Aug 23, 2016 | By Benedict
The New Orleans-based 3D scan-to-3D print innovators Scandy has joined forces with pmdtechnologies (pmd), a leader in 3D time-of-flight (ToF) sensors, to unveil Scandy Pro for Android. The app enables smartphone users to achieve professional-quality scans with just their phone and a sensor.
As an essential companion technology to 3D printing and an invaluable tool in its own right, 3D scanning is becoming more popular by the day. However, given that much professional scanning equipment can be costly, many tech enthusiasts have sought to develop clever shortcuts for achieving high-quality 3D scans. You can, for example, make a 3D scanner from a tub of milk, or use a standard DSLR to set up a photogrammetry system. New Orleans-based Scandy has just introduced one of the simplest solutions yet: an Android-ready scanning system available for less than $500.
Scandy Pro, a collaborative project between by Scandy and California-based pmd, allows Android users to capture detailed 3D scans in real time using a pmd pico flexx ToF sensor. The 3D scanning app captures features as small as 0.3 millimeters with a .25 meter bounding box and 36 millimeters with a bounding box of three meters in size. The app also comes with inbuilt editing features for quick cropping, resizing, and more.
The creators of Scandy Pro believe that the portability and affordability of the new 3D scanning system will provide a new opportunity for budding 3D printing enthusiasts to embrace scanning technology: “As a maker, the potential for creating dimensionally accurate models on a sub-millimeter scale from a system that costs less than $500 is something I've been dreaming about for years,” said Cole Wiley, Scandy co-founder and CTO. “I'm really proud we are able to provide this solution.”
Having established the foundations of Scandy Pro, Scandy and pmd have invited developers to exploit the technology by licensing the Scandy Core SDK and building applications on top of it. Scandy Core now allows Android devices, as well as Apple and Linux models, to track and scan objects, resolving each frame of 3D data in an average of .32 seconds, while Scandy Pro compiles and renders 3D scans in-app, making the system suitable for applications in AR/VR, CAD, and 3D printing.
“Giving users the ability to capture people and objects which they care about, in 3D and with mobile devices, is a unique and new experience,” added Jochen Penne, Director of Business Development at pmd. “We are very excited about Scandy Pro.”
The Scandy Pro for Android beta program is now open, and the companies hope to launch the final product by the end of 2016. Sandy’s first 3D-scan-to-3D-print app, launched in March 2015, used an iPad and a Structure 3D sensor to capture 3D scans. In order to develop its newest product, the 3D scanning company raised $1 million earlier this year in seed funding.
Scandy Pro technical features:
- Platform: Android > v5.0, Mac OSX, Linux
- Average image throughput: 5-20 fps
- Development environments: Mac OSX, Linux
- Scanner size [pico flexx]: 68mm x 17mm x 7.25 mm
- Supported programming languages: C++, Java, Unity
- Detail range: ±0.3mm features with a box of 0.25m^3, ±1mm features with a box of 1m^3
- Export formats: OBJ, STL, PLY
- Viewing angle: 62° x 45°
Posted in 3D Scanning
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