Expert interview: How do I find the right 3D scanner?

In our previous expert interviews, we showed you how to find the best 3D printer and filament with the help of three professionals. But the 3D scanners are also a fundamental tool, equally for the production of video animations and the creation of 3D models for 3D printing. As with printers, the price range extends over a wide spectrum and finding the right scanner for your own purposes is not easy.

Which scanning technology is better? What criteria should I look out for when purchasing: accuracy, scannable volume, compatibility? Which scanner is suitable for my application? To answer these questions and help you choose the right scanner, we asked three experts from different fields for advice: a 3D scanning service, a reseller and an artist.

Oliver Jan Wagner – Rapidobject

The established 3D printing service Rapidobject has been in business for over 10 years and offers not only the production of prototypes or small series but also a 3D scanning service for industrial companies, architects and end users. Oliver Jan Wagner, the production manager and innovation manager at Rapidobject, has been working with 3D scanners for 7 years. For him, when getting started with 3D scanning, weighing up the costs and benefits is a must.

If you only want to scan a few components, for example 5-6 pieces a year, then a specialized service provider may be sufficient. This makes sense above all when the objects are very different and a single scanner is not suitable for all applications. Above all, a scanning service can fall back on various technologies and also has the necessary experience to achieve good results quickly.

If you decide to buy a device, it is important to know what kind of objects you want to digitize. Special scanning cabins are suitable for people or animals. You can also capture animals within fractions of a second and then combine them into a 3D object. If you would rather scan streets and houses, you should choose a laser scanner that can capture measuring points up to 300 meters away.

The pro’s recommendations:

For the private sector and to gain initial experience: Sense from 3D Systems (price range €400 – €600)

For easy and effective commercial use: Artec EVA or Spider (price range €7000 – €16,000)

A GOM system or a laser scanner from Faro (> €80,000) is suitable for surveying tasks or scanning entire buildings.

Uwe Krill – 3D mensionals

3Dmensionals is the leading specialist dealer in Germany for everything to do with 3D printers, 3D scanners, 3D filament and 3D accessories. In addition to numerous devices, the online shop also offers services and training for business customers, educational institutions or makers. In addition to scanners for commercial use that work with structured light, the retailer also offers laser and infrared-based devices for the consumer sector.

The advantage of scanners with structured light are fast and very precise scans, sometimes even in real time. The scanners are available as stationary (e.g. HP Structured Light Scanner) or mobile devices (Shining, Artec) depending on the application requirements. In addition, they offer excellent value for money.

First of all, it is important to determine the size of the objects to be scanned, which then shows whether you need a stationary or mobile device. Other important comparison criteria are the requirements with regard to accuracy (resolution) and the individual scan duration. However, it is not only the scanning process itself and the associated features that are decisive for the right choice of scanner, the question of how the 3D image files are processed further (e.g. reverse engineering or animation) is at least as relevant.

The last important point is the budget, which can be agreed with the technical requirements. In any case, 3Dmensionals recommends seeking advice in order to find an optimal solution with the help of experts.

The pro’s recommendations:

Fabian Hesse – FabLab Munich

Fabian is a visual artist and uses 3D printing and 3D scanning to create bizarre sculptures. He occasionally gives workshops on 3D printing at the FabLab Munich and discusses the latest processes and possibilities with his colleagues. There are a variety of 3D scanning techniques and manufacturers that are also evolving rapidly. The right device or tool mostly depends on the further processing and the desired result: Should it be 3D printed, or will it be used for on-screen viewing, animation or virtual reality?

For his projects that require people to be scanned, he has chosen an Artec scanner. This is quite high quality and a little expensive for private individuals, but necessary since the 3D data is used for printing life-size objects. But there are also cheaper alternatives: programs such as ReMake can be used with simple smartphone cameras – a large number of photos are combined locally or in the cloud to form a 3D model. The disadvantage is insufficient precision for 3D printing, ReMake is basically used for video animation or viewing on the screen.

An interesting method for this is the Google project TangoConstructor, which has been available with the Phab2Pro tablet for a few months: Completely mobile, it can be used to create entire sequences of rooms and scan groups of people, and you can view the scanning process in real time.

When choosing the right scanner, you should first use free programs to get a feel for what you are dealing with. Renting a high-quality device can also be a very efficient solution if you only need a 3D scanner for a short time. In all cases, it is always advisable to obtain a competent expert opinion, for example at the FabLab around the corner.

The pro’s recommendations:

For professional projects: The Artec Eva (price range €7000 – €16,000)

For an insight into 3D scanning: Gain initial experience in a FabLab

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