Some weeks ago we wrote on a breakthrough in inexpensive 3D scanning by ReconstructMe, which permits true, 360-degree 3D capture of 3D models of real objects. While ReconstructMe works quite well, it requires a super-powerful graphics card in your Windows PC simply because it’s producing the 3D model in real time as you scan. Realtime scanning is highly desirable as it allows the scanning operator to ensure they capture every hidden niche of the scanned object during the scan. But it does put up a small barrier to those who don’t have the required equipment.
Enter 3Dify from Matherix Labs.
This (also Windows) tool again uses the Kinect to capture 3D information, but in a slightly different way. It’s not real time – you record a 3D movie of your subject by walking around while pointing the Kinect at the (hopefully) motionless subject. This recorded video is then analyzed post-capture by 3Dify and eventually transformed into a full 3D model. This model can then be tweaked and exported for use in other applications – such as 3D printers.
This approach gets around the hardware requirements, but it’s possible that you may have to repeat your 3D scan a few times to ensure you have captured the entire shape because you won’t know if it worked until 3Dify completes its processing.
Via Matherix Labs and Ponoko
There is a slight mistake about ReconstructMe in the article I'd like to clarify: ReconstructMe does allow non-realtime processing by first recording data and then reconstructing data on the CPU. See the usage (offline reconstruction).
Best,
Christoph