A couple of years ago, I came across an article on Habré about a $30 3D scanner, and I was very interested in this topic, although it quickly came to the realization that there was no question of any $30 for high-quality scanning.
But the main plus that I took away from the article is the David-3D scanning program, which really has a good manual in Russian and, importantly, buying a license is the last thing required, since the free version has a limitation only on saving the result scanning. Everything else works in full, which means that it is quite possible to test the program, settings and your hardware as much as you like. And if you don’t need the result with high accuracy, then you can do without buying a license at all.
I needed accuracy, since the main thing I wanted to scan was miniatures from the Warhammer board game (so that later I could change them as I wanted and print them :)). The height of these "soldiers" is only 3 cm, but this does not prevent them from being very detailed.
If you do not need to shoot such small objects, then your equipment requirements will be lower, which means that it will be much easier to assemble a similar scanner for yourself.
The principle of operation of the program, and, accordingly, scanning, is well described in the article to which the link was above (I think it is not necessary to duplicate this). It is advisable to read that article first, as this one will be in some way its logical continuation.
But let's start in order. What you will need in order to try out 3D scanning at home:
1 - projector.
2 - webcam.
Actually everything, the short list surprisingly turned out. However, if you want to get very accurate and high-quality scans, then you will have to modify some things with pens. Of course, you can’t do without additional costs, but in the end it will still cost less than buying any of the commercially available 3D scanners, and the quality of the result can be obtained much better.
Now in order and in detail.
PROJECTOR.
I, like the author of the previous article, started my first scanning experiments with a laser pointer, but they immediately showed how inconvenient this method is. There are several disadvantages here:
- the impossibility of obtaining a beam with a sufficiently thin line. Moreover, when you turn the pointer, the distance from the lens to the object changes, which means the focus is lost.
- if you need to scan regularly, turn the laser pointer with sufficient accuracy and smoothness by hand is very difficult, and tiringly easy - the hands are not such a stable tool when it comes to a long time.
- you have to scan in the dark so that only the laser line is visible and nothing more.
And if the second drawback can still be dealt with by creating a special rotary mechanism (although this is already not such an easy task, in any case, this cannot be done in 5 minutes on your knee), then getting rid of the first drawback is more expensive.
When I realized all this, I decided to try scanning with a projector, for which I borrowed some simple model from a friend.
A small clarification should be made here - in the last article, the author mentioned the possibility of scanning using a projector, although the proposal was, in my opinion, very strange -
A projector with a powerful lamp is suitable, the light of which must be directed through a narrow slit to the object being scanned
This may have been the only option in earlier versions of the program, but in version 3 that I experimented with, the projector was used much better, because there's a feature called Structured Light Scanning (SLS). Unlike laser scanning, the projector immediately projects a grid of vertical and horizontal lines of various thicknesses onto the object, which reduces the scanning time by an order of magnitude and allows you to automatically capture the color texture of the object. Well, with good focus, a 1 pixel wide line is much thinner than you can get from an inexpensive laser pointer.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take photos from those first experiments, and there was nothing special to photograph - the projector is on the table, next to it is a webcam, it all looks in one direction :) However, even such a simple design showed that this option is much more preferable both in scanning speed and quality. Then I decided to buy myself a projector for these purposes.
The criteria for choosing a projector were simple - the resolution is higher, the price and dimensions are smaller :)
The choice settled on IconBit Tbright x100 - an ultra-compact DLP LED projector, 1080 resolution - at that time it seemed to me that you couldn’t imagine better, but as it turned out later, I was wrong, although working with it, I got a lot of interesting experience.
The first problem that arises when scanning a small object with a projector is that for the best result, the size of the projected grid should roughly match the size of the scanned object. This projector made it possible to obtain the smallest screen diagonal at the closest focus - about 22 cm. Agree that against such a background, a miniature 3 cm high is far from the concept of "approximately equal sizes." The answer was found on the official forum - people in such cases install camera lenses on the projector for macro photography. Given the small size of the projector lens, I opted for marumi lenses with a thread diameter of 34mm.
Using two such kits, I managed to get a projector screen with a diagonal of only about 3 cm. Which turned out to be quite enough to make my first microscan - 
This is a single scan, which is why there are “holes” on the model, torn edges, etc. By turning the coin and scanning from different angles, you can get several of these scans, which are subsequently combined into one object (the scanning program itself allows you to correctly combine different scans, stitch them together and save them as a single object). In the process of stitching, the shape of the object is also specified. But saving the results of such stitching is possible only after purchasing a license.
And now the moment has come for the first thing that is not necessary for scanning, but with it the process is much more convenient - this is a stand for a projector with a camera. The calibration process itself is needed not only for the program to recognize the parameters of the equipment - the software must also calculate the relative position of the camera and the projector. In the course of work, their change is not allowed (as well as changing the focus of the camera), which means that it is necessary to firmly fix all this, because the number of scans can be large even for one object.
