HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3 Review and Test
Greetings.
Recently, I was able to test a 3D scanner from Hewlett Packard - HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3 at work. Therefore, I decided to share with you my experience in its use. This scanner uses SLS structured light technology. The essence of the technology is that various image templates are projected onto a scan object using a conventional LED-DLP projector. And a camera installed nearby captures the received distorted images. After that, a special program for these distortions evaluates the shape, depth, details of the object and recounts all this data into a three-dimensional image.
By and large, this scanner is not new and is a 3D scanner DAVID SLS-3.
Hewlett Packard bought DAVID with all their developments and now produces this scanner under its brand. The device itself has not undergone almost no changes. The software has changed its appearance, but all the basic functionality has remained the same.
The scanner consists of several components. The projector, oddly enough, Acer K132 with a resolution of 1280x800 and a brightness of 500 lumens. Camera - HP 3D HD Camera Pro 2.3MP. The camera and projector are mounted on a special slider guide. And the camera, in turn, is also fixed to a special swivel mount. A ruler is marked on the slider and there are holes for fixing the projector in different places. The degrees of rotation are marked on the swivel mount of the camera. All this construction is mounted on a tripod Hahnel triad 40 lite.
Also in the kit are all the necessary wires for connecting and a USB flash drive key, it also contains software. For calibration, two glass panels are used with markers of different sizes on both sides. The panels are interconnected by flexible mounts and are installed on special plastic corners. Additionally, for this scanner, you can buy another camera, there is also a turntable. But this instance with one camera and without a table.
The manufacturer promises scanning accuracy up to 50 microns (0.05% of the total size of the object), while the size of the model can be from 6 to 50 centimeters.
Let's move on to preparing the scanner for work. Out of the box, the camera and lens are already mounted on the guide. You just need to mount all this on a tripod using a special mount. The camera is initially mounted to the left of the projector. This option is suitable for scanning objects up to 350mm. In case you need to scan an object larger than 350mm, the camera must be installed to the right of the projector. To do this, unscrew the lamb of the projector and rotate it 180 degrees. After that, unscrew the restrictive bolt from the edge of the guide, unscrew the lamb of the camera mount, remove the camera from the guide, also turn it 180 degrees and fix everything back. The distance from the camera to the projector and the angle of its rotation depends on the size and type of the scanned object, we will configure them before calibration.
Next, you need to connect the projector to the power supply and to the computer using an HDMI cable. The camera connects to the computer with a USB 3.0 wire and is powered by it. We turn on the projector, in the operating system you need to configure it as a second monitor. After that, you need to install the software. You can do this from the flash drive that comes with it, or download it from the HP website. With a full installation, all the necessary drivers will be installed automatically. The projector should show a table with horizontal and vertical lines.
And so, we launch the installed HP 3D Scan program. The recommended system requirements for it are not very large: a dual-core 2GHz processor, 8GB of RAM and an Nvidia or AMD graphics card. But, of course, the more powerful the computer, the faster the processing.
In the first tab, Settings, you need to select the type of scanner, in our case it is HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3. Projector - Acer K132. And turn on the camera, we have this HP 3D 2.3MP Cam PRO. On the right is the exposure setting (or rather the shutter speed), as a rule it should be set to 1/60 so that there is no flickering. And brightness, it’s better to always keep it at maximum.
It is desirable to select objects for scanning without transparent or reflective surfaces. It is also not desirable for the subject to be very dark or black. Black color absorbs light, which is why the projected image is very poorly visible on the camera. If the object does not satisfy these conditions, it is necessary to cover it with a special matting spray. When scanning, on the contrary, it is better to use black, then there will be no need to remove it. If this is not possible, the program can automatically remove the background, but more on that later.
For the first test, I chose a rather complicated object for scanning, such an elephant. It has a complex relief in some places, protruding elements, and also it is quite dark, which complicates the scanning even more.
You need to configure the projector and camera. We set the projector so that the image falls on the entire object and was slightly larger than it. Keep in mind that during the scanning process the object will need to be rotated, and it is desirable that it be highlighted in any position. Now you need to focus the projector, this is done using the adjustment lever at the top of the projector. The intersection point of the center lines of the projected image should be clearly focused on the scan object.
