The Fab Lab is equipped with a multitude of 3D scanners, both desktop and handheld. Each accomplish the same function; when provided with a real-world object that the user wants to make a 3D model of, the scanner is used to encircle the object, taking a series of pictures that are composited to produce a 3D model replica. Different scanners accomplish this task in different ways, often incorporating lidar, and using a shifting pattern of light columns to define the shape of the object based on the pattern’s distortion. The finished 3D scan can be polished in a 3D modeling software like Meshmixer or Blender and exported as a 3D printable object.
Updated: April 19, 2023