As somebody who works with 3D printing, I’ve at all times had an curiosity in 3D scanning. So when Creality provided to ship me their CR-Scan Lizard 3D scanner for evaluation, I jumped on the possibility. Under you can find my ideas about the Creality CR-Scan Lizard and a showcase of a few of my scans.
Disclaimer: Creality offered me with this scanner freed from cost, however this evaluation is as unbiased as doable. Creality didn’t pay for this evaluation and these are solely my very own ideas.
Background
I’ve been working with 3D printers for greater than a decade and contemplate myself one thing of an professional on the topic. However I’ve remained skeptical of each the utility and the aptitude of shopper 3D scanners.
My skepticism of the utility got here from the truth that 3D scanners produce mesh fashions, which have restricted use to these of us who prioritize parametric CAD modeling. As a result of I want components to suit collectively precisely and have to shortly modify dimensions, it makes extra sense to me to make use of calipers and different instruments to collect actual measurements after which use these measurements to construct CAD fashions.
Parametric CAD fashions require correct, simply modified dimensions
My considerations about functionality got here from seeing the outcomes posted by others through the years. These pressured me to query the accuracy and precision of 3D scanning.
However 3D scanning expertise has come a good distance through the years and I wished to know whether it is now helpful. The Creality CR-Scan Lizard gave me the chance to check a shopper 3D scanner to search out out whether it is worthwhile for makers like myself.
CR-Scan Lizard Fundamentals
The CR-Scan Lizard is small shopper 3D scanner in regards to the measurement of a USB energy financial institution. Creality claims that it will probably obtain as much as 0.05mm accuracy and doesn’t require any markers for scanning. The essential mannequin doesn’t embrace any equipment and is supposed for handheld scanning. Stepping up, the Premium Combo features a small tripod and rotating platform for desk scanning. On the prime, the Luxurious Combo provides a light-weight field and tripod setup for smartphones, which lets customers add colour textures to their scans.
Creality despatched me the CR-Scan Lizard Luxurious Combo. I examined each handheld and desk scanning (each geometry and texture), however didn’t take a look at the colour texture characteristic enabled by smartphone pairing.
The CR-Scan Lizard scans objects utilizing a projector and a pair of cameras. Like every other digicam, they seize the sunshine mirrored off of the article and due to this fact scanning efficiency is a results of the reflectivity of the article. In supreme circumstances, this works nicely. However situations aren’t at all times supreme.
Ultimate situations
In my testing, I discovered that the “good” object to scan is: in regards to the measurement of a closed fist, a medium colour (like blue), largely convex, and with an opaque floor that isn’t too shiny.
The additional you stray from these situations, the tougher it’s to get a very good scan. For instance, Creality claims that the CR-Scan Lizard can deal with black objects. It does, however solely a few of the time. Some black objects are primarily invisible to the CR-Scan lizard, as are clear and really shiny objects.
A Nintendo Pleasure-Con, with the black buttons and joystick scanned poorly
Measurement issues, too. If one thing is simply too small (like a hoop), the Lizard will wrestle to select up sufficient content material to generate a mesh mannequin. If one thing is simply too huge, it is going to require repositioning and a number of scans to seize the total object.
Concave particulars are additionally troublesome for the Lizard to scan. It really works high quality with comparatively shallow options, however not with deep options or something too detailed. Lastly, it struggles with skinny options like lattice buildings.
Accuracy and precision
Creality says that the Lizard has “as much as 0.05mm accuracy,” however I feel the phrase they had been in search of was “precision.” On prime of that, “as much as” is doing a whole lot of heavy lifting.
In my testing, the sensible accuracy wasn’t wherever near 0.05mm. That is simple to check by scanning one thing like a ping pong ball. It ought to have a easy floor with little or no variation and an correct scan would replicate that. However after I carried out this take a look at, the floor was rippled and lumpy—far exceeding 0.05mm (which is about half the thickness of a strand of hair). You’ll be able to see the identical impact on all prints.
Ping pong ball scan exhibiting a lumpy floor exceeding 0.05mm variation
This limits the utility for mechanical engineering work, as a result of one can not depend on the scans to precisely characterize the mannequin. If you should scan one thing so you’ll be able to design a mating half with a decent tolerance match, it’s possible you’ll be dissatisfied.