We pass to the camera. The rotation angle is used from 20 to 30 degrees. As a rule, 22 degrees is considered the optimal angle. When scanning large objects or objects with deep holes, it may be necessary to reduce the angle, but with an angle of less than 20 degrees, distortion and interference may appear. For flat objects, it is better to use an angle greater than 22 degrees, up to 30. In our case, the standard 22 degrees are quite suitable. Now you need to set the camera relative to the projector. Weaken the lamb of its mount and move it along the guide, so that the projected image and the scanned object get into the lens.
There are two adjustment rings on the camera lens. Closer to the edge is the focus ring, followed by the aperture. Both rings have locking bolts. The aperture should be set so that the scanned object is not overexposed, but not too dark. So that it shows the projected image.
Focus should be such that the intersection of the center lines is clear. For convenience, you can zoom in the image in the program using the mouse wheel. The fixing bolts must be tightened so that the settings do not go astray.
Now you can calibrate the scanner. On the calibration panels there are 4 blocks of points of different sizes, three on one side and one largest on the other. You need to calibrate the scanner by that block, which is slightly larger in size than the scanned object. For example, for this elephant, the third block, the penultimate in size, should come up. The second block is already too small for him, and the largest is already too large.
We install calibration panels so that the necessary unit is folded inward.
We set the scanner in front of them at a distance corresponding to the distance to the scanned object, the picture from the projector and the image from the camera should be as clear as possible. The frame should contain from 15 to 70 points of the selected block. In the "calibration scaling" field, you need to specify the block size, it is indicated near the vertical line, next to each block. For the third block - this is 120mm. Click on the calibration button. The projector will display several patterns in turn. And if everything was set correctly, a checkered black and white picture like a chessboard will be shown.
After calibration, the entire structure can be moved and the angle of inclination changed, but the camera distance from the projector, its rotation angle and focus cannot be changed. The manufacturer claims that the diaphragm can not be changed either. But empirically, it turned out that when scanning dark objects, sometimes it has to be done. Since if the template is visible on the model, it will be highlighted on the calibration panels. And vice versa, if everything is visible on the panels, the template will be too dark on the model. So this time, for this elephant, the diaphragm had to be ajar during scanning, after calibration.
You can proceed to scanning. In the “template parameters” item, you can select the number of templates that will be projected onto the model in one scan, the more of them, the better the quality of the resulting scan.
There are 4 options: Quality, Default, Speed and Custom. There are quite a few folds and other small elements on the elephant, so for it we select “Quality”, this is 62 templates.
Scanning modes are also 4. Single scan - it may come in handy if you scan an object from one side, for example, to get a relief. Manual sequence of scans - scanning an object several times from different sides, turning it yourself.
Automatic turntable - speaks for itself. And background scan - to use this function, you need to remove the scan object, scan only the background. Then, with further scanning, the program will be able to automatically remove it from all scans. We will rotate the elephant manually on a black background, therefore, it is not necessary to scan the background, and select the mode - manual sequence.
Next, you need to choose how the object moves. Free movement, horizontal turns or a manual rotary table. For this and for most situations, free movement is suitable.
Automatically register texture - with this function, the scanner will record not only the relief, but also the color of the object with textures. Thus, you get a full-color 3D model. This can be useful not only for beauty, but also help the program in the future, when comparing scans. But the scanning and processing time will increase slightly.
Below in the “scan result” field, you can configure smoothing parameters, check the validity of fixed points, filter and delete parts that are smaller than the largest integral part. The manufacturer recommends not changing these parameters unnecessarily. And then you can turn on the checkmark - Delete background. If the background has been previously scanned, it will automatically install.
We proceed directly to the scan. You can manually click on the scan button (or hotkey F5), rotate the object and press the button again. Or you can check the box next to “Automatic next scan”, then the program will count down a few seconds before automatically making the next scan. Moreover, if at this moment you will move the object, the counter will automatically be reset. Thus, the next scan will be done only when the object is stationary.
For this elephant, we will not scan textures and set the next automatic scan so that you do not have to press a button each time. We direct the projector to the object so that the template fully illuminates it. And press the scan button. After each scan, we rotate the model a little, so that the scans have enough common elements for subsequent comparison. And so a full circle. The manufacturer recommends taking 6-8 pictures, but the more pictures there are, the easier it will be for the program to compare scans and the more details it will be possible to fix.
After one whole circle, you can raise the scanner on a tripod, tilt it from top to bottom and scan the object from a different angle to fix horizontal planes that did not fall into the frame.
