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Add to SafariWhen comparing Next Engine 3D Scanner HD vs Occipital Structure Sensor, the Slant community recommends Occipital Structure Sensor for most people. In the question“What are the best 3D scanners capable of capturing colour?” Occipital Structure Sensor is ranked 6th while Next Engine 3D Scanner HD is ranked 8th. The most important reason people chose Occipital Structure Sensor is:
This 3D scanner is quite affordable for hobbyists and DIY enthusiasts. Decent 3D scanning systems are hard to come by at the price the OSS costs and, while there are other, more affordable, tablet-attachable 3D scanning systems, this unit beats the competition in product quality and customer satisfaction.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Captures color and textures
This scanner can capture color and texture details.
Pro Hands Free
With the included turntable, setup is easy and capture is automated.
Pro Nice resolution
This scanner's macro mode has 0.005 inch accuracy, with 400dpi. Its wide mode accuracy is 0.015 inch, with 150dpi.
Pro Very affordable
This 3D scanner is quite affordable for hobbyists and DIY enthusiasts. Decent 3D scanning systems are hard to come by at the price the OSS costs and, while there are other, more affordable, tablet-attachable 3D scanning systems, this unit beats the competition in product quality and customer satisfaction.
Pro No object size limit
Since this is a handheld device, theoretically there is no size limit for target objects, as long as the specified distance ranges are respected.
Pro Export format can be imported to virtually all CAD software
By default, the only export option is the OBJ format. This is enough for most cases, given that this file format can be imported into pretty much any modern CAD software.
Pro Free and easy-to-use official software
This 3D scanner's official software is available for free, which is great for hobbyists, considering that several other manufacturers sell their software licenses for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Setting everything up is quite simple, just plug in the device to your iPad and it will automatically install an app for sensor calibration (Calibrator) and an app for scanning (Structure). Both apps have simple and intuitive interfaces.
Pro Dedicated app for creating room 3D models
Room Capture is another popular and freely available app for this device. It can be used to create a 3D model of an entire room. The process itself is very straightforward, just run the application and scan the room (the app will guide you through the scanning process). The program will take care of all scanning data, no prior expertise or external processing software is necessary. This feature is particularly useful for those in real estate.
Pro Extra export options, if using the Skanect software
If used with the paid Skanect software, scans be exported in the PLY, STL and VRML formats. It should be noted that Skanect is a desktop-based application, so it cannot be used with the iPad or other mobile devices and requires attaching the scanner to a computer.
Pro Advanced desktop software available
This device also has a macOS/Windows desktop application called Skanect, which allows it to be used while connected to a computer. It extends the capabilities of the basic Structure Sensor, but the professional version of this software costs $129.
Pro Decent resolution at close range
This iPad attachment has a maximum resolution of 0.5mm at 40 cm range, which is quite decent for scanning small objects at a close distance.
Cons
Con Much slower than instant capture solutions
Scans can take a while. Buying the PRO software option unlocks faster performance, which when optimized can take ~5 minutes for full-turntable scans at minimum resolution and no texture. The time to scan scales up from there depending on scan resolution and texture capture.
Con Not very portable
Despite being a relatively small device, this scanner is not very portable, especially when compared to handheld scanners.
Con Can't be used as a standalone device
Since this is not a standalone scanner, you’ll need to have a compatible iPad to use it. Alternatively, advanced users have the option to buy a bracketless sensor that can be attached to fixed installations, robots, iPhones or Android devices, but this requires considerable setup. There's also the option of using it with a desktop computer, but in this case the desktop software needs to be bought.
Con Scanning software doesn't have many features
This device's scanning software, Structure, is very simple. Consequently, it doesn't as many features or extra options as some other scanning apps.
Con Scan resolution decreases dramatically with distance
As the distance from the target object increases, the scan quality drops dramatically. At the maximum distance of 3.5 m, the resolution drops to 30-35 mm, which is virtually unusable.
