3D scanning involves using light, sound, or other technologies to digitally capture the shape and appearance of physical objects. It has various applications including reverse engineering, quality control, digital archiving, and entertainment. There are contact and non-contact scanning methods, with non-contact using laser light, structured light, or volumetric scanning. Scanners can be stationary or handheld. Photogrammetry is also used to reconstruct 3D models from overlapping photos taken automatically or manually. Free software tools make 3D scanning accessible to more people.

1. 3D scanning
knowing our world through movement
Most 3dscanners acquire their data of real world objects by moving through space…
Why 3D scanning ?
- reverse engineering
- tolerance checking & quality control (laserscanning resolution 50 microns)
- digital archiving (cultural heritage)
- prototyping (handmade model to CAD conversion)
- 3D visualisation (fe robot path finding, forensic documentation, etc)
- entertainment industry (avatars, special effects)
Contact & non-contact 3D scanning
contact (older systems)
non-contact (light, sound, xray)
- laser light
- structured light
- (sonic scanner)
- volumetric (medical)

2. Stationary & handheld
3D photo reconstruction
- stereo photogrammetry
- using geometric references

3. Full automatic reconstruction
Taking overlapping pictures
– how it works
Free 3d photo reconstruction tools
New democratic way of obtaining 3D
ARC3D
123D Catch
PHOV
HYPER3D
…
Complementary software
MESHLAB – open source
HOWEST summer-classes
3Dscanning by 3Digit