On the main page of David "and a similar system is depicted - it is nothing complicated. Yes, and looking through the forum and looking at how different people organize it for themselves, I realized that nothing complicated is required here.
For these purposes, a stand was taken from a burned-out LCD monitor, and plexiglass from it, cut and glued here is such a design as it looked in the first version
Fasteners were attached to the projector stand for installing various lenses, which made it possible to change the screen diagonal and scan objects of different sizes.
It should also be mentioned that scanning with a projector does not require the constant presence of calibration panels in the field of view. After the calibration is done, they can be removed. This allows, having calibrated the installation, to easily transfer it, move it, etc.
That is, you can use a large calibration template to calibrate at home on the walls, and then go outside with this stand and laptop and scan your car, for example. We took a smaller template, put a couple of lenses - and you can scan jewelry.
Recently, the company has released an improved scanning kit, and here the rack looks much more serious and interesting -
As for me, with the cost of a license for the program about $ 500 (they also raised the price recently), paying more than 2000 euros for such a set is not entirely justified, assembling something similar yourself is not difficult and much cheaper.
Let's get back to the projector. As it turned out, this projector had one major disadvantage for being used in a scanner, namely its native resolution (854*480). And everything would be fine if it produced the same output, but alas, the picture was converted to standard resolutions (such as 1024 * 768), and as a result, a line one pixel wide was somewhere brighter in different parts of the screen, where - something dimmer, somewhere already and somewhere wider ... All this had a negative effect on the quality of scanning, expressed in the form of ripples and stripes on the resulting model.
By that time, I was already thinking about buying a projector for a stereolithographic 3D printer (http://geektimes.ru/post/245590/). After considering several options, I settled on the Acer P1500 model, because. it does not need any modifications to be used in a printer (this projector, without any lenses, is able to give a focused image on a screen of about 4 * 7 cm). So, for the scanner, it will fit perfectly. At the same time, the resolution of 1920 * 1080 is real. And so it happened, I still use this projector and am completely satisfied with the results.
CAMERA.
When choosing a camera, I had the same criteria as when choosing a projector. Having gone shopping, I stopped at the Logitech C615. The scan of the coin was made from it, without any modifications. But when I tried to scan the figurine, I ran into a problem called "depth of field". When the object is so small, we actually get macro photography, and sharpness with such shooting is achieved only in a small segment, literally just a couple of millimeters (which is why the coin was scanned well - the relief fit perfectly into the sharpness area). It was decided to convert the camera to a different lens. Several different lenses were ordered on Ebay for testing, and a new case was cut out for the camera board. The plan was this
The final result was slightly different
The main idea, I think, is clear. And now, both on Thingiverse and on the forum of the program, you can download stl for printing cases for different types of webcams.
I had to remove the standard lens from the camera board, and as it turned out later, the IR filter was removed along with it, so be careful in this matter. The filter will then come in handy for use with other lenses, although you can buy them separately - the price is cheap.
Thus, I have formed such a collection of lenses.
While I was waiting for the lenses to arrive, I was reading various photography forums. Studying the issue with depth of field, I found out that you can increase it by closing the lens aperture more. This means that the lens was required one in which it was possible to adjust the aperture (alas, among those ordered, not everyone had such an opportunity, but luckily I got a couple of them). In general, to improve the camera, it is desirable to have a varifocal lens with a zoom and an adjustable aperture. In practice, everything turned out the way it was in theory - closing the aperture, an increase in the depth of field was immediately visible, which made it possible to scan three-dimensional, but small objects.
The main lens I use is mounted on the camera in the photo above. The second, with an adjustable aperture, is the largest, in the center. I use it for very very small objects. The rest are without a diaphragm, so I don’t use them - it turned out that these two were quite enough.
The plans now are either to find a webcam with a higher resolution (the quality and detail of the scans directly depends on the resolution of the camera), or try to use some kind of digital camera for this purpose with the ability to shoot video - usually you can get much more resolution in them, and the lenses are better .
Actually, this could have ended - it seems that he told about everything. I also thought that this was the end of my scanner assembly, but the farther into the forest ... While studying the forum of this program, I often came across various schemes of turntables - fortunately, the software allows you to automate the scanning process. After one scan, a command is sent to the com port, the turntable rotates, turning the object by a given number of degrees, and gives a command to the next scan. As a result, with one click of the mouse, we have circular scans of the object - it would seem, what more could you want? I tried this system with interest, but alas, I absolutely did not like this approach, and there are a couple of reasons for this.
1 - if the object is of a complex shape, then simply rotating it will not be enough - you also need to tilt it in different directions so that the camera with the projector reaches all the depressions and other hard-to-reach places.
