Cappasity Easy 3D Scan: Make High Quality 3D Models of Objects With Just One Click

It’s still a common misconception for much of the public that if you want to 3D print something—horrors!–you have to be knowledgeable. Today, that’s truly a matter of perspective, and it depends on what you are attempting to make. Everyone has to start somewhere, however, and the truth is that most 3D printers are so user-friendly, you really can take advantage of the plug and play mode with little upfront education or experience as a maker. There might be a learning curve depending on your aspirations, but that’s also part of the fun.

While downloading a file from a platform like Thingiverse and sending it off to 3D print is easy enough in concept, what about 3D scanning an item and then printing it? While scanners have previously been harder to come by as well as something forcing an intimidating learning curve in conjunction with 3D printing, we’re now definitely seeing that reversed in an accelerated manner with so many smart apps and compact and affordable scanners hitting the market.

Now, Cappasity, Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, CA wants to help you take your skills a step further in assessing objects which would be good for your 3D printing needs, and then scanning them with Cappasity Easy 3D Scan.  According to the company, anyone can produce high quality models—and with only one click. If you have a laptop with an Intel RealSense 3D camera and a simple turntable (or even just a lazy susan), you can have a model ready in one minute.

While one of the scanning modes allows for a stationary object, you can also place the object on your turntable of sorts—and while all of your friends may think this seems highly sophisticated—don’t tell them it just takes one spin–and your model is scanned and ready for printing.

Are you interested in scanning a person? You can do that easily too for fun with 3D selfies by moving your device around the person, on a horizontal level (keep in mind you must have the built-in R200 Intel RealSense camera), as the app instructs you on where to position the camera. It’s pretty amazing to think you can do this with all of your own equipment—ending up with a 3D portrait.

“What’s really great for the 3D printing community is that Easy 3D Scan allows unlimited export of scanned models in .stl file for free,” Elena Letova of Cappasity told 3DPrint.com. “The users can either print their scanned objects at home or choose an option to order a delivery online.”

Soon to be released in the second quarter, Cappasity Easy 3D Scan is user-friendly and allows for professional results whether the user is using the model for internet resources, app integration, editing in 3D design programs, or 3D printing.

Other features include:

• In Beta mode, you have the option to connect a Canon DSLR camera to create photo-quality textures, as the Easy 3D Scan app will automatically use it instead of your device’s built-in Intel RealSense RGB camera to take pictures
• Export models for integration with AR/VR apps
• Share your 3D models on social networks for free
• Take advantage of cloud storage for 3D models

Although the scanning, online sharing function, and single-color 3D printing services are free, if you are thinking about using Easy 3D Scan for commercial purposes, you may want to move up from the free account and subscribe to Cappasity Cloud so that you can export 3D models for commercial use—easy to do with a user-friendly app that has clear instructions. Cappasity also offers a business account for users that runs $49 a month, as well as a professional account at $99 month. Are you interested in trying this out? Discuss in the Cappasity Easy 3D Scan forum over at 3DPB.com.