Some industrial applications require extreme precision and details in images. Though today’s modern cameras are able to produce extremely clear pictures, there is no 3D precision in them. This makes them unsuitable for specialized industries where 3D digital images are required. 3D digital scanning using special 3D scanners can resolve this problem. 3D digital scanners assign 3D vector coordinates to all points in the frame and then output an image on a flat surface. The objects in the image thus produced have all their positional aspects extremely well defined. The precision in fact is so accurate that using multiple scans of the object from different angles, one can create an identical replica of the object.
3D digital scanners look like cameras only but their functionality, as hinted above, is very different. Some modern 3D scanners, in addition to analyzing the distance and 3D spacing of objects, are also able to record the color at each point of the image. Depending on how they scan objects, 3D scanners can be divided in to two broad categories:
1) Contact Scanners: These scanners scan objects through physical contact or touch. But they have two problems: firstly, they tend to be very slow, and secondly, they are risky to use with delicate or precious objects as there are chances they might slightly damage such objects in the process of 3D digital scanning.
2) Non-contact scanners: These scanners use the light reflected by the object only in order to scan. They can be further divided into two types: active and passive. While active scanners themselves emit radiations to scan the image, passive scanners use light and other radiations reflected by the object for 3D digital scanning.
3D digital scanners are very expensive gadgets, with costs of some scanners even touching the figure of $500,00. The starting price range is generally around $40,00 to $50,00.