The same can be done from below. If it is not possible to raise the scanner high or low enough, the object can be turned over by itself.
When scans are made in all possible positions, you can click on the "end sequence" button. The program will automatically try to match all scans to each other. In most cases, scans match well, provided that they have enough common shapes. If any extra fixed elements fall into the camera lens, they may interfere with the comparison. Then, before clicking the “end the sequence” button, you need to go to the “form merging” tab. In the cleaning block, you can select the selection method.
Select extra objects, and delete them by clicking on the button with a cross in the same block, or using the DEL hot key. And after that, return to the scan tab and complete the sequence.
If automatic matching does not work properly, scans can be manually matched in pairs. To do this, select “arbitrary” in the “merging forms” tab in the “alignment” block.
Select two scans with common forms, they will automatically match. In order for not all scans to be displayed on the screen at once, you can click on the eye icon in the list of scans at the top. And click on the same icon next to the desired scans to display them.
If such a comparison did not work, you can check the "select contact pair" checkbox.
This will make it possible to manually mark on each scan the same elements by which the program will navigate. You can enable “use texture” if scanning was performed with textures. As well as “use surface elements”, this will also improve the matching, but also increase the processing time. Already combined scans can be combined into groups, then when combined with the next scan, the program will use the group as one single scan.
After such a manual comparison, you need to select the alignment "global high-precision alignment." The program will accurately and accurately adjust the scans aligned to this. Before high-precision alignment, scans combined into groups are preferably divided back.
If some areas of the scanned object are not visible on the scans, you can always make a few more scans from the right sides.
As a result, about 30 scans were made for this elephant from different sides, above and below. But you need to consider that this object is quite complex and dark. The camera was far from always able to see and evenly fix the surfaces. But as a result, it turned out to collect a whole elephant from the scans. The scan took about 20 minutes.
At this stage, it is a cloud of points. Now you can assemble it into a full-fledged 3D model - mesh. To do this, use the "merge" block. There are 3 parameters, resolution, sharpness and close the holes. Resolution marks the quality of the final model, an increase in this parameter greatly affects the processing time and use of computer resources. Sharpness, is responsible for smoothing. Reducing this parameter will make the model washed out and hide defects. An increase on the contrary will make a clear model, but defects will become more noticeable.
Closing the holes speaks for itself.
In most situations, standard parameters are sufficient. Here such an elephant as a result turned out with default settings.
You can export the model in several formats - STL, OBJ, PLY and 3MF
For the second test, I tried to scan a smaller object. Here's a cast of teeth printed on an SLA printer.
Dimensions are only 7.5 x 5 x 3 centimeters, that is, almost minimal for this scanner.
Of course, scanning what has already been printed does not make much sense, but it will do for an example. The result was pleasantly surprised, the quality was very good. Detailing on top. The scanner was able to see even the smallest transitions between layers, and printing flaws. Despite the fact that they are quite difficult to see even with the eyes.
It is worth noting that the scanner perceives color changes on the scan object as small changes in the relief. So, for example, there are several light scratches on these teeth. And on the final model, they look like protruding stripes. But all these shortcomings can be corrected without problems with further post-processing, for example, in Meshmixer. Unfortunately, not a single 3D scanner gives an ideal result that does not require post-processing.
Scans for this test took only 10, 8 from one angle, one slightly higher and one slightly lower.
When scanning, especially such small objects, the scanner is very sensitive to vibrations. Roughly speaking, even a printer standing a meter away from it can create sufficient vibrations, which can cause waves to appear on scans. Walking next to the scanner at the time of scanning is generally contraindicated. Despite the fact that the tripod is kind of strong and reliable, the heavy part with a projector and a camera is very sensitive to any vibration. Due to the fact that our specimen does not have a rotary table, it was necessary to turn these teeth during scanning very carefully, without making sudden movements and practically not breathing.
In any case, the result of this test is very decent. Given that it took quite a few scans, they matched automatically without any problems. Glued into the model quickly. In total, this scan took no more than 10-15 minutes.
And the third test I conducted was with a larger part. This is the part of the intake manifold, also printed on an SLA printer, it was not possible to get the real part.
