I have spent a fair amount of time over the last 10 years trying to realize the promise of 3D scanning on a limited budget. Between my time at YouthQuest and Phillips Programs, we owned and tested 3D scanners from 3D Systems, xyzPrinting, Intel, HP, Shining 3D Einscan and Matter & Form. The easiest to use was from Matter & Form.

To be honest, none of these scanners achieved the same results we could get from using a good digital camera and photogrammetry software. In large part this was due to the limited visual imagers in the first generations of 3D scanners. But, photogrammetry, while taking advantage of high resolution images and great color lacked the precision and fine detail. It is also a VERY time-consuming process. So, I have looked forward to a new breakthrough 3D scanner solution for a long time.

Matter & Form has announced a new concept in 3D scanning that I believe is very promising. They just announced the THREE 3D scanner that will have a 13mp Sony imaging device and a White Light DLP capture system. They have not released a price as yet; but, their earlier scanner was under $1000. Matter and Form was very supportive of our work with at-risk young people and provided us with excellent help and support. So, I'm very positive about the management of their company.

I'm very intriqued by a number of newly announced features. I've mentioned the high resolution digital imager. But, I am equally intrigued by their totally new edge computing onboard software strategy that takes most of the burden off the target computer allowing even tablets to be used. Any computer with a browser will work.

You can sign up for future updates on the progress at:

Matterandform.net

More details are available on their blog.

https://matterandform.net/blog/celebrating-10-years-of-innovation-introducing-three---the-most-capable-3d-scanner-ever-made

Thank you TMeeks, for the information.

I have been tempted to buy a 3D scanner for many years, with cost and purpose the main inhibiting factors.

- Brian

"I have been tempted to buy a 3D scanner for many years, with cost and purpose the main inhibiting factors."

They have not released the price; but, they do indicate that the new scanner will offer "metrology-level resolution and unmatched value."

I'm assuming "metrology-level resolution" will rival scanners costing 20K and up and the "unmatched value" means it will be delivered at a more consumer-friendly price. But, until we see for sure, we just have to guess.

Their current scanner sells for $749 on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Matter-Form-3D-Scanner-Quickscan/dp/B07FCWFJMK

So, I'm guessing it will be more than $1k but less than $2K. If it truly can deliver metrology-level resolution wrapped with a high-resolution (13mpx) image, it will be a huge breakthrough in that price range. But, it certainly should be competitive even at a bit higher price point. But, I am hoping they remain committed to holding the price to an affordable level.

One application I am interested in pursuing is replication of antique car parts. None of my current scanners has that level of precision. I think there could be a great opportunity for some of our students on the autism-spectrum to provide an income from having that ability.

Revopoint makes very affordable 3d scanners. When signing up for their kickstarter projects you can get them even further discounted:
https://www.revopoint3d.com/

Interesting thread, thanks for starting. I'm hopeful that local libraries will eventually have these 3D scanners much like they now have 3D printers and laser cutters, etc. I had hoped for an affordable personal solution when Project Tango was in full swing and releasing developer hardware. Then the technology migrated to phones themselves which started to ship with depth sensing cameras. But in the end Google abandoned before adequate maturation of software and phone manufacturers didn't see sufficient demand I guess to continue to include the sensors. It seems that Chinese phone manufacturers made phones capable of scanning (ToF sensor) for longer than phones available in the US, but application support seemed to change to more proprietary solutions that required more effort from the phone vendors. Perhaps others know more and can fill in the blank. Curious what the solutions mentioned here are using for hardware and software ?

Sven