In my view, one of the most optimal ways to make 3D scanning and 3D printing more accessible to the general public is by integrating them with the smartphones, tablets, and other platforms that are used on a daily basis around the world. This is precisely what the New Orleans-based company Scandy has been working towards since they started their affordable 3D scan-to-print services early last year. Back in October 2015, the company launched a Kickstarter for the Scandy Sphere, a system that transformed panoramic pictures taken on a smartphone into a 3D printable model. Additionally, at this year’s NY TechCrunch, Scandy revealed the new API for their 3D scanning and 360º panorama capture platform, which has given users the ability to generate their own 3D content directly from their smartphone.
Now, the 3D scanning company is partnering up with pmdtechnologies (pmd), a leader in time-of-flight (ToF) 3D sensors, to unveil Scandy Pro for the Android platform built with Scandy Core. With just a consumer-grade smartphone and an attachable pmd pico flexx ToF 3D sensor, Scandy Pro will enable Android users to create detailed 3D scans of objects in real time, offering the same level of quality as professional scanning equipment. For those who don’t know, ToF cameras are range imaging camera systems that are able to resolve distance in an image based on the known speed of light.
With Scandy Pro, what was once only possible with thousands of dollars worth of scanning equipment is now available in a much more affordable and pocket-sized format. According to Scandy, their Scandy Pro app is capable of capturing 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, while users can also utilize the app’s on-device editing for quick cropping, resizing, and more.
The platform operates through Scandy Core, an SDK that is open to developers and enables Android devices to track and scan objects, resolving each frame of 3D data in an average of just .32 seconds. The Scandy Pro app then compiles and renders the 3D scan, making it applicable not just for CAD work and 3D printing, but for AR/VR applications as well.
“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. I’m really proud we are able to provide this solution finally,” said Cole Wiley, Scandy co-founder and CTO.
Those of you who are Android users and are interested in the new Scandy Pro platform can sign up to become a beta tester. In addition, app developers can work directly with Scandy to learn about how implement the Scandy Core SDK into their future applications. All in all, the Scandy Pro app will enable Android users to easily create and modify 3D meshes that are optimized for 3D printing or CAD work, essentially helping to usher in the new era of more affordable and accessible 3D scanning technology for all. Discuss over in the Scandy Pro App forum at 3DPB.com.