Its width is 34 centimeters, not the maximum for this scanner, but rather large. The part is difficult to scan, has many subtle elements, recesses and holes. It was really difficult to scan it. Despite the fact that the rotary table in this situation would not help. The detail had to be twisted, turned over at different angles, shown to the scanner from all sides. There was no black background of this size, so I had to scan on white. As we already mentioned, you can make the background automatically remove from scans. To do this, you need to scan it without a model at the very beginning. The background is removed, but by no means always in its entirety; small areas remain at a small distance from the model. They can be deleted without problems, but because of this time it takes much longer to scan. When scanning large objects, the accuracy is slightly reduced, since the projector and camera have to be placed at a greater distance and it is no longer possible to accurately capture small elements. But it turned out that after scanning the entire model and obtaining common forms. You can always recalibrate the scanner with a smaller scale of the calibration panel pattern, scan individual sections closer and combine them with previously obtained scans. It was pleasantly surprised that even with such manipulations, all sizes are transmitted correctly and without distortion. Scans obtained after recalibration without problems were combined with the original ones. You can always recalibrate the scanner with a smaller scale of the calibration panel pattern, scan individual sections closer and combine them with previously obtained scans. It was pleasantly surprised that even with such manipulations, all sizes are transmitted correctly and without distortion. Scans obtained after recalibration without problems were combined with the original ones. You can always recalibrate the scanner with a smaller scale of the calibration panel pattern, scan individual sections closer and combine them with previously obtained scans. It was pleasantly surprised that even with such manipulations, all sizes are transmitted correctly and without distortion. Scans obtained after recalibration without problems were combined with the original ones.
The result, of course, was not perfect. But worthy, given the complexity of the details. In some places, it did not work to crawl with a scanner; their program was as complete as it could. It took a lot of time to scan and process, as if not to lie, for a total of 2-2.5 hours.
And finally, I scanned a few more small objects with textures to show you how the scanner can capture colors and patterns. There is nothing special to talk about, scanning them was not difficult. So here are just a few photos.
What can be said as a result. The scanner can hardly be called easy to use. You need to understand the principles of its work and the specifics of use in different situations. Black, transparent and shiny objects must be covered with a matting spray, but this must be done with almost any 3D scanner. The software has great capabilities and performs its functions pretty well. But, as with the scanner itself, it requires certain skills, an understanding of the capabilities and principles of work.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality when scanning small objects and the ability to additionally scan individual detailed areas for larger objects.
With proper dexterity, you can get very high-quality 3D models with this scanner.
Recently, I was able to test a 3D scanner from Hewlett Packard - HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3 at work. Therefore, I decided to share with you my experience in its use. This scanner uses SLS structured light technology. The essence of the technology is that various image templates are projected onto a scan object using a conventional LED-DLP projector. And a camera installed nearby captures the received distorted images. After that, a special program for these distortions evaluates the shape, depth, details of the object and recounts all this data into a three-dimensional image.
By and large, this scanner is not new and is a 3D scanner DAVID SLS-3.
Hewlett Packard bought DAVID with all their developments and now produces this scanner under its brand. The device itself has not undergone almost no changes. The software has changed its appearance, but all the basic functionality has remained the same.
The scanner consists of several components. The projector, oddly enough, Acer K132 with a resolution of 1280x800 and a brightness of 500 lumens. Camera - HP 3D HD Camera Pro 2.3MP. The camera and projector are mounted on a special slider guide. And the camera, in turn, is also fixed to a special swivel mount. A ruler is marked on the slider and there are holes for fixing the projector in different places. The degrees of rotation are marked on the swivel mount of the camera. All this construction is mounted on a tripod Hahnel triad 40 lite.
Also in the kit are all the necessary wires for connecting and a USB flash drive key, it also contains software. For calibration, two glass panels are used with markers of different sizes on both sides. The panels are interconnected by flexible mounts and are installed on special plastic corners. Additionally, for this scanner, you can buy another camera, there is also a turntable. But this instance with one camera and without a table.
The manufacturer promises scanning accuracy up to 50 microns (0.05% of the total size of the object), while the size of the model can be from 6 to 50 centimeters.
Let's move on to preparing the scanner for work. Out of the box, the camera and lens are already mounted on the guide. You just need to mount all this on a tripod using a special mount. The camera is initially mounted to the left of the projector. This option is suitable for scanning objects up to 350mm. In case you need to scan an object larger than 350mm, the camera must be installed to the right of the projector. To do this, unscrew the lamb of the projector and rotate it 180 degrees. After that, unscrew the restrictive bolt from the edge of the guide, unscrew the lamb of the camera mount, remove the camera from the guide, also turn it 180 degrees and fix everything back. The distance from the camera to the projector and the angle of its rotation depends on the size and type of the scanned object, we will configure them before calibration.
