some great results.

you say you want one to be “idiot proof” I am sorry to say no such scanner exists! all require a sound engineering background, so you understand what you want to achieve, apply settings to the scanner that are suitable for the task, have the abilty to understand how the particular scanner functions. some need tiles, some don’t, some cant handle reflections, some can, some detect features, some don’t, some need specific angles of imaging to collect data correctly…etc etc etc…

most important thing about using a scanner if you are not sure, get trained on it by the supplier.

Fulgurite · 2016-01-25T19:14:00.000Z

OK… Well if price is no object I can make a few suggestions. For starters you have to understand the scale you want to scan at. For small items like tabletop toys you need a scanner that produces high detail at .1 to about 1 meter distance. If you are trying to scan full sized objects like automobiles or jetliners… You need a different type of scanner.

Since you are talking about small toy object I would recommend looking at the Artec Spider or the Artec Eva scanners. Prices from about $20K to $30K

Professional 3D scanning solutions | Artec 3D

Industrial 3D Scanner | Space Spider | 3D Scanning in High Resolution

Artec Space Spider is a high-resolution 3D scanner based with enhanced precision - It is perfect for scanning small objects or intricate details of large industrial objects in high accuracy.

The Artec scanners produce scans at up to .05mm accuracy.

If you want aerospace accuracy you should consider the FARO ScanArm. (Around $40K to $80K. depending on options)

http://www.faro.com/products/metrology/faro-scanarm/overview

Hope that helps.

Alice_SHINING3D · 2016-02-26T07:05:04.000Z

If you like to 3D print your 3d scans, how accurate do you require?

EinScan-S is the best desktop 3d scanner for desktop 3d printing. It features at fast, high accuracy, affordable price.
EinScan-S 3D scanner uses a structured white light technology. It has two scan modes, automatic scan and free scan .