Connect On The Go Or In The Office With A Desktop 3D Scanner

Our portable 3D scanners will interface with virtually any desktop or laptop computer that uses a USB port and you will be amazed at the results your business is likely to see. Why not increase your sales? Why not become more efficient? Having 3D laser scanning technology at your fingertips is a great way to keep your business strong and avoid the pitfalls that many so often encounter when running a business. Adopting the latest technology is great and our affordable desktop 3d scanners are a great way to make sure you have the technology that is needed to keep your business at the top of its game.

Get in touch with us as soon as you can to find out what our custom options are or if you need training on your latest 3D scanners purchase. We are friendly and easy to work with. It’s in our nature to take care of you and make sure that your 3D scanner works the best that it can for your business!

5: 3d scanners assisted in the renovation of several important historical statues in Italy. A team from Stanford scanned Michaelangelo’s statues, and the data gleaned was extremely important in these statues renovations. The David was the most notable statue scanned.

4: It is much easier to scan a real world object than to build the model from scratch. Making a model more lifelike without data to compare it to is extremely difficult. A 3d scanner can make this process go much faster.

3: There are several different forms of 3d scanners. Some use triangulation, others use lasers. All function in the same basic format though; by storing points along the surface of the object as data sets. The only thing that differs is how those data points are made.

2: 3d scanners make computer generated images much more real and lifelike. You have probably seen poorly done CGI, and this is probably due to the fact that these images were created from scratch. With data from real world objects, the 3d model looks much more lifelike. One of the most popular recent films that have used 3d scanners to create CGI is Avatar.

1: The average price of 3d scanners is decreasing, while the quality of the scanner itself is increasing. As this technology becomes more commonplace this trend will continue. Expect to see more affordable and sophisticated versions of the 3d scanner in the near future. As with any new technology, continued innovation will make it a part of lives more and more every day.

Supplying 3D Scanners to High Demand Clients

So what are you supposed to do about it? You need to look at getting your next 3d scanner from 3ddigitalcorp. We specialize in getting you the 3d scanner for your unique purposes. Whether you need a scanner for medical reasons or you are a contractor needing to use technology for your buildings, we can help set you up with the right tools at the right prices. Our client base is wide and varied; from dentists to the entertainment industry, and even the US Army, if you need a 3d scanner, we can help you get what you need.

There is no reason to settle for an inferior 3d scanner. This technology has made amazing strides in the past decade, and you can get a high quality 3d scanner for a relatively low price if you act quickly. Don’t settle for less! You can even set up a live demonstration to see what our 3d scanners can do when you contact us. The highest quality scanners are only moments away at our website; contact us today to find out what all we can do for you.

Standard two-dimensional X-rays are far from sufficient to the task, due to problems such as distortion, magnification, and overlap of anatomical features. CBCT data allows the practitioner to visualize the quantity of hard tissue as well as avoid such anatomical sites as nerves and sinus passages. Acquisition data is imported into third-party software (such as SimPlant) where dental implant planning and placement can be accomplished before the clinical procedure. The optical scan of the patient’s mouth (dental cast model) is registered for placement of virtual teeth. In addition, a 3D laser scan of patient cast models aids in proper registration of the cast model and ordering of a surgical guide. 

Optically scanning the patient cast model became the opportunity for referring practitioners to significantly increase their use of the dental implant guided software. After researching the optical scanners available, there were low-priced, very affordable units that were not up to the task, and there were models that would do the job but their price was in the range of $40,000. The 3D Digital eScan was the one affordable scanner with the power and precision required.

When ordering my eScan, I explained to 3D Digital the application required and was told that a jig could be designed and built, then shipped with the scanner for our custom use. Once the user becomes familiar with the scanning process and deploys bundled software to optimize STL files, successful results are achieved. Surgical guides fabricated from this process fit perfectly, with the clinical result being positive patient outcomes.

