[How-To] Cell phone 3D scanner

Plum Creek

Plum Creek

Active User
H-M Supporter Gold Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2013
Messages
146
Has anyone tried building a 3D scanner using a cell phone and a rotary table?
I have a camera mount project nearing completion and need to have the components scanned. I have seen some interesting, but too small, printed rotary devices with phones mounted on them. Im not really a computer guy but it looks like the same principal.
 
I could use this. I was looking for a 3d scanner to do stuff for my wife, I expected $150 ish...no, not even close. Seems like, for a computer/ hi tech kid, this wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility....my 8 track player's clock is flashing 12:00 so I'm obviously out.
 
I have played around a bit with SFM software. The "scanner" was just me walking around the item with a camera and taking photos of it as I went -- no precise angles involved. However, the 3D point cloud I ended up with didn't look like it was good enough to be used to making 3D prints. So a REAL 3D scanner probably would require a rotary table and lots and lots of photos.

The S/W I used is called VisualSFM (running under Ubuntu) and has a GUI that makes it easier to use; but, beware: it takes a lot of computing horsepower. If your computer's graphics card has the right GPU on it, the S/W can use its processing capabilities to speed things up.

I'd thought that the combination of a 3D scanner and 3D printer could be the basis of a little cottage industry -- making replacement parts for things no longer supported by the OEM. Obviously, there would be some limitations on what you could repair -- but there are 3D print shops out there who can print in metal, ceramic etc. if you really need it.

Here's a screenshot taken of one of my attempts. It is a vase sitting on a photograph (of me, taken about 60 years ago). The whited-out regions are places the S/W couldn't figure out. Here be monsters :).
1598120943017.png
 
GunsOfNavarone said:
I could use this. I was looking for a 3d scanner to do stuff for my wife, I expected $150 ish...no, not even close. Seems like, for a computer/ hi tech kid, this wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility....my 8 track player's clock is flashing 12:00 so I'm obviously out.
Click to expand...
I thought my Craig Powerplay was top of the line! It doesn’t even have a clock!

As a jumping off point, I downloaded “ Scandy Pro”. Apparently a True depth camera is required.
Even though my IPad Pro was on their list, the software couldn’t recognize it. Im still researching that. I’m not sure I can justify purchasing a new phone or pad for this project.
I ran across this article which provided a little insight to the status quo.

Thor3D – Manufacturer of Handheld 3D Scanners | Calibry | Calibry Mini

thor3dscanner.com thor3dscanner.com

The largest part on this project is over 20” in length. The DIY scanner isn’t large enough to be able rotate the part.

It seems that it is the usual problem between a balance of, time to develop vs laying out the cash to get it professionally done.
 
GunsOfNavarone said:
I could use this. I was looking for a 3d scanner to do stuff for my wife, I expected $150 ish...no, not even close. Seems like, for a computer/ hi tech kid, this wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility....my 8 track player's clock is flashing 12:00 so I'm obviously out.
Click to expand...
I thought my Craig Powerplay was top of the line! It doesn’t even have a clock

There are several apps for phones that have true depth cameras. Theres not much information on accuracy however. https://thor3dscanner.com/when-will-a-3d-scanner-appear-in-your-phone
 
Thanks Homebrewed, for your input.
I occasionally do contract work for an aerial photography company. I know they have a dedicated computer for stitching together large numbers of aerial photos. I will have a chat with the owner about getting access to it.
 
One very interesting application for SFM is using footage from a drone to generate 3D models of very large objects (like buildings). Not so much for _making_ another building, but for remote viewing/tourism etc. Another project uses random photos of frequently-photographed objects (like the Eiffel Tower) posted by folks on the web and uses the image data to create a 3D model. Theoretically, there's no limit to what size object that could be modeled this way (the Grand Canyon? Crater Lake? Whoa! ). Google might be involved in that one.

I don't know if a drone could be controlled well enough to work for your purposes, but it's an intriguing thought.
 
I’ve seen some of that, as well as lidar mosaics. Pretty interesting stuff. When I get access to an appropriate camera, I may fool around with it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top