Electronics

First pictures of Fuel3D scanner released

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Fuel3D has released the first images of its 3D scanner
Fuel3D has released the first images of its 3D scanner
The scanner was funded by a Kickstarter campaign last year
The scanner is said to be adept at capturing skin features
It is also recommended for use capturing organic materials such as plants
Brickwork, stone and masonry are other materials with which the scanner works
The scanner will cost US$1,500
Shipments are expected to begin in September 2014
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Fuel3D has release the first images of its 3D scanner. The scanner raised over four times its targeted amount in a Kickstarter campaign last year, and was aimed at being the first handheld point-and-shoot color 3D scanner available for under US$1,000 – although that has crept up a touch, to $1,500.

The device was created by a team of hardware and software engineers, and scientists from Oxford University. The team claims that it is the first 3D scanner to combine pre-calibrated stereo cameras with photometric imaging, allowing users to capture and process 3D models quickly. Originally developed for the medical imaging sector, the scanner is now being adapted for broader use.

The scanner is aimed at individuals involved in the maker movement and mass personalization, along with game developers, animators and 3D artists, amongst other creative types. Fuel3D says that the scanner is especially adept at capturing faces and body parts, fabrics, organic matter, masonry, food, and artwork such as textured paintings or statues.

Matterform has also recently launched a 3D scanner aimed at the affordable end of the market, and researchers at ETH Zurich have created an app that allows users to capture 3D images using just their phone.

The Fuel3D scanner can be preordered now at a reduced cost of $1,250. Shipping is expected to begin in September of this year.

Source: Fuel3D

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3 comments
Jakes B
All these scanner articles and not one mentions scanning accuracy.
Tito Young
The accuracy is relative, only because, in a perspective there can only be three places where accuracy can happen. X-Axis, Y-Axis and Z-Axis. The lens is using modern geometries.
DonGateley
The pictures of objects from these various 3D imagers _always_ have the mesh superimposed on a photographic image which completely obscures the actual mesh detail and makes them appear much, much better than they usually are. Such pictures convey absolutely no relevant information about scan quality and all the device manufacturers who do it are guilty of a degree of fraud.
Coloring each of the polygons of the mesh with _one_ color derived from the underlying photo would gives a much better idea without completely eliminating the enhancement that color gives.