When comparing Sense 3D Scanner vs DAVID SLS-3, the Slant community recommends DAVID SLS-3 for most people. In the question“What are the best 3D scanners capable of capturing colour?” DAVID SLS-3 is ranked 2nd while Sense 3D Scanner is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose DAVID SLS-3 is:
Unlike setup and calibration, the scanning process itself is quite easy. Scanning an object from multiple positions is enough to merge the data and form a 360 degree mesh.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Affordable
If you want to start doing 3D scans without spending thousands of dollars, this might be an option for you, since this budget 3D scanner is quite affordable, costing even less than some accessories for professional 3D scanners.
Pro Light computer hardware requirements
Even though a computer is required to use this scanner, its hardware does not need to be high-end. An Intel Core i5 or equivalent will handle the processing, and 2GB of RAM are enough to keep things running smoothly.
Pro Comes with free software
Besides its affordable price, the Sense comes with completely free software. There are also no “advanced” or “professional“ paid version upgrades, so you can use the program's full set of features for free.
Pro Good for casual use
Overall scan quality is in the lower mid-range, but this device easily serves the needs of the casual user who is simply tinkering or using scans for simple objects.
Pro Exports to multiple formats
The Sense can export scans to several major formats (WRL, STL, PLY, OBJ), which makes saving and using scans in multiple frameworks much less of a hassle.
Pro Can scan relatively large objects
The maximum target object size is 2 meters, in all directions, which is a high limit. However, the scanner must stay between 0.2 m and 1.6m from the target.
Pro Good scanning range
The Sense can scan objects that are as close as 0.2 m, up to those that are 1.6 m away, which is further away than some industrial-grade scanners. With a fairly wide field of view, even capturing an object as large as a person only takes a few minutes and won't require stitching multiple scans together. It should be noted, however, that scanning small objects will not wield good results with this scanner, due to its resolution specs.
Pro Captures color
This scanner is capable of capturing color features of target objects, which has several advantages, such as making visual review of scanned objects much simpler or facilitating use of those scans with 3D printers that allow for color printing.
Pro Portable
The Sense's relatively small size makes it fairly easy to pack away safely and avoid any unfortunate mishaps in transit. It's easy to use in any place you can get a laptop set up. Barely over 7 inches at its longest dimension, it even fits snugly into most laptop bags.
Pro Scanning process is easy
Unlike setup and calibration, the scanning process itself is quite easy. Scanning an object from multiple positions is enough to merge the data and form a 360 degree mesh.
Pro Included software is powerful and intuitive to use
To operate this scanner, you’ll need the HP 3D Scan Software Pro V5 installed on your computer. The software license is bundled with the scanner itself, so you won’t need to buy it separately. The software is simple to use and intuitive, but also quite powerful. It’s divided into three main parts: setup, scanning and shape function. This means that, during the scanning stage, for example, you’ll only be presented with the functions relevant for that stage.
Pro Maximum resolution of 0.05 mm
This 3D scanner can push its resolution to up to 0.05 mm, at 10 cm distance from the object (keep in mind that in order to be able to achieve this result you’ll have to spend hours calibrating the device). The overall result is very impressive, since a 0.05 mm resolution allows to scan objects in great detail. For example, you can theoretically scan a human hair using this scanner. This is a very powerful tool if used properly.
Pro Capable of capturing color
As the unit only has a monochrome camera, color capturing is achieved by measuring reflectivity on the surface of the scanned object.
Pro Plenty of great accessories available
Besides cables and hard cases, this scanner has plenty of accessories to choose from. There’s the TT-1 Automatic Turntable ( $1160.00 ), which makes 360 degree scans easier, or the DSL-1 Desk Scan Lever ( $650.00 ), which gives the scanner some extra free space for more complicated 3D scans. Another notable accessory is the SLS-3 Stereo Camera Upgrade Kit ( $1795.00 ), which improves scan quality by adding a second camera, at the cost of complicating even more the default setup, since both cameras need to be individually calibrated.
Pro Good for teaching purposes
Calibrating this scanner is quite time-consuming and tricky, which can be annoying for regular use, but can be useful for teaching purposes, since the setup process itself helps understanding how structured light 3D scanning works.
Pro Enhanced texture
This scanner's high precision 1080p camera enhances the textures of scanned objects.
Pro Exports into STL, OBJ and PLY formats
This 3D scanner is designed to export purely geometric 3D formats, and is therefore capable of generating STL, OBJ and PLY files, which are more than enough for reverse engineering and geometry editing with most CAD software.
Cons
Con Difficult to create a proper scanning environment
Getting a solid, high-quality scan out of the device can require very specific criteria, such as dangling the target object from the ceiling, to fully separate it from background elements, or building a custom stabilizer. Otherwise, scans can suffer from stitching issues, undesired objects being scanned, or overall poor scan quality.
Con Very poor scanning resolution
This scanner's resolution is, at best, 1 mm. This can result in inaccurate and sparsely detailed scans, so make sure you can work with this kind of resolution on your 3D applications before purchasing this 3D scanner.
Con Cannot run unless connected to a computer
The Sense has no internal memory, and cannot be run without being connected to a computer, which makes on-the-fly scanning more difficult.
Con Can be difficult to aim
There's no simple way to ensure that the Sense is still on target while scanning, unless you can keep an eye on the computer screen. If that's too inconvenient, a possible solution is having two people manage the scan, but that creates a whole new set of issues. All this is aggravated by the USB cord his short (6 feet only).
Con Has trouble in several lighting scenarios
The Sense uses an IR-based Structured Light system for scans, which is vulnerable to some issues: low light easily confuses the scanner, as well as uneven lighting. Bright lights in the background can often disrupt the scans entirely, and scanning in direct sunlight also renders the scanner almost unusable. The scanner works best in "studio" lighting: lots of indirect, diffused lighting will ensure high scan quality.
Con Has trouble with transparent and shiny objects
While reflective surfaces are a problem for many 3D scanners, this is particularly problematic for the Sense, as the its IR sensor can have difficulty resolving objects under unusual lighting, according to this review.
Con Cannot be adapted for turntables
Keeping the scanner in a single position and rotating an object in front of it doesn't work with this scanner, since it relies on seeing changes on the environment surrounding the target to perform the scan.
Con Limited workspace
The SLS-3 system is limited by the maximum size of objects it can scan, a problem which exists for pretty much all stationary 3D scanners. This scanner's maximum allowed dimensions are 500 mm in any direction, and it's impossible to use it to scan larger objects, unlike handheld scanners, that can be used to scan objects that are quite big.
Con Harsh calibration procedure
Calibrating the scanner is very unforgiving. You’ll need to find the ideal positions of the cameras, the projector and the object itself just for one scan. You’ll have to adjust the focus, distance and the angle of both the camera and projector manually. After doing all that, you’ll then have to double check everything using the DAVID software. All in all, it’s a very time-consuming effort that needs to be repeated for every new target object.
Con Unintuitive setup
The setup procedure is unintuitive, and requires thoroughly reading the manual. First, you’ll need to connect the DAVID camera and projector to your computer, then you’ll have to install all software and drivers provided in a USB stick, then configure the projector as an extended screen.
Con Resolution drops with distance
As expected with this kind of scanner, resolution drops if you increase the distance to the target object. At a distance of 500 mm from the object, the resolution is only 0.25mm (5 times worst than the resolution at 100 mm).