u/ArthurNYC3D

Now that the bottom is catching up to the top, much like what happened with 3D Printing over the past 20 years, "inexpensive" 3D Scanners are all the rave. They're accessible which is amazing considering that just 10 years ago anything below $10K would have been laughable.

So now a days we have waaaaaaay more people getting access to this technology and users from all walks of life are trying to scan something. Of course there is the initial "Wow I'm 3D Scanning!!" All with varying degrees of success. Expectations are adjusting in real time in both positive and negative ways.

At the heart of this is the results that any given 3D Scanner mesh gives which is where the post is going.... There's still a huge difference between a $5K and $100K 3D Scanner in many different levels.... BUT the real questions that are coming up is... Is the $5K Scanner enough? Which now falls into a level of subjectivity.

One 3D Scanner's output in another Scanner's garbage....but how would "you" know if that's all you used? This isn't as much a knock against the lower end 3D Scanners as much as there is a lack of comparison because very few users have both ends of the spectrum. There are situations where scanning a car is mission critical and other areas where a user can only start with what they can afford.

When is it ok for a user to say that the inexpensive 3D Scanner is ok when they've never tired a high end hardware/software solution and vice versa? Is there a need for an independent standards that isn't just about metrology or not but about the full range of a 3D Scanners and what they can or not able to do?

Many of these OEM stretch the truth out so much in terms of capability that it leaves a really bad taste in a users mouth that it turns them away entirely.

Thoughts.... Comments?!?

It is as much art as it is science when it comes to getting 3D Scanned data, meshes and/or point clouds, and converting into something CAD software's can work with. In an ideal world it would be great if these OEM's that make these CAD apps would steps their game up when it comes to working with mesh data but they're all over the map in terns of capabilities and, at best, offer various baseline at best for a whole host of reasons.

This isn't to say that CAD apps can't be used for this process and it also highly dependent on what level needs to be achieved for a project.

Especially since more and more people are getting into 3D Scanning not necessarily thinking about the other side of the equation.... "what to do with and work with the data in post"?!?

Process.... is what I'm driving at here.... This is and isn't about any specific software as much as it is about the methods used and techniques used towards achieving "the best" results. In a idea world this process can be done in one software where it can:

• Handle large Mesh/Point Clouds. Sure they can be decimated but this can introduce as various levels of inaccuracies and/or loss of details.
• Has mesh to BREP analysis tools that allow for the geometry to be analyzed while going through the process.
• Create Geometries based on of mesh selection. (i.e. Planes, Cylinders...etc).
• Cross Section conversion to 2D/3D Sketches. This is probably one of best methods towards maintaining and achieving as close to as possible, Reverse Engineering and getting "As Built" vs "Design - Intent".

Part of the reason why I'm writing this post is that I came across a really great tutorial that really explains some differences in the overall approach as well as a few different methods. Again this is not about the software so don't come for the post starting with price... etc. See what is possible and then apply it towards your knowledge base....