If not, here are some tutorials to help you make your first capture:

And in Part Two we’ll dive into presenting your captures in Pokémon GO-like Augmented Reality.įor both tutorials, I assume that you have already made a 3D capture. The combination of the grainy texture of the print and the slight bleeding of the ink in the gypsum doesn’t make for “HD” results so to say.īut there are great alternatives that let you share your 3D scans (objects or people) in better ways-for free! I’ll guide you through the steps to share your volumetric alter ego online, in Part One of this Tutorial Series I’ll show you how to view and share your 3D scans in Virtual Reality. But many of the details get lost when 3D printing in full color sandstone. It’s printed with gypsum powder and the color is added in an inkjet-like fashion.

The quality is quite low - I was surprised how much photographic detail I could capture with a Structure Scanner and a low-end iPad mini 2.

It takes a lot of time - While the scanning was done within minutes, it took a week or two for the 3D print to arrive at my doorstep. And in my opinion this is too long in a world where we’re getting used to receiving things the day after ordering.

And that’s when they’re hollowed out to the max (very thin walls) and without protective coating (costs $10 more).

They’re expensive - The 15cm tall full body scan above or a 10 cm tall bust scan like these is about $30 plus shipping.

But I see three problems for general use: Which is understandable, because who still wants a single-colored, plastic 3D print when you can order one in full color at services like Shapeways?ģD Scan made with the iPad-based Structure Sensor and itSeez3D app, 3D Printed in Full Color Sandstone by Shapewaysīut while I do believe a 3D printed Selfie is a nice gift. And manufacturers of affordable 3D scanners-like the XYZ scanner and Sense scanner I reviewed earlier-are still marketing them to consumers as accessories to desktop 3D printers.īy now it’s clear that “consumer 3D printing” will probably never take of.

The scanners themselves are sold by stores that also sell the printers. One thing I also noticed is that 3D scanning is still very much tied to 3D printing. In particular, I like that the technology of 3D capturing has quickly become affordable and will continue to do so with sub-$500 smartphone-based 3D scanners and free photogrammetry apps.īesides capturing objects in 3D, people seem to really like to have themselves volumetrically digitized, or in less funky words: 3D Selfies are the new Selfies. I’m amazed by the developments in 3D scanning since I started researching and writing about it in January.

Bellus3D Face Camera Pro (IR Sensor, Android)ģD Scanning beyond 3D Printing - Part One.

Walkthrough sketchfab models