2 - even if there are no such places, and considering all the scans that were made, there are no parts left on the object that did not fall into the scan, the question of the accuracy of the scan remains.
Suppose some part of the model on one of the scans came out perfectly. But this does not mean that on all the scans in which this part fell, it also looks perfect, and when stitching scans from different angles, the result will be averaged, which cannot please. The program allows you to slightly edit the received scans (you can cut out the unnecessary part). If we rotate the model by 20 degrees, then after a full rotation we will have 18 scans, the part we need may well be present on half of them, therefore, in order to leave the best result, we will need to remove this piece from 8 scans ... And such pieces with a complex There can be many models, as a result, almost half will be cut off from each scan, which is very laborious and time consuming.
Instead, it is better to immediately scan the surrounding areas after the first scan and check the result. As soon as a piece is ready, we move on to scanning the next one, and so on, until the entire model is in perfect shape. This approach gives the best results in less time.
But there is a question of convenience. Agree, it’s inconvenient to manually try to rotate an object, looking not at it, but at the monitor - in order to control the hit on the lens without changing the distance to the camera and the projector at the same time (so as not to lose focus). With the next similar balancing act, I accidentally touched the camera, which accordingly knocked down the entire calibration, and the whole process had to be started anew. I categorically did not like this alignment, and after some thought I came up with a plan for such a design (which, as you understand, I subsequently assembled).
This is not a turntable in the usual sense of the term. Thanks to this design, I can not only rotate the model, but also tilt it as I need. In this case, the center of the model remains in the plane of focus, but even if not, you can move the mount with the model back and forth.
All this was assembled on an arduino, a small control program was written, and as a result, now I don’t have to get up from the computer when scanning - using the program, I change the position of the object being scanned, and at the same time, in the camera window, I select the optimal one for scanning angle.
viscera 
I put the possibility of automatic scanning into the program, as well as scanning not only in a circle, but with inclinations of 45 degrees in one direction and the other, which gives three times more scans. Nevertheless, in the end, I still never use this opportunity - it's too inconvenient to sort through the resulting pile of scans and clean them from unsuccessful pieces.
We should also mention some of the nuances of scanning.
1 - it is impossible to scan shiny and mirror surfaces. The light from them is reflected, or gives such a glare that the program cannot correctly recognize the line. If there is a need to scan such an object, then such parts will have to be masked with something (washable paint, paper tape, etc.).
2 - it is more convenient to scan monotonous objects, since when the camera is set to a light color, the projector's brightness is not so high, the exposure is low, etc. And a dark-colored object requires a lot of brightness, so if you have a multi-colored object, then different parts of it require different settings to get the best result. Here, too, it is more convenient to use scanning the object in parts.
3 - if you want to immediately get a color texture, then keep in mind that the camera and projector settings for the scan do not affect the settings for removing the texture (the scan is generally done in black and white mode), so play around with the settings in the texture mode just as you would do in scan mode.
My scanning process now looks like this:
- Focus projector and camera 
The projector light is too bright and the projected grid is not visible in the photo, but here is the view from the camera in the program 
Scanner Calibration 
The calibration angle was made from metal plates, and calibration templates of different sizes were printed on magnetic paper - so you can very quickly adjust to different sizes of scanned objects.
View in the program 
It is recommended that the combined angle between the beam of the projector and the camera be around 20 degrees. Therefore, such a stand is used - when scanning large objects (for example, a person), the camera should be set aside much further from the projector, but here they stand close to me. The location of the camera relative to the projector can be only vertical, or only horizontal - depending on the geometry of the object. In this case, the arrangement is diagonal (13 degrees vertically and 36 degrees horizontally).
Scan results from different angles. These are already cleaned up scans, i.e. all unsuccessful and unnecessary parts (figure stand, mount that got into the frame) parts have been removed. 
Combining scans for subsequent merging into one object 
Due to the fact that each scan has its own color, it is convenient to control the correct alignment.
Well, after combining scans from different angles, we get such models
Miniature of Boromir from Lord of the Rings. 
When scanning a multi-colored object, the result is slightly worse if you don't bother much. But on the other hand, you can get an object immediately with a texture :) 
Original models 
In the gallery of user works on the developer's website (http://www.david-3d.com/en/news&community/usergallery) you can find many more interesting scans, even people scan fingerprints. And there are even scans of the same miniatures from Warhammer 
In conclusion, I would like to say that no matter what hardware you use, no matter what expensive 3D scanner you buy, this is not a panacea for printing anything. Theoretically, of course, you can send the resulting object to the slicer and print, but there are several reasons why you should not do this, but in any case, you should study 3D graphics packages.
1 - The resulting scans, with good scan quality (and we want to get the best quality) have a lot of polygons. No, not even VERY a lot of. The scan of Boromir after the merger contained more than 8 million polygons - not every slicer will be able to work with such an object.
