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Makerbot launched its first 3D Scanner in 2013 - the Makerbot Digitizer.
This great little scanner is perfect for the home or educational applications.
With just two clicks, the MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner is simple to use, yet sophisticated software creates clean, watertight 3D models that are ready to 3D print.
Makerbot have optimized the whole process to work seamlessly with MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printers, but you get standard design files to use on the 3D printer of your choice.
You do not need any design or 3D modeling skills to get started, and it all happens in just minutes.
Behind the two-click simplicity is a powerful and complex reconstruction process. MakerWare for Digitizer contains an algorithm that connects hundreds of thousands of points into a
seamless digital mesh in just seconds. There is no patching, stitching, or repairing required, so you can skip straight to your creative process. We have worked hard to create software that saves you time.
How Does It Work?
To start, you place an object in front of the Digitizer is camera. Then the scanner is two lasers project light onto the object. The lasers are 60 degrees apart, and they scan one at a time to get
the most accurate results. Once light bounces back into the camera, two sets of 3D points are formed, which the Digitizer software merges to create a 3D image.
The MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner outputs standard 3D file formats so that you can improve, shape, mold, twist, animate, and transform objects in a third-party 3D modeling program.
For example: Use MeshMixer (free) to join two scans together (like the hat added to the gnome below.
Use Makerware (free rendering software for Makerbot replicator 3D printers) to scale your object
Use ZBrush to sculpt your model like sculpting clay. In the picture bellow the Gnomes beard has been sculpted to be more fluffy and his ears more pointy.
Why Two Lasers are better than one
The Digitizer is equiped with a two-laser system, allowing it to adverage the data from both scanners and produce a more acurate model. In the puppy and acient relic
(which is really a thing Makerbot found at the thrift store) scan examples in the picture you can see the dramatic difference in detail between one and two laser technology.
Auto Repair and Water Tight Functionality
The Makerbot Digitizer software includes Auto Repair functions that fill in the missing data.
Other 3D scanning options BilbyCNC has tested often resulted in files with holes and missing data, like this puppy on the left of the photo below. These holes can take hours to clean up and fix.
Makerbot have solved this problem with an auto repair feature built into their software which is both time savings and makes their system much easier to use than many others.
This feature means not only are your scans water tight and ready to print, but also smoother and more complete. There is also the option to flatten the top of your model. The results are obvious in the puppy screen captures below.
PLEASE READ THESE ARTICLES BEFORE YOU PURCHASE. Especially the article titled :What can the Makerbot Digitizer Scan, and what it can not!
But not all objects or materials were created equal when it comes to reflecting light. Highly reflective materials, like this trophy, can create an effect much like a lens flare on your camera, overloading the sensor with light. You can solve this problem by dusting your object with baby powder (we used a little bronzer). Just look at the difference between the models below:
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