When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. These 3D printer scanner combos offer almost limitless versatility.ģDSourced is reader-supported. Large objects can be scanned using handheld 3D scanners and moved around the object’s dimensions, and then sized down and 3D printed as a scale model. Simply use the 3D scanning camera to create a digital model of your object, and then 3D print the scan.

We also have a ranking of the best photogrammetry softwareģD scanners are often used to create 3D printable models, with 3D scanner and 3D printer setups allowing you to replicate almost anything in front of you.

They can both quickly create digitized versions of objects, and scan existing objects to act as quality control for whether they are perfectly precise or if they need to be fixed in a future iteration. This involves taking a large number of individual photos of a stationary object, each at slightly different angles, and then collating them together to create an accurate 3D model.ģD scanning makes for far more efficient 3D fabricating and iterating. Other forms of 3D scanning include photogrammetry. Millions of individual data points make up the larger 3D measurement, which can then be imported into 3D CAD software to edit and optimize the CAD model.ģD scanning includes several different technologies, such as Structured Light scanning and Laser Triangulation, as well as varying across types of scanner such as stationary and handheld 3D scanners.

We also have a guide to the best 3D scanning apps for your smartphone.ģD scanners create point clouds based on images taken of a solid surface or object - basically huge numbers of data points that denote where an object is - to create a 3D model of the scanned part.

We have also ranked the best DIY 3D scanners.

We grouped the scanners by price range: cheap 3D scanners under $1,000 medium-priced 3D scanners under $10,000 and industrial 3D scanners over $10,000.īut before we get into the best scanners, here’s a quick intro to how 3D scanners work: To rank the best 3D scanners, we used criteria such as scan quality and price-performance ratio, ease of use, versatility, and more.

Sometimes called 3D laser scanners, 3D model scanners or 3D object scanners, 3D scanners are integral for rapid prototyping and other forms of 3D printing, for saving historical artifacts as digital models, and have extensive uses in dentistry for creating perfect-fitting implants and dental models.įirst developed and used only for industrial applications, now you can pick up powerful low-cost 3D scanners for just a few hundred dollars, and if you’re content with low-quality basic scans, you can even use your phone!

By projecting lasers or structured light, these scanners create entire 3D digitized models of physical objects in just seconds! 3D scanners are changing how we make, design, and see the world.

Solidworks with kinect