Next, you need to connect the projector to the power supply and to the computer using an HDMI cable. The camera connects to the computer with a USB 3.0 wire and is powered by it. We turn on the projector, in the operating system you need to configure it as a second monitor. After that, you need to install the software. You can do this from the flash drive that comes with it, or download it from the HP website. With a full installation, all the necessary drivers will be installed automatically. The projector should show a table with horizontal and vertical lines.
And so, we launch the installed HP 3D Scan program. The recommended system requirements for it are not very large: a dual-core 2GHz processor, 8GB of RAM and an Nvidia or AMD graphics card. But, of course, the more powerful the computer, the faster the processing.
In the first tab, Settings, you need to select the type of scanner, in our case it is HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3. Projector - Acer K132. And turn on the camera, we have this HP 3D 2.3MP Cam PRO. On the right is the exposure setting (or rather the shutter speed), as a rule it should be set to 1/60 so that there is no flickering. And brightness, it’s better to always keep it at maximum.
It is desirable to select objects for scanning without transparent or reflective surfaces. It is also not desirable for the subject to be very dark or black. Black color absorbs light, which is why the projected image is very poorly visible on the camera. If the object does not satisfy these conditions, it is necessary to cover it with a special matting spray. When scanning, on the contrary, it is better to use black, then there will be no need to remove it. If this is not possible, the program can automatically remove the background, but more on that later.
For the first test, I chose a rather complicated object for scanning, such an elephant. It has a complex relief in some places, protruding elements, and also it is quite dark, which complicates the scanning even more.
You need to configure the projector and camera. We set the projector so that the image falls on the entire object and was slightly larger than it. Keep in mind that during the scanning process the object will need to be rotated, and it is desirable that it be highlighted in any position. Now you need to focus the projector, this is done using the adjustment lever at the top of the projector. The intersection point of the center lines of the projected image should be clearly focused on the scan object.
We pass to the camera. The rotation angle is used from 20 to 30 degrees. As a rule, 22 degrees is considered the optimal angle. When scanning large objects or objects with deep holes, it may be necessary to reduce the angle, but with an angle of less than 20 degrees, distortion and interference may appear. For flat objects, it is better to use an angle greater than 22 degrees, up to 30. In our case, the standard 22 degrees are quite suitable. Now you need to set the camera relative to the projector. Weaken the lamb of its mount and move it along the guide, so that the projected image and the scanned object get into the lens.
There are two adjustment rings on the camera lens. Closer to the edge is the focus ring, followed by the aperture. Both rings have locking bolts. The aperture should be set so that the scanned object is not overexposed, but not too dark. So that it shows the projected image.
Focus should be such that the intersection of the center lines is clear. For convenience, you can zoom in the image in the program using the mouse wheel. The fixing bolts must be tightened so that the settings do not go astray.
Now you can calibrate the scanner. On the calibration panels there are 4 blocks of points of different sizes, three on one side and one largest on the other. You need to calibrate the scanner by that block, which is slightly larger in size than the scanned object. For example, for this elephant, the third block, the penultimate in size, should come up. The second block is already too small for him, and the largest is already too large.
We install calibration panels so that the necessary unit is folded inward.
We set the scanner in front of them at a distance corresponding to the distance to the scanned object, the picture from the projector and the image from the camera should be as clear as possible. The frame should contain from 15 to 70 points of the selected block. In the "calibration scaling" field, you need to specify the block size, it is indicated near the vertical line, next to each block. For the third block - this is 120mm. Click on the calibration button. The projector will display several patterns in turn. And if everything was set correctly, a checkered black and white picture like a chessboard will be shown.
After calibration, the entire structure can be moved and the angle of inclination changed, but the camera distance from the projector, its rotation angle and focus cannot be changed. The manufacturer claims that the diaphragm can not be changed either. But empirically, it turned out that when scanning dark objects, sometimes it has to be done. Since if the template is visible on the model, it will be highlighted on the calibration panels. And vice versa, if everything is visible on the panels, the template will be too dark on the model. So this time, for this elephant, the diaphragm had to be ajar during scanning, after calibration.
You can proceed to scanning. In the “template parameters” item, you can select the number of templates that will be projected onto the model in one scan, the more of them, the better the quality of the resulting scan.