W. Bruce Howerton, Jr.  DDS MS
Oral and Maxillofacial Radiologist

04-29-2011                                                                                                                            The field of three-dimensional laser scanning and my field, known as “haptics,” are both fairly new on the scene. I was originally an artist—a sculptor-engraver, primarily in glass—until I was struck by a car while walking in 1986 and injured extensively. My career to that point had been a successful one, including purchase of my work by such well-regarded collections as the Corning Museum of Glass in New York and the Pilkington Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Physically unable to continue in my chosen field conventionally, I attempted to use computers for the artistic act of forming shapes and creating three-dimensional effects to engage the senses. One sense that could not be engaged via computer-screen programs was touch, and that omission spoiled the enjoyment of 3D digital sculpture for me. It also got me interested and involved in the field of haptics. That interest led me on a winding path to a research fellowship at Birmingham City University, where I now work.

Human haptics is the study of the human end of touch and bodily perception and machine haptics is tactile feedback technology. Via a computer, a haptic system can simulate touch sensation through forces, vibrations, and the like. One excellent application for it involves museum objects—a Classical bust, a tapestry, a carved ivory piece—that blind visitors to the museum cannot experience in any way. These visitors lack a sense of sight, and museum rules forbid touching the objects. With haptic technology, we are able to create a virtual tactile experience of that object.

This is where 3D laser scanning comes in. We use the scanner to produce a historical artifact, for example, a scan of an ivory box. We then fiddle with the file to make it “feelable.” The effect is fairly jaw-dropping when you first experience it. You are looking at a screen that shows an object in three dimensions that does not strictly speaking exist, yet you can feel its contours and tactile details.

This work depends on 3D digital scanning, which when I first investigated it, was a difficult product area to navigate. I suppose to some extent it still is. The 3D Digital scanner was the first unit our laboratory bought, but over a year of research came first. Mostly that was me, traveling to trade shows and exhibitions. Our need was for a scanning system with flexibility of setup and powerful software. Eventually we would be wishing to produce every object as surface geometry with an accurate visual overlay—a camera image. That’s our common practice, and it works well. I was reassured to see that 3D Digital’s product had such capability and ease of use for such a reasonable, affordable price. It takes some user sophistication to get the most out of 3DD’s SLIM software, but the results are well worth it.

One project we would like to tackle involves cane navigation for the blind. When you see a blind person moving confidently through a city environment using a special cane, that is the result of lengthy, specialized training. There is a long waiting list to receive that training. Haptic technology is the only way to computer-simulate the environment, but it would have to be done quite flawlessly, or the user would be put at risk. But that’s an example of what’s going on in fields like 3D laser scanning and haptic technology—wonderful new uses and applications are occurring to people all the time.

David Prytherch
Senior Research Fellow in Haptics and
Human Computer Interaction
Birmingham City University
Birmingham, UK

In my field of industrial physics and medical instrumentation we became aware of 3D scanning’s potential about four years ago. Other researchers were discussing three-dimensional scanning on the Internet and at research seminars.

As a professor at King Mongkut University of Technology, in North Bangkok, I am responsible for keeping our research facilities current with the standards of the field.
When I went looking for 3D scanning technology, I found it necessary to investigate many different sources and products. A variety of companies in Thailand were selling 3D scanners, and I studied the market carefully. One of the products I looked into was the 3D scanning system from Minolta. I was not sold on its capabilities.

The EScan unit and software from 3D Digital Corp came to my attention via the company website. Based on the information I found there I decided to purchase the EScan, even though I had no chance to see the scanner and test it before I bought it. The EScan was well-priced and affordable, and the company stressed its reputation for service and assistance. That service and support has been reliably provided by 3D Digital Corp. I am certainly pleased with the choice of scanner company I made.

Having received helpful guidance from 3D Digital throughout installation and setup of the EScan, the first object I scanned was a rubber figure of the human body, a replica. My scan of this object worked well and I was able to capture the data I needed. In later experiments I have successfully scanned my own hand and also the face of a student.

With this data captured digitally, we are able to create a parametric profile, or a complete study of the landmarks of the face. This has potential for both security applications and medical study and treatment, as well. We are continuing to use our EScan 3D scanner for research of this type and others, deploying it on a monthly basis at least. Here at the university and in joint projects with our partners, including corporations and the University of Virginia, in the U.S., we expect to advance our studies very successfully with the help of 3D scanning technology.

We have repeated these experiments many times, and we are devising other projects that will call upon our 3D scanning capabilities. We use the EScan quite frequently.

Many factors come into play during 3D Scanning that are important to consider when shopping for one to meet your needs. Field of view and depth of field capabilities signify how wide of a range as well as how large of an object or field can be accurately scanned with the 3D Scanner. Resolution and accuracy requirements also vary depending on what you will be scanning and what your use will be for the obtained image.