2 - Any objects bear traces of assembly and manufacture. And if in reality needle files and sandpaper are used to fix this (and sometimes there are still inaccessible places where it is impossible to use tools), then working with a digital copy of an object, we can change it as we like - remove defects, improve detail, etc. .
3 - As I said at the beginning of the article, when I thought about the scanner, I did not want to print copies of objects, but to change them as I please. I am not a sculptor, I do not have the tools, materials and skills to sculpt such a small model. But knowing how to work in 3D, it is much easier for me to scan a similar Boromir and make him some kind of Prince of Denmark.
By the way, this model already contains almost 100 times fewer polygons than the scan result.
Once again, the store offered to take something for review. Since I have long been interested in the question of using this thing for the needs of decorative 3d printing, I chose a scanner.
So, the scanner itself was developed by the Spanish company BQ, which has now stopped supporting it (supposedly due to Chinese fakes, but it is doubtful. Now the American CowTech also sells this scanner. The source codes for 3d printing of parts of the scanner are freely available at (there links to software and electronics).
In the kit we have such a "loose":
The assembly is straightforward, but there are a few points:
1. There is no need to rush to tighten all the nuts - you will also have to adjust the geometric dimensions - the convergence of lasers in the center of the site, the distance to the turntable.
2. In my stand, the camera “dangled” a little, by a fraction of a millimeter - but that was enough to skew the picture. Eliminated by laying foam material.
4. The turntable was transparent and uncoated (as in the original) - I painted it with plastidip.
5. Check the calibration checkerboard patterns. I don’t know how they printed the one from my kit - but the proportions of the squares were violated. I took it from the Internet and reprinted it myself.
6. The focus of the camera is not adjusted to the distance to the platform. He removed the cover and twisted the focus in place.
As you can see, the "brains" of the scanner is the usual Arduino Uno in conjunction with the ZUM Scan shield and the A4988 stepper motor driver. The economy is managed by the "native" Horus software from BQ.
After assembly, the scanner went through calibration procedures in the native Horus software. 
Since by this point I already knew that the quality of scanning is very dependent on the quality of lighting (stability, diffuseness, color temperature), I took care of having a small lightbox in advance in order to at least provide more or less comparable conditions for samples. 
Having picked up "candidates" for tests, I got ready. 
The object requirements are as follows:
1. The object must be larger than 5x5cm but smaller than 20x20cm
2. The object must be opaque and still
3. The object must weigh no more than 3 kg
Difficulty scanning:
1. Shiny, glowing objects
2. Subjects that are too dark
3. Objects with a blurry surface (such as soft toys)
The result of the scan is a point cloud in PLY format (which then needs to be converted to a surface). Here is the preparation of the STL file.
After reading the scans, I decided to try with a simple cylindrical object.
After several attempts, I was convinced that I had a common problem - mismatches between the point clouds from the right and left lasers, and the issue with proportions.
I couldn't find anything worthwhile about this except for trying to calibrate the webcam settings (they are not calibrated when the calibration wizard is running) (a dude named Jesus from BQ support has not answered questions for a long time). To do this, you need to take several shots with different positions of the calibration table. Done. The situation has improved, but not completely.
I had to manually edit the calibration file (calibration.json in the Horus-a folder) and by trial and error, scanning a cylindrical object - to achieve the coincidence of the clouds.
And everything seems to be ok: 
But no - on complex objects, cloud fragments still sometimes do not coincide, moreover, many "blind" zones are formed: 
In addition, it is obvious that scanning bright red objects will be impossible, at least with standard lasers.
You can, of course, continue experimenting with scanning with individual lasers and trying to combine all this economy in third-party software, and then try to bring it into a form that is viable for STL.
All this is reminiscent of one anecdote with boats in bottles.
How do you make boats in bottles?
-I put sand, silicate glue, sticks into the bottle and shake it.
It turns out all sorts of shit, and sometimes - boats.
In general, I realized that I am not an adept of such creativity, and I have a suspicion that it is easier to model objects from scratch that are easier for a scanner.
And the complex ones - the scanner cannot cope with the complex ones in the normal mode, two lasers are not enough for it - blind spots remain. To fix this problem, you need to scan in other positions and then again suffer with the combination of clouds. No thanks.
As a result - the thing will fit only for learning the basics of laser scanning, for something more - absolutely useless. No, of course, you can get something with outlines similar to the original model, but on this one (and this is taking into account all the tambourines with cloud processing) - that's it. No wonder the Spaniards abandoned this case.
The store made sure - in the description it is honestly stated that the result depends on the position of the planets and the mood of Aunt Sonya from the third floor. Open source and all that, let's dance together. No thanks.
