With a successful Kickstarter success story under it’s belt, Fuel3D has just shipped its first round of orders to its loyal backers – all UK backers have now received their scanners. Now the company are at the 2015 International CES showing just what their product can do with a 3D scanning demo – the SCANIFY Selfie - so naturally I went along to try it.
SCANIFY is a handheld point and shoot 3D scanner that provides high-resolution full colour scans in just seconds. Mimicking the functionality of a 2D camera, the device is simple to use with two camera points and three flashes. In the same way that the human eye uses light to see textures and colours, the scanner uses light to capture an image in the same way your eye would.
The scan takes barely a second with a high-resolution accuracy down to 350 microns and is designed to capture high-texture surfaces in full colour for 3D models and 3D printing.
To begin I had to place a ‘target’ below my face which works as a range finder to gage the correct proximity to the camera.
What seemed like one flash was actually three flashes which took six photos in a tenth of a second capturing every tiny detail and texture by fusing two types of 3D imaging - stereoscopic and photometric data.
What you can capture with the scanner is actually what your eyes capture. If you want a 360 image you can take a few images and merge them together. The images will automatically align and can be told to work harder until correctly readjusted.
I made a face to start with then realised I looked like a convict so I opted to take another which thanks to the fast scan time wasn’t much of a problem. It actually only takes about 20 seconds to process a scan.
One of the key benefits of this scanner is that it is lightweight and portable. Users can take SCANIFY with them to produce images on the go.
At $1,500 the scanner is aimed at customers who already have a 3D printer but want an accessible way of producing 3D scans with simple tools. The scanners are available to order and will start to ship this April.
WATCH: Fuel3D demonstrate the SCANIFY hi-resolution portable 3D scanning system at CES.
