Competition

There are a number of competitors in the 3D scanning field, however we found none that do what we are trying to do, with the method we are trying to do it.

MakerBot 3D Scanner ($799)

This baseline 3d scanner performs many of the tasks we are looking to implement in our scanner. Notably, it does not collect any color data from the item being scanned. Also, it relies on a software package to be installed on the computer it is connected to in order to make sense of its data.

Matter and Form's 3D Scanner ($600)

This is a cheaper alternative to the MakerBot scanner, and according to reviews it performs comparably. It relies on the same line laser scanning techniques as the MakerBot, and has the same shortcomings mentioned for the MakerBot, just at a slightly lower price. According to reviews it sometimes suffers from background noise if it is not placed with a solid color backdrop.

Fuel3D Scanify 3D Handheld Scanner(~$1000)

At a slightly higher price-point than the MakerBot, this scanner has the ability to perform high accuracy scans under optimal conditions. It is handheld and relies on stereoscopic imaging to map each angle of an object. It can scan an object from one angle in approximately .1 seconds. It has trouble scanning uniform color objects, objects with sharp corners, and any object which has obscured features from a single angle. This scanner fills a slightly different product niche than our 3D scanner would, being handheld and relying on stereoscopic imaging rather than laser triangulation. It is able to capture color information about a scanned object, like we hope our scanner will.

LMI Technologies HDI 3D Scanner (~$15000-$20000)

A higher price scanner with extremely high definition imaging at high speed, it can take scans from each of six angles each scan taking only .88 seconds. Once all six angles are scanned, a high quality 3d object is available in multiple formats. The accuracy, ability to scan color, and speed of this scanner make it a great choice but its price range puts it outside the price range we are shooting for.