The conclusion is not to take it, but if you want extreme sports, to assemble it yourself from the same thing that a friend from a joke makes boats from.
The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review is published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.
I plan to buy +9 Add to favorites Liked the review +101 +156) we decided to try our hand at assembling it and, if possible, improve its design. We didn’t even imagine what would come of it, and even more so, we didn’t imagine that we would win with him at several scientific and engineering exhibitions. But in order. Who cares to know the result, welcome to the cat (many photos).
First prototype
First we decided to assemble a laser rangefinder. It was made based on an article on an amateur radio forum. Just a laser pointer and a camera. A Java program was written for image processing. For one measurement, two photographs were taken: with a laser and without a laser. After comparing them, we could definitely find the laser dot. After it worked, the rangefinder was mounted on a platform that could rotate in two planes. Before I show what happened, I need to warn you - there are not many materials at the summer school, and therefore we assembled a prototype from what we had:
You can see the camera right away, and the laser is that brass cylinder above it. To rotate the platform, we used two stepper motors, which in turn were connected to the control board on the Atmega32 microcontroller. The laser was also connected to it. The board itself was connected to the computer via a USB->UART adapter. The program on the computer took pictures, processed them, entered the coordinates of the obtained points into a file and sent commands to the control board.
The result was interesting. Yes, we found the distance. Yes, we could "target" at any point in the hemisphere above the scanner. And our joy knew no bounds. But when we estimated the scanning time for this hemisphere, it turned out to be 48 hours. And it's not the camera. And not even in Java. And the fact that the installation was so flimsy that it hesitated after each turn for five seconds. I had to take a measurement, turn around and wait five seconds until it stops swinging. And in addition, the library for the camera turned it on before each shot, and then turned it off. This took 1-2 seconds. But the summer school was ending, and there was no time to redo it: it was already the night before the project was handed over. Rather morning. The next day, we presented our project at a competition in front of a scientific jury and unexpectedly won. Probably because of this victory we decided to continue our work on this project.
Version two
In fact, summer is over and the school year has begun. The will to work is gone. The installation was planned to be completed by the next competition, which was a whole month before. Month. And then suddenly three days. But a month later we decided to change the setting. Assemble it firmly, install a lens on the laser pointer, which will create a laser line. This would allow scanning 720 points at once (there was an HD camera in the scanner). Here are just three days made their adjustments:
The second scanner was assembled from plastic reticle rulers, glue, masking tape and is held only thanks to blue electrical tape. Instead of a lens, there is a test tube. A green laser shines on this tube. The reflected beam creates a more or less uniform laser strip on the screen. The rangefinder is mounted on only one motor, which rotates it in a horizontal plane. The control board was replaced with STM32VLDiscovery. I just know STM32 better, and even Atmega burned down, and the programmer was lost a long time ago. Doesn't look great, but it works! The vibrations have decreased, and the speed has correspondingly increased. But not much. A very interesting catch was discovered here - the Chinese laser pointer did not turn on immediately, but gradually increased its power within a second. Thus, a second for vibrations, a second for warming up the laser, a second for a shot, and there are two of them. So we get 4 seconds. But in one measurement, we find the distance up to 720 points! The scanning process looked something like this:
And the result is like this:
The picture does not look very interesting, but the mug was voluminous in the program. You could look at it from different angles.
What exactly is the competition? But nothing! We finished scanning everything at 4 am, and at 9 am at the stand we found that the laser had burned out. As it turned out, while we were carrying it from the hotel to the stand, rain got into it, and when turned on, it burned out. And it looks in a non-working state so that it is difficult to believe in the words “it worked 5 hours ago”. We got upset. The desire to continue vanished with the haze from the laser. But still collected...
Third version
And she was collected again for the competition. And we have been preparing for it for a long time and thoroughly. More than a week. And here is the result:
The first thing that catches your eye is that now we are scanning not the area around the scanner, but an object that rotates on the platform. And we also got the right lens, assembled everything normally, rewrote the program, and also replaced the debug board with a homemade one. And now we only take one shot per measurement. The laser is powerful enough, and the lens is good enough to clearly locate the laser in the photo. Thanks to this, we do not wait for the laser to warm up - it is always on. And now we turn on the camera only once. That is, time is spent mostly on rotating the platform and processing the image. The program has added a menu for selecting accuracy. Scanning time - from two to ten minutes. Depending on the chosen accuracy. At maximum accuracy, it turns out that the platform rotates 0.5 degrees per step, and the distance is determined with an accuracy of 0.33 mm. The platform is driven by a stepper motor through a gearbox. The platform itself is a large disk, and the rubber roller on the motor shaft is small. The motor and laser were controlled by the STM32F050F4 microcontroller through field-effect transistors. At the very beginning of the article, just a toy scan obtained using this scanner. Since the scanner produces a point cloud in .obj format, after triangulation we can print the scanned object on a 3D printer, as can be seen in the same photo. On the screen we can see the model after triangulation. No manual work was done on the model.