Alignment
A scanner is simply nearly as good because the software program it really works with, which is why it’s a good factor that CR Studio is fairly respectable. The extra scans you carry out, the higher your closing outcome. However you should align these scans to course of the ultimate mesh mannequin.
Thankfully, CR Studio has two methods to do that. First, it will probably try and routinely align scans. That works nicely when the article as a definite form. However it is going to often fail if the article is symmetrical or uniform (like a dice, cylinder, or sphere).
Three separate scans aligned collectively in preparation for mesh era
As a backup, you’ll be able to manually align scans and this works very nicely. Simply choose two scans and click on on three matching factors. You don’t should get it precisely proper, simply in the identical neighborhood. The software program will then use these factors to orient the scans and align them. That was virtually at all times profitable in my assessments.
Monitoring
This was most likely essentially the most irritating side of scanning with the Lizard for me. Because it scans, it captures body after body. To show these frames into a degree cloud (and later a mesh), the software program has to know the orientation of every body relative to the earlier body. It does that by in search of matching geometry. If it doesn’t see any matching geometry, it loses monitoring.
1 / 2 • This hair clip was invisible to the Lizard
On a desk scan, misplaced monitoring will virtually at all times lead to a failed scan. Repeating the scan doesn’t essentially resolve the issue, as some objects that don’t have distinct options (or which have a really slim facet) will at all times lose monitoring. One would suppose that CR Studio would use the desk platform (with its particular geometry patterns and printed symbols) to take care of monitoring whatever the scanned object geometry, nevertheless it doesn’t and I used to be actually irritated by that. Which means some objects merely can’t be scanned.
In my testing, this often offered as “skips” when CR Studio would suppose it had regained monitoring however really hadn’t. That will produce an unusable scan with the options within the mistaken locations.
1 / 2 • This scan exhibiting “skips” attributable to misplaced monitoring
The monitoring scenario with handheld scanning is a bit of higher, as a result of you’ll be able to transfer again to the final profitable place and regain monitoring. It’s nonetheless irritating, as a result of it’s delicate and simple to lose monitoring. However you do have some recourse.
Handheld vs. desk scanning
Typically, you need to desk scan something sufficiently small to suit and handheld scan the remainder. Desk scans are fast and simple to seize, however handheld scans take longer and really cautious motion (your arm will get sore).
1 / 2 • A small statue scanned in handheld mode
Each can produce some very good outcomes and each can fail fully in situations that aren’t supreme. Desk scans are simpler, as a result of you’ll be able to carry out a number of scans in a row and easily reorient the half. You even have extra management over lighting. Handheld scans require you to very rigorously transfer the scanner across the object on the actual distance wanted (a reasonably small window), which is tougher than it sounds.
Handheld scan of a life-size statue
Texture scans
Regular scans solely choose up bodily geometry, however you do have the choice to carry out texture scans. These use the cameras to additionally seize photos, which CR studio will use to texture the mannequin after processing the mesh.
In my testing, this labored nicely anytime that the mesh mannequin itself scanned correctly. In case your scanned object has graphics, this allows you to add them to the mannequin.
1 / 2 • Texture scan of a Polaroid digicam
In some conditions, it looks like this may additionally assist with monitoring as CR studio appears to take visuals into consideration. I’m not sure of this, nevertheless it did appear to assist in some circumstances.
Nonetheless, these texture scans are grayscale. To get colour textures, you’ll have to additionally use your telephone. I didn’t take a look at this characteristic and so I can’t affirm whether or not or not it really works nicely.
Conclusions
I actually wished to love the Creality CR-Scan Lizard. If it carried out nicely, it will be helpful for a lot of of my initiatives. Sadly, I discovered the expertise to be disappointing.
Some objects received’t scan correctly in any respect, whereas many others don’t scan nicely. Even those who do scan nicely are solely appropriate for low-tolerance functions, because the geometry isn’t correct sufficient for something that requires excessive tolerances.
That mentioned, when the situations are supreme the Lizard is straightforward to make use of and captures some good trying scans. The CR Studio software program does many of the onerous work, so customers don’t want experience to make the most of the Lizard.
But when a good friend requested me if they need to purchase the CR-Scan Lizard, I might most likely inform them to not. You may get comparable high quality scans utilizing an iPhone Professional with free/low-cost apps, which makes it onerous to justify the price of the Lizard. If the Lizard had been extra dependable or produced higher scans, it may be value the fee. Sadly, that wasn’t the case with my expertise.
