UPDATE! There will be an on-board 2MP camera included, calibrated for scanning objects up to 160mm in diameter and up to 200mm in height. You also would be able to user your own webcame for scanning bigger or smaller objects.

Rubicon 3D
is a simple, yet powerful 3d scanner that will enable its users to turn real world objects into virtual 3d models.

How it works:
Webcam takes a picture of an object on the turntable with both lasers on and off, then the software looks for differences in those pictures to detect the shape of your object. Next the turntable turns 0.45 degrees and the process repeats. 800 steps for a full 360° revolution.

What comes out:
After the scanning is complete, you would be able to export either a raw hi-polygon mesh or have it structured and optimized.

 Scanning small objects:

Examples:

http://p3d.in/xmkfT
sample scan - vase

http://p3d.in/Gpdh8
sample scan - frog

http://p3d.in/WuYgJ
sample scan - knight

What makes us special:

UPDATE! There will be an on-board 2MP camera included, calibrated for scanning objects up to 160mm in diameter and up to 200mm in height. Yet you also would be able to user your own webcame for scanning bigger or smaller objects.

With current setup you can scan objects up to 160mm in diameter and about 250mm in height, but since the camera is movable, even bigger objects might fit in.

Our current prototype is working on an arduino microcontroller with a stepper motor drive.

Manufacturing plan:

At the heart of the scanner is a PCB, designed for us by a reputable company in Germany. Its design is generally finished and now we are negotiating with PCB manufacturers in China, Malaysia, as well as here in Riga. After deciding, which manufacturers suits us best, we would ask them to make a prototype for us, it should take about 10 days. Once the prototype passes our rigorous testing, we would order a batch of 500+ PCBs from that manufacturer.

Instead of using laser-cut acrylic parts, we decided that it would be much better to make the body from ABS plastic by injection molding.

We have carefully thought out the specifications for a custom stepper motor, so that it would be both accurate and would be able to turn heavier objects, up to 3kg, as well as would fit into our streamline design.

Currently two factories in China are in the process of making motor prototypes for us, which we plan to receive by 20th of November. After testing them and choosing the best, we would order a full batch of 500+ motors from that manufacturer. It would take about 25 days to manufacture and ship them to Riga.

We just ordered 500 custom aluminum motor hubs ( motor hub is that round thing that connects the disk to the motor ) from a manufacturer in China, we expect to receive them by 15th of November.

 If you have any questions about this project, please contact me at info@rubicon3d.org