We’ve seen more than a few startups cook up their own impressive 3D scanners — there’s Makerbot and its Digitizer, and dark horse Occipital with its mobile Structure sensor just to name a few — but one of the oldest and biggest names in 3D printers is clearly itching to get in the game too. South Carolina-based 3D Systems just recently outed a cheapish, consumer-friendly scanner called the Sense, and I swung by Engadget’s Expand show in New York this weekend to see the thing in action.
Here’s the TL;DR if you’re on a tight schedule: at $399 price is right and I came away awfully impressed with the little thing. And I do mean little, as 3D Systems concocted a portable affair that’s about the size of a small hardback or staple gun. Thanks to a plastic chassis it’s not much heavier either, which only makes sense given how you’re actually supposed to use it.
You see, while more buzzy players in the space like Makerbot have opted to run with a restrictive turntable design, the Sense is meant to be clutched firmly in your hand as opposed to be passively propped up on a desk. Once the companion software is installed on a connected computer, all that’s left is to just stand around your subject and slowly wave the Sense around until you’ve captured everything you wanted to. And thanks to that persistent tether to a PC, users can monitor a real-time visual representation of the scan in progress.
So yes, it’s handy. Naturally that wouldn’t make a lick of difference if the Sense didn’t deliver on its promise, but it certainly seems to get the job done with aplomb. If you’ve seen a 3D scanner in action before, then you’ve probably a got a pretty firm grasp on how these things work: a camera and an infrared sensor capture both an objects visual and geometric features and converts them into a 3D model. Thanks to a sensor array sourced from the folks at Primesense, the Sense is capable of scanning objects that measure up to 10ft by 10ft — at long last you can craft a digital representation of that lovingly battered couch in your basement.
And how do the resulting scans look? That all really comes down to you. The scanning process rewards slow, methodical motions over swish-and-flick Wingardium Leviosa antics and being a little too hasty with your hands only heightens the risk of introducing faults and aberrations to the mix. Thankfully, the software that ships with the Sense is smart enough to smooth over some of those minor issues as they crop up, and it only takes a few clicks to take that model and solidify it into a structure suitable for printing.
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3D Scanner
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Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
3D Scanner
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Go deeper with Bing News on:
3D Scanning
- Groundbreaking 3D brain scan generated 1.4 petabytes of data from millimeter-sized sample
The process began with a surgically removed sample of brain tissue taken from a woman with epilepsy during brain surgery meant to help control her seizures.
- OSU 3D scanning project aims to preserve Silver Falls
Amid an increasing threat of wildfires, researchers at Oregon State University are using 3D scans to create a digital map of historical structures at Silver Falls State Park in an effort to preserve ...
- Oregon State University 3D scanning project aims to preserve Silver Falls
Amid an increasing threat of wildfires, researchers at Oregon State University are using 3D scans to create a digital map of historical structures at Silver Falls State Park in an effort to preserve ...
- 3D Scanner Matterport Sold For $1.6 Billion, Lamini AI Raises $25 Million, Neurable $13 Million, Freepik Acquires Magnific AI
M&A activity in AI and XR drove the news this week. Sandbox VR adds 25 more locations, and Niantic tries MR for the first time.
- Windows 11’s screenshot tool is getting QR code scanning and emoji support
Microsoft is finally adding an easy way to use QR codes inside Windows 11’s built-in Snipping Tool. A new update has started rolling out to Windows Insider testers today that will automatically detect ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
3D Scanning
[google_news title=”” keyword=”3D Scanning” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]