The 3D printing revolution is here, but what’s just on the horizon might be even more useful .
For many businesses the idea of printing items in 3D is an exciting prospect , but providing the models for these printers can be a time consuming process.
But what if you could take a preexisting item ,scan it, and be left with a 3D model ready to work with on your computer?
Well now that is a disticnt possibility.
3D scanning , the final frontier
Using several lasers to scan an object on a rotating platform 3D scanners detect the contours on an objects surface allowing the user to export this scan for use in 3D CAD software such as SolidWorks. These ‘replicators’ are now being launched by several manufacturers with prices as low $600.
Currently though , the technology is not without its limitations. With an accuracy of +-2mm (better than most 3D printers can print) your item may not be scanned perfectly , still ,the ability to scan any item without previous 3D modelling knowledge gives designers a head start allowing them to perfect models once they have been digitalised.
From here users can manipulate the model in much the same way they would with a manually created model , and while currently its ability cant match the complexity of what some people would like to scan, the resolution will certainly improve with time.
In the same way digital cameras are capabale of capturing more and more detail ,3D scanners are sure to become increasingly accurate.
What makes this excitnig is that it isnt just for those wanting to 3d print but it has its uses for designers, hobbyists, prototypers, engineers, or anyone in the business of 3D creation using a scanner can to help them in reverse engineering, prototype development, modifying existing products and archiving designs.
From real life to your website
An area which our customers might one day see the benefits of 3D scanning is in 3D graphics and visualisations. Many of our customers want to include 3D visualiations on their DriveWorks forms ,but not everyone in their company has the capability of modelling a product using SolidWorks. Using a 3D scanner it could soon be possible for users to scan a product in ,and then place the 3D model on their site or anywhere else they may have used DriveWorks forms.
Here a DriveWorks we can’t wait to see the innovative things that people will acheive with such affordable technology and we are sure that many of our customers are looking forward to displaying newly scanned 3D visualisations on their forms.
Why take a picture and display it on your forms when you can display a 3D model for your customers to play with.