When comparing Sense 3D Scanner vs Artec Space Spider, the Slant community recommends Sense 3D Scanner for most people. In the question“What are the best handheld 3D scanners?” Sense 3D Scanner is ranked 6th while Artec Space Spider is ranked 8th. The most important reason people chose Sense 3D Scanner is:
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.
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 Great scan resolution
The 0.1mm resolution is the best available for a handheld 3D scanner. This scanner combines the freedom and versatility of a handheld scanner with the accuracy of a stationary unit.
Pro Companion software is great
Artec Studio, the official software for this scanner, is versatile, user friendly, and very well documented. Every aspect of the software is described well on the official documentation. It’s also powerful and intuitive, making it quite worth the hefty price.
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 Expensive
This device is quite expensive, making it a purely industrial product, as only medium or large companies are able to afford it.
Con Scanning distance is quite limited
In order to get maximum precision, you need to make sure the scanner stays within the 0.2 m - 0.3 m range distance from the target object. This 0.1 m margin is low for a handheld device and can be an issue, especially since it takes several minutes to complete a scan.
Con Official software requires an extra investment
As with other Artec scanners, purchasing an Artec Studio annual license costs $400.