There are 4 options: Quality, Default, Speed and Custom. There are quite a few folds and other small elements on the elephant, so for it we select “Quality”, this is 62 templates.
Scanning modes are also 4. Single scan - it may come in handy if you scan an object from one side, for example, to get a relief. Manual sequence of scans - scanning an object several times from different sides, turning it yourself.
Automatic turntable - speaks for itself. And background scan - to use this function, you need to remove the scan object, scan only the background. Then, with further scanning, the program will be able to automatically remove it from all scans. We will rotate the elephant manually on a black background, therefore, it is not necessary to scan the background, and select the mode - manual sequence.
Next, you need to choose how the object moves. Free movement, horizontal turns or a manual rotary table. For this and for most situations, free movement is suitable.
Automatically register texture - with this function, the scanner will record not only the relief, but also the color of the object with textures. Thus, you get a full-color 3D model. This can be useful not only for beauty, but also help the program in the future, when comparing scans. But the scanning and processing time will increase slightly.
Below in the “scan result” field, you can configure smoothing parameters, check the validity of fixed points, filter and delete parts that are smaller than the largest integral part. The manufacturer recommends not changing these parameters unnecessarily. And then you can turn on the checkmark - Delete background. If the background has been previously scanned, it will automatically install.
We proceed directly to the scan. You can manually click on the scan button (or hotkey F5), rotate the object and press the button again. Or you can check the box next to “Automatic next scan”, then the program will count down a few seconds before automatically making the next scan. Moreover, if at this moment you will move the object, the counter will automatically be reset. Thus, the next scan will be done only when the object is stationary.
For this elephant, we will not scan textures and set the next automatic scan so that you do not have to press a button each time. We direct the projector to the object so that the template fully illuminates it. And press the scan button. After each scan, we rotate the model a little, so that the scans have enough common elements for subsequent comparison. And so a full circle. The manufacturer recommends taking 6-8 pictures, but the more pictures there are, the easier it will be for the program to compare scans and the more details it will be possible to fix.
After one whole circle, you can raise the scanner on a tripod, tilt it from top to bottom and scan the object from a different angle to fix horizontal planes that did not fall into the frame.
The same can be done from below. If it is not possible to raise the scanner high or low enough, the object can be turned over by itself.
When scans are made in all possible positions, you can click on the "end sequence" button. The program will automatically try to match all scans to each other. In most cases, scans match well, provided that they have enough common shapes. If any extra fixed elements fall into the camera lens, they may interfere with the comparison. Then, before clicking the “end the sequence” button, you need to go to the “form merging” tab. In the cleaning block, you can select the selection method.
Select extra objects, and delete them by clicking on the button with a cross in the same block, or using the DEL hot key. And after that, return to the scan tab and complete the sequence.
If automatic matching does not work properly, scans can be manually matched in pairs. To do this, select “arbitrary” in the “merging forms” tab in the “alignment” block.
Select two scans with common forms, they will automatically match. In order for not all scans to be displayed on the screen at once, you can click on the eye icon in the list of scans at the top. And click on the same icon next to the desired scans to display them.
If such a comparison did not work, you can check the "select contact pair" checkbox.
This will make it possible to manually mark on each scan the same elements by which the program will navigate. You can enable “use texture” if scanning was performed with textures. As well as “use surface elements”, this will also improve the matching, but also increase the processing time. Already combined scans can be combined into groups, then when combined with the next scan, the program will use the group as one single scan.
After such a manual comparison, you need to select the alignment "global high-precision alignment." The program will accurately and accurately adjust the scans aligned to this. Before high-precision alignment, scans combined into groups are preferably divided back.
If some areas of the scanned object are not visible on the scans, you can always make a few more scans from the right sides.
As a result, about 30 scans were made for this elephant from different sides, above and below. But you need to consider that this object is quite complex and dark. The camera was far from always able to see and evenly fix the surfaces. But as a result, it turned out to collect a whole elephant from the scans. The scan took about 20 minutes.
At this stage, it is a cloud of points. Now you can assemble it into a full-fledged 3D model - mesh. To do this, use the "merge" block. There are 3 parameters, resolution, sharpness and close the holes. Resolution marks the quality of the final model, an increase in this parameter greatly affects the processing time and use of computer resources. Sharpness, is responsible for smoothing. Reducing this parameter will make the model washed out and hide defects. An increase on the contrary will make a clear model, but defects will become more noticeable.
