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MakerBot Digitizer
First shot of MakerBot's Scanner
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MakerBot Digitizer
Well it is finally here, we got a sneak preview last week but the MakerBot Digitizer is finally here.
Priced at $1,400 the Digitizer has a two-click function that scans an object and prints it out on a Replicator 2. Meaning you can now scan and print without having to tidy up post-scan in messy 3D modelling software.
“Behind the two-click simplicity is a powerful and complex reconstruction process. MakerWare for Digitizer contains an algorithm that connects hundreds of thousands of points into a seamless digital mesh in just seconds. There’s no patching, stitching, or repairing required, so you can skip straight to your creative process. We’ve worked hard to create software that saves you time.”
MakerBot believe that the Digitizer will be the access point to those who want to 3D print without having any prior knowledge of 3D modeling. Simply scan and print, you can even upload your models directly from the scanner to Thingiverse.
The FAQ that have just been :released make for interesting reading now only does it give specifications for the scanner “The MakerBot Digitizer captures enough points to create about 200,000 triangles for each new 3D model. It can capture details as small as 0.5 mm, and surface depth as shallow as 0.5 mm. The dimensional accuracy of the MakerBot Digitizer’s is ± 2 mm, meaning that when you scan an object, the dimensions of your 3D model will be within 2 mm of your original object.”
Our favourite FAQ by far is this though:
[Q] Who is the MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner not for?
[A] Expectations should be realistic. You will not be able to, for example, scan a hamburger and then eat the digital design. Expectations for precision should be realistic, too. The MakerBot Digitizer is not ideal for engineers who require very high precision scanning. If you need a realistic reproduction of the tiny features on an insect’s body, the MakerBot Digitizer is not the tool for you.
So there we have it the product everyone has been waiting for, the scanner does send out a watertight STL so it could be used with other 3D printers but the quality is not quite perfect. What do you think?