We won the competition. And he gave a pass to the international competition Intel ISEF. And so we started working on the next scanner.
Fourth version
At the moment, this is the latest version of the scanner that we have compiled. For comparison, the second version is on the platform. We tried to approach the development of the fourth scanner with all the thoroughness with which we could. The installation was drawn in CAD, the details were cut with a laser, everything was painted, nothing extra sticks out from the outside. Changes: now the platform is really a gear. It is cut out of Plexiglas and has 652 teeth along the edges. This solves an issue that was badly messing up scans in the previous scanner: the rubber roller was slipping a bit, causing the platform to turn non-360 degrees frequently. The scans were either cut-out or overlapped. Here, we always knew exactly how the platform was turned. The laser power was made programmatically adjustable. Thanks to this, it was possible to change the laser power on the go, avoiding illumination of unnecessary parts in low light conditions. To control all the electronics, we decided not to breed a new board, but simply use the debug F401RE-Nucleo. It has ST-LinkV2.1 installed, which works as a debugger and a USB->UART adapter.
The accuracy is amazing: Angular resolution of 0.14 degrees. At a distance of 0.125 mm. The scanning area is a cylinder 20 cm high and 30 cm in diameter. The price of all parts and laser cutting at the time of its creation (May 2014) was less than 4,000 rubles.
In the process of using, we set the maximum accuracy only once. Scanning lasted 15-20 minutes. Received almost 2 million points. The laptop refused to calculate the model from the point cloud. The experiment was not repeated again.
Conclusion
In the near future, we plan to resume work on the project, and therefore we will finalize both the program and the installation. I hope that in the near future we will write about step-by-step assembly, lay out drawings, programs and everything else. It won't fit in this article.Thanks to everyone who read to the end!
UPD:
A colleague found a video about the operation of the scanner, which we filmed at ISEF:
Yes, most of the video is not interesting, but at the end there is a model on a laptop.
And here are examples of scanned objects. But they all belong to the third version of the scanner.
dropbox
In the model.obj file, you can clearly see what happens when this rubber roller slips on the motor - the dog has three eyes. The scan was stopped, which resulted in a notch. All files are point clouds. You can open with MeshLab. The models were not processed by hand. Completely raw data. Above you can see "white spots" - areas without dots. The camera does not see them. Also, white spots can be seen in other places. They appear either in areas that are too dark or when surfaces overlap. For example, in the stn_10.obj file, the goat's horns overlap each other, which is why the inner surface of the horns was not scanned.
Hello everyone, 3Dtool is with you.
In the modern world, all the development of new devices and prototypes is carried out in various CAD-systems. All design: both technical products and design works takes place electronically. 3D models for everything in the world are already an established reality. That is why 3D scanners have appeared on the market to facilitate the creation of 3D models.
3D scanners are devices that very accurately create a three-dimensional copy of any physical object. And today we will tell you about the 5 best 3D scanners according to our version, which you should pay attention to.
This is a desktop 3D scanner developed by Shining 3D. The company specializes in the production of 3D scanners for a variety of tasks. Sales are made all over the world.
For scanning, this scanner uses 2 cameras with a resolution of 1.3 MP.
The basic package of the 3D scanner includes an automatic turntable. What forms a single software and hardware complex.
The accuracy of scanning objects is up to 0.1 mm.
The scanner can also work in texture capture mode (i.e. scan in color).
There are 2 scanning modes: automatic (with turntable) and fixed (without turntable).
When working in automatic mode using a turntable, the 3D scanner is able to scan objects up to 200x200x200 mm in size.
Using the fixed scan function, you can scan large objects up to 700x700x700 mm, but without a rotary device.
Scanner EinScan SE scans an object by projecting a sequence of white light beams onto the object, the cameras, in turn, capture all the irregularities on the surface of the scanned object, and create a 3D model in the 3D scanner software online.
- Scan unit (cameras and projector)
- Turntable for scanning
- Calibration field for initial scanner setup
- Base for placing scanner elements
- Software in Russian
- Ease of operation
- Maximum automated
Flaws:
- Not high accuracy
- The need for a video card NVIDIA.
This is a universal, semi-professional 3D scanner, which is suitable for scanning objects from 5 cm to 3 meters.
When scanning, the principle of Structured Illumination is used.
The 3D scanner has three built-in scanning zones, thanks to which the user can optimally adjust the scanning parameters for objects of different sizes. If necessary, several scanning zones can be combined: for example, if a large object has a small area with small details that require high detail, it can be scanned with zone No. 3, while the object itself can be scanned with zone No. 1.
