Ten best 3D scanners from 100 to 100 000 dollars

Do you need a 3D model for 3D printing? There are several ways for you: you can of course create your own 3D model from scratch in a 3D modeling program or find a suitable one on the Internet, but you can also scan an existing object! The purpose of this review is to help you understand the diversity of existing 3D scanners and offer the best in every price segment from a photogrammetric smartphone application to professional 3D scanners.

The scanners go in ascending order so that you can choose the right one within your budget and use the resulting 3D models for both 3D printing and animation.

If you do not have enough of the proposed solutions for this link there is an extended overview .

3D scanner in hand:

1. The best smartphone app: Autodesk 123D Catch (free)

Autodesk 123D Catch is a free photogrammetric application. It allows you to create a 3D model from photographs of an object taken from different sides. You can use it to scan objects, people and even the landscape. For some applications, if you do not need perfect accuracy, you do not need special equipment. This application actually provides quite good detailing and is easy to use. However, you will need at least 30 minutes until the application processes your photos, since processing takes place on the server and it takes time to send them.

2. The best 3D do-it-yourself scanner: Kinect ($ 99.99)

Xbox Kinect is designed to expand gaming opportunities. It is not intended for 3D scanning, but you can easily find manuals and third-party software (for example, ReconstructMe ) to turn it into a 3D scanner. If your arms grow from your shoulders, this is an interesting and inexpensive solution for 3D scanning.

Price: $ 99.99

Resolution: 0.051 mm

3. Best 3D Scanning Accessory for Mobile Device: Occipital Structure Sensor ($ 379)

This scanner can be connected to your tablet or phone (in general, it is designed for the iPad, but can be adapted to other devices). Easy and easy to use, it has a very good resolution. Suitable for large items (you can scan a person in full growth) and scan on the street. You can use it with software running on Occipital's SDK. This will increase the resolution and give access to special features like scanning the room. This will probably not be what you will use for 3D printing, but it is interesting for game development, for example.

Price: $ 379

Resolution up to: 0.5 mm

Accuracy up to: 4 mm

4. Best of cheap 3D handheld scanners: Cubify ($ 399)

3D scanners can be quite affordable and easy to use if you choose from low-cost portable models. Cubify fits these criteria very well and has a relatively good resolution. Still, its capabilities are not enough for scanning textures and it is better to use it for subsequent 3D printing of single-color models.

Price: $ 399

Resolution: 0.9 mm

Depth resolution at 0.5 m distance: 1 mm

3D scanner on the table:

5. The best and cheapest desktop 3D scanner: Matter and Form ($ 519)

If you are planning to upgrade to a new level of quality, you can purchase a desktop 3D scanner. This model is compact, easy to use, and provides a good resolution, especially considering the price (this is not your option if you strive for perfection, but it is perfect for educational and demonstration purposes). The scanning process takes place with a laser and a rotating platform. Scanning takes about five minutes and simultaneously reads the texture of the object.

Price: $ 519

Resolution: 0.43 mm

Accuracy: ± 0.25 mm

6. The best device "two in one": XYZprinting Da Vinci 1.0 ($ 600)

This inexpensive device combines a 3D scanner and a 3D printer. The quality of the models is not too high, but the price is very low for such a combined device. This makes XYZprinting Da Vinci the easiest solution for a beginner who wants to join the world of 3D scanning-printing.

Professional 3D scanners:

7. Best value for money for a portable 3D scanner: Fuel3D Scanify ($ 1,490)

Very easy to use, intuitive, well in the hand - this scanner provides good accuracy and quality of textures. The only restriction is that the size of the scanned area is limited, which is great for small items, but it will not work for scanning for example a person in full height.

Price: $ 1490

Resolution: 0.35 mm

Accuracy: up to 0.3 mm

8. Best price / quality for a desktop 3D scanner: DAVID Laserscanner - SLS3 ($ 3995)

This scanner uses a different scanning technology. Instead of a two-laser scanning system, a source of structured light and a camera are used here for fast scanning with very high details up to 0.06 mm! The scanner comes with DAVID Pro Edition 3 software that works with OBJ, STL and PLY formats of 3D files that can be exported to other programs for further editing.

Price: $ 3995

Resolution: 0.06 mm

Accuracy: 0.5% of object size

9. Best Desktop Professional 3D Scanner: Solutionix Rexcan 4 ($ 79,900 )

This is a professional 3D scanner and its price provides a much better scan quality. Solutionix Rexcan is equipped with two cameras for greater accuracy. It uses optical phase shift triangulation technology and two high-resolution CCD cameras for high-precision data. The scanner can be used to scan large objects by improving performance using a photogrammetric system. As an option, it can be equipped with an automatically rotating platform capable of supporting up to 50 kg of weight.

Price: $ 79,900

Accuracy: 0.03 to 0.71 mm

10. The best professional handheld 3D scanner: MetraSCAN 750 ($ 50,000 - $ 100,000)

Creaform MetraSCAN 750 is a complete professional, production solution for accurate 3D scanning. It is light, precise, fast, and scans with great precision objects with any surface quality, with any texture.

Price: $ 79,900

Resolution: 0.050 mm

Accuracy: Up to 0.03 mm

We hope this was a useful reading and you have found a solution for 3D scanning that suits your needs and your financial capabilities! If you want to learn more about photogrammetry, you can read this article .

Good luck to you 3D scanning!