3D Scanning Products

3D Digital Corporation offers a variety of high-quality, affordable 3D Scanning products with features to make them suitable for your particular needs. Our knowledgeable customer service and technical support teams can help you decide which system is best suited for your needs and can answer any questions you may have about our easy to use, light-weight, USB enabled line of Optix and Escan scanners and software. 3DD also has the ability to build customized 3D Scanning equipment for those who have very precise specification requirements.

3D Scanning Uses

The potential uses for 3D Scanning are endless. 3D replicas of precious artifacts, national monuments, and even unborn children are very real and possible applications. Rapid manufacturing and inspection of products are resulting in higher quality products with lower production costs. Medical and Dental advances have also been numerous with the introduction of 3D Scanning technology, and will only continue to excel. The sky is the limit when it comes to the benefits of 3D Scanning. We can’t wait to see what the future will bring!

In addition to using our scanner software and SLIM (3D-Shape Gmbh) to manage the data one can also import the fore mentioned file formats into different 3D modeling programs such as Solidworks, PolyWorks (InnovMetric), Geomegic Studio (Raindrop), Leios Studio and Leios Mesh, and RapidForm (INUS) to name a few in order to manipulate, build from, create assemblies, set cutting planes for cross-section profiles, height coded false color displays, measure or simply view each data sets.

» Back to overview of 3D scanner technology.

For 25 years our interior-design company, Anthony Chao, has specialized in silk-fabric products. From our origins in California we have built a primary presence in China over the last five years, establishing four Shanghai locations.

About two years ago we decided to expand from fabric-based pieces into custom furniture reproductions. That decision brought us into a product area that is much more “3D” than the fabric operation. Our core products—bedding, drapery, upholstery, even hand-painted wallpaper—are a challenge to produce at the highest standards, but furniture poses very different challenges.

It was because we knew the potential of 3D scanning that we even considered furniture production. We understood that 3D scanning’s reverse-engineering capabilities would enable us to create reproductions at super-high quality. We only needed to find a scanner unit and software that performed properly and reliably.

After studying many scanners from a variety of manufacturers we made the right choice choosing EScan from 3D Digital Corp. Training was of course highly important—we accomplished this through online video conferencing with Satish at 3D Digital headquarters. He was very helpful in building our understanding of how the product works. Since Satish was new at scanning furniture we both faced a bit of a learning curve. Initially we ran into a few issues getting enough detail out of the scans and then piecing them together. But after some trial-and-error we had our staff well skilled in a working system for large and small items.

The EScan, versus competing products, has been the simplest to use, superior in user-friendliness to other units on the market. One competitor’s model that we demo’d required the application of an immense number of paper adhesive dots, which take hours to put in place and are difficult to remove. Compared to other scanners we looked at, the eScan was able to get the job done relatively easily.

Using eScan, even large objects like full-size sofas can be captured using some tape and black markers to create recognizable surface points. Each of the scans we took merged effectively, creating a CAD file that locked in very intricate and beautiful carving of the original piece.

If at any time we ran into problems or issues, Satish would do some problem-solving and think of new ways to capture the scans and merge them accurately.
After a software upgrade the processing speed time was reduced significantly.

I look forward to continuing our valuable work with the EScan system and producing furniture pieces that continually please our highly discerning clientele.

Lyman Chao
Anthony Chao
Shanghai, China

Advancements With 3d Face Scanners

In the 1800’s and even into the 1900’s when someone would die the tradition was to make a death mask, this would then be used to replicate what the person looked like and make sculptures or bust sculpts of the deceased. The 3d face scanner has filled the gap of this eerie practice and now people can be remembered in 3d or it they want to have a sculpture made a CAD program can carve it with precise accuracy. Some practical uses of a 3d face scanner can apply to forensic sciences and the identification of unknown persons. A scan of a face can offer insight into a crime investigation for years to come.

Although a 3d face scanner is a neat thing 3d scanners were developed for engineering purposes and have proved their value time and time again. Many of our customers report that they make enough money on the first job to pay for the cost of the scanner. Reverse engineering a part with precision has become a simple process with 3d laser scanners. Contact 3D Digital Corp. for more information about 3d scanner models and pricing.