3D Scanner RangeVision Spectrum can work in three scanning modes:
- With the use of marks (which can be applied both to the scanned object itself and to the surfaces around it)
- Scanning using a rotary device (table)
- Scanning without a rotary device and without marks.
The scanner comes with one set of manually adjustable lenses for three scanning areas
3D RangeVision Spectrum- allows you to get 3D models of objects with an accuracy of 0.04 to 0.12 mm. It is also suitable for performing engineering tasks, where its accuracy is sufficient.
Separately, I would like to note advanced (expert) software. This is the company's own development. range vision. The software is included with the 3D scanner, and the manufacturer does not charge for license renewals or updates. It allows you to perform both post-processing of the model after scanning, and very finely tune the scanner to the scanned object.
The kit includes a turntable that allows you to easily scan small items weighing up to 5kg in automatic mode. You can also scan objects up to 3 meters without a turntable.
Advantages:
- High scan quality
- Large scanning range from 5 cm to 3 m
Flaws:
- Mastering the software will take time. However, as of 07/10/2018, RangeVision has released a new version of the software, which has become noticeably simpler.
This is a handheld 3D scanner for scanning objects from 5 cm to 4 meters. Maximum scanning accuracy up to 0.05 mm ( 50 microns). Scan speed: 550 000 points/second.
A 3D scanner is suitable for both scanning a person and scanning inanimate objects.
The scanner has the following modes of operation:
- Handheld HD Scan(high-resolution manual scan mode). The scanning accuracy in this mode is 0.1 mm. Scanning markers are required (supplied). Scanning in color is not possible. This mode is required for solving problems of scanning large objects with high accuracy in manual mode.
- Handheld Rapid Scan(quick manual scan mode). The optimal mode for scanning people. Scanning accuracy 0.3 mm. Scanning in color is possible (with a color scan module). This mode is suitable for fast scanning of large objects.
- Automatic Scan(Auto mode). Scanning is performed using a turntable. Scanning accuracy up to 0.05 mm (50 microns). Suitable for scanning small objects in automatic mode.
4.Fixed Scan(Fixed mode). Scanning takes place using a tripod and markers. The markers are randomly glued onto the scanned object. Object rotations occur in manual mode or by moving the tripod with the scanner around the object. Scanning accuracy 0.05 mm (50 microns).
3D scanner Shinig3D Einscan Pro Plus additionally it can be equipped with the following modules: color scanning module, industrial package (tripod and rotary device).
After scanning, the operator receives files in formats - OBJ，STL，ASC，PLY. These formats are suitable for all existing 3D printers, CNC machines or 3D editors. There will be no compatibility issues.
3D scanner Einscan Pro Plus has high mobility and has the most simple control. When creating it, special attention was paid to the possibility of working with the scanner by untrained people. Therefore, all processes are automated as much as possible.
The software is supplied with the scanner - free of charge.
Advantages:- 4 operating modes
- Relatively low cost
- Process Automation
- Ease of use
Flaws:
- Requires a "gaming" computer with a video card to work NVIDIA
- To scan black, shiny, sparkling objects, a matt spray coat is required.
This structured light based 3D scanner is the ideal choice if you need to create a 3D model of a medium size object in color, for example: a person, a car bumper.
Artec Eva- portable 3D scanner for a wide range of applications, making it the market leader in professional handheld 3D scanners. The operation of the device is based on the safe technology of structured illumination. This is an excellent all-round solution for shooting any subject, including objects with black and shiny surfaces.
This scanner does not need to be calibrated. it is calibrated from the factory.
Scanning accuracy up to 0.1 mm. 3D point positioning accuracy 0.5 mm.
The scanner is equipped with a camera 1.3 MPix.
Color scanning mode is supported.
Scan speed up to 2 million. dots per second, which makes scanning very fast.
Advantages:- High speed 3D scanning
- Ability to work outdoors
- Scans black and shiny objects.
Flaws:
- Requires a gaming graphics card to work
- Solution cost
A professional scanner that allows for 3D digitization of both large and small physical objects. Three scanning zones are provided for the 3D scanner, which allow you to digitize both jewelry and car body parts with the necessary detail and accuracy.
The user can perform 3D scanning using auxiliary markers, according to which the software can automatically "assemble" to combine scans. In addition, thanks to the support of markers and the possibility of importing reference networks generated by photogrammetric production systems GOM and Aicon, you can achieve scanning accuracy up to 0,05 mm on objects over 2 m.
However, if you are dealing with museum exhibits or other objects that require special care, a 3D scanner RangeVision PRO5M will allow you to scan without markers and build a 3D model according to the geometry of the object itself.
3D scanner RangeVision PRO5M, working on structured illumination compares favorably with similar 3D laser scanners in terms of scanning speed.
