We’ve been closely following the 3D scanning company for a while, as not only have they been consistent in releasing new scanners and software, but they frequently use their own technology to do some fascinating things: from creating 3D printable online databases of endangered species to preserving historical and religious artifacts. Their scanners and software have been reliable and popular, and at RAPID I got a first look at their next release, which should prove to be of great interest not only to their established customer base but also to those who are new to 3D technology altogether.
3D scanning, of course, has been getting more and more accessible and user-friendly to novices lately, whereas not long ago it was mostly the domain of professionals in the fields of archaeology, museum curation, and medicine. Scanners are getting more affordable and mobile, and many manufacturers have been focusing more on simplicity and ease of use. Artec Studio 11 is about as simple and easy as it gets.
I have to come clean and admit that I don’t have a great deal of experience personally using 3D scanning software, but as I watched a demonstration of Studio 11 at Artec’s booth, I thought, “Well, I could do that with no problem.” An Artec Eva scanner was used to scan a large part which was then directly imported to a laptop which sat beside it. I’d describe the following process in detail, but there’s not much to say – and that’s a good thing. Within just a couple minutes, the software had removed the base around the scanned object, automatically aligned it, textured it and presented a final, sharp, accurate image.
Studio 11 also allows for scanned images to be imported and exported directly to and from CAD software programs, including SOLIDWORKS and DesignX, with many more programs to be added in the future. For all of its automated ease, however, Studio 11 is only the beginning for Artec 3D and their quest to simplify scanning. Yukhin compared Studio 11, which he describes as a “breakthrough,” to a car with an autopilot feature, while the next step is a completely self-driven vehicle. Discuss further in the Artec 3D at RAPID 2016 forum over at 3DPB.com.
[All photos taken on-site at RAPID by Clare Scott for 3DPrint.com]