Getting Started with 3D Scanning

I've put together a quick jump start to 3D scanning.  

  1. You should have a basic technical understanding of 3D scanning 
  2. See what is possible with a 3D scanner
  3. Check out Simple3D - somewhat comprehensive list of existing 3d scanners

Then, Decide what you want to do with your 3D Scanner

  • Manufacturing (CAD Design)- You probably need a relatively high accuracy 3D scanner.  There are literally hundreds of 3D scanners aimed at the manufacturing (CAD Design) market.  Check out Konica-Minolta, Faro, Hexagon Metrology, and GOM for starters.
  • Movies, Games, & Entertainment - Accuracy is probably less important here.  You are probably more interested in capturing the shape and texture of objects.  Check out XYZRGB or Cyberware.
  • Quality Inspection - High accuracy is critical here, check out LDI, Faro, Hexagon Metrology, Nikon Metrology.
  • Medical / Dental - I'm co-founder of a company called ShapeStart and we're focused on developing 3D scanning products for application specific markets such as Medical and Dental.  For another example check out the Cadent iTero.
  • Just getting Started - You can build your own using David starter kit or several other DIY 3D scanners on instructables.com.  There are also lower priced 3D scanning solutions from NextEngine and Microscribe.