This scanner is equipped with cameras 5MP and comes with a separate set of pre-configured lenses for each scan area.
In addition, blue backlight technology is supported, which reduces the influence of ambient light.
The scan time is only 15 seconds.
Basic equipment:
- scanning module,
- 2 industrial cameras
- A set of lenses for each scanning area
- Tripod with swivel head
- Set of calibration plates
- Mattifying spray
- Software.
Advantages:
- High quality and scanning speed
- Large scanning range from 5 cm to 5 m
- Professional software
- Automatic scanning with turntable and marks.
- Free software updates
Flaws:
- Mastering the software will take time
- Not suitable for human scanning
All 3D scanners presented in this article can be purchased from our company. Catalog of 3D scanners
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- Mastering the software will take time. However, as of 07/10/2018, RangeVision has released a new version of the software, which has become noticeably simpler.
The attractiveness of additive technologies is difficult to overestimate. That is why 3D printing accessories are so popular today. With a limited budget, you can make a 3d scanner with your own hands. To do this, they use improvised tools and aggregates, or simply turn an ordinary smartphone into a scanner.
Making a 3D scanner using a webcam
In order to make a homemade 3d scanner, you will need:
- quality webcam;
- a linear laser, that is, a device that emits a laser beam (to obtain high-quality scanning, it is better that the beam is as thin as possible);
- various mounts, including the angle for calibration;
- special software for processing scanned images and data.
Please note that without the appropriate software, you will not be able to create a digital model of objects and objects. Therefore, initially take care of the availability of special programs. For example, DAVID-laserscanner and TriAngles are considered basic, but they need to use a rotating surface.
Start with a calibration angle. To create it, print the template (it is included in the program package). Position it so that it creates a 90 degree angle. It is important that the correct scale is observed during printing. To do this, use the calibration scale. Camera calibration is done in automatic or manual mode, this is also provided by the software.
To scan an object, it will need to be placed in the calibration corner, and opposite to install a webcam. It is important to place the object exactly in the center of the image on the screen. In the webcam settings, you need to disable all automatic adjustments. They also set the color of the laser beam. By pressing "Start", smooth movements are made. The beam needs to circle the object from all sides. This will be the first scan cycle. In the future, it is necessary to change the position of the laser in order to cover all points that were not processed the previous time.
Upon completion of all processes, scanning stops and the "display in 3D" mode is selected in the program. If you don't have a laser handy, you can replace it with a bright light source. It will provide a shadow line projection. True, in this case, change the settings in the program that will correspond to these parameters.
We make a three-dimensional scanner from two webcams
If you need high digitization accuracy, you will need to use two webcams. In this case, the light source is replaced by a second camera. A do-it-yourself 3d scanner from two cameras allows you to minimize the calculation time for points that fall into the laser band.
We make a 3d scanner from a projector and a webcam
For this you will need:
- projector;
- webcam;
- DAVID-laserscanner program;
- tripods for webcam and projector;
- calibration panel (fasten two small sheets of chipboard at an angle of 90 degrees and stick paper sheets with pre-printed templates with dry glue);
- turntable (can be built from an old “grace” simulator and a few pins).
To scan an object, position it vertically and make 7-8 scans, rotating it in a circle. We combine the obtained scans. After that, we change the position of the object and do the same procedure. We combine the scans of the two halves of the object. By clicking on the "fuse" button, we get a three-dimensional model of the object. It can be saved in any selected format, and then processed with:
- Delcam LastMaker;
- easylast;
- Last Design & Engineering;
- Form 2000;
- Shoemaster QS.
Making a 3D scanner from a game console
Xbox One is a set-top box that is already equipped with the second generation Kinect and can be used as a 3D scanner. If you have a regular game controller, then you can make a 3d scanner from kinect using the following programs:
- Kinect Fusion. Creates highly detailed models by reading data from Kinect sensors.
- Scanect. With its help, 3D images of rooms are created with all the objects that are in them. To create a three-dimensional model of the surrounding space, you just need to rotate the device around you. In order to detail individual objects, you need to point the camera at them again.
Making a 3d scanner from a smartphone
How to make a 3d scanner from a regular mobile device? Today, various software products are used for this. With their help, the smartphone turns into a full-fledged three-dimensional scanner. The most popular software algorithms:
- MobileFusion. It tracks the position of the object with the help of a standard camera, and then takes a picture. From a series of shots, a three-dimensional model is obtained. Works on different platforms and OS.
- Helps in creating three-dimensional photographs of any objects, and then sends them to a 3D printer.
- Autodesk 123D Catch. With the help of this program, three-dimensional models of buildings, people and other objects are created and printed on additive devices that can be photographed from all angles and sides.
Such systems do not require hardware modifications or Internet connection. To get started, you just need to launch the mobile application and move your phone around the object being scanned.