Closing the holes speaks for itself.
In most situations, standard parameters are sufficient. Here such an elephant as a result turned out with default settings.
You can export the model in several formats - STL, OBJ, PLY and 3MF
For the second test, I tried to scan a smaller object. Here's a cast of teeth printed on an SLA printer.
Dimensions are only 7.5 x 5 x 3 centimeters, that is, almost minimal for this scanner.
Of course, scanning what has already been printed does not make much sense, but it will do for an example. The result was pleasantly surprised, the quality was very good. Detailing on top. The scanner was able to see even the smallest transitions between layers, and printing flaws. Despite the fact that they are quite difficult to see even with the eyes.
It is worth noting that the scanner perceives color changes on the scan object as small changes in the relief. So, for example, there are several light scratches on these teeth. And on the final model, they look like protruding stripes. But all these shortcomings can be corrected without problems with further post-processing, for example, in Meshmixer. Unfortunately, not a single 3D scanner gives an ideal result that does not require post-processing.
Scans for this test took only 10, 8 from one angle, one slightly higher and one slightly lower.
When scanning, especially such small objects, the scanner is very sensitive to vibrations. Roughly speaking, even a printer standing a meter away from it can create sufficient vibrations, which can cause waves to appear on scans. Walking next to the scanner at the time of scanning is generally contraindicated. Despite the fact that the tripod is kind of strong and reliable, the heavy part with a projector and a camera is very sensitive to any vibration. Due to the fact that our specimen does not have a rotary table, it was necessary to turn these teeth during scanning very carefully, without making sudden movements and practically not breathing.
In any case, the result of this test is very decent. Given that it took quite a few scans, they matched automatically without any problems. Glued into the model quickly. In total, this scan took no more than 10-15 minutes.
And the third test I conducted was with a larger part. This is the part of the intake manifold, also printed on an SLA printer, it was not possible to get the real part.
Its width is 34 centimeters, not the maximum for this scanner, but rather large. The part is difficult to scan, has many subtle elements, recesses and holes. It was really difficult to scan it. Despite the fact that the rotary table in this situation would not help. The detail had to be twisted, turned over at different angles, shown to the scanner from all sides. There was no black background of this size, so I had to scan on white. As we already mentioned, you can make the background automatically remove from scans. To do this, you need to scan it without a model at the very beginning. The background is removed, but by no means always in its entirety; small areas remain at a small distance from the model. They can be deleted without problems, but because of this time it takes much longer to scan. When scanning large objects, the accuracy is slightly reduced, since the projector and camera have to be placed at a greater distance and it is no longer possible to accurately capture small elements. But it turned out that after scanning the entire model and obtaining common forms. You can always recalibrate the scanner with a smaller scale of the calibration panel pattern, scan individual sections closer and combine them with previously obtained scans. It was pleasantly surprised that even with such manipulations, all sizes are transmitted correctly and without distortion. Scans obtained after recalibration without problems were combined with the original ones. You can always recalibrate the scanner with a smaller scale of the calibration panel pattern, scan individual sections closer and combine them with previously obtained scans. It was pleasantly surprised that even with such manipulations, all sizes are transmitted correctly and without distortion. Scans obtained after recalibration without problems were combined with the original ones. You can always recalibrate the scanner with a smaller scale of the calibration panel pattern, scan individual sections closer and combine them with previously obtained scans. It was pleasantly surprised that even with such manipulations, all sizes are transmitted correctly and without distortion. Scans obtained after recalibration without problems were combined with the original ones.
The result, of course, was not perfect. But worthy, given the complexity of the details. In some places, it did not work to crawl with a scanner; their program was as complete as it could. It took a lot of time to scan and process, as if not to lie, for a total of 2-2.5 hours.
And finally, I scanned a few more small objects with textures to show you how the scanner can capture colors and patterns. There is nothing special to talk about, scanning them was not difficult. So here are just a few photos.
What can be said as a result. The scanner can hardly be called easy to use. You need to understand the principles of its work and the specifics of use in different situations. Black, transparent and shiny objects must be covered with a matting spray, but this must be done with almost any 3D scanner. The software has great capabilities and performs its functions pretty well. But, as with the scanner itself, it requires certain skills, an understanding of the capabilities and principles of work.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality when scanning small objects and the ability to additionally scan individual detailed areas for larger objects.
With proper dexterity, you can get very high-quality 3D models with this scanner.