Scan Dimension Reviews 13

To be honest I expected more from this scanner.
First the good, It can make nice detailed scans if the object is not symmetrical and within the size specs, non reflective, not black, etc.

and now comes the big IF
I think the scanner is very capable on the hardware side, but the Software in my opinion is terrible. There is no way to help the software aligning the single scans.
The first run of an object looks mostly amazing but after the second the alignment is off pretty much every time and the object looks out of shape. If you run like 3 scans it could work fine and then the fourth something is off and the software cannot merge with the fourth scan and there is no chance to restart that one scan again, you have to start from the beginning ( or use the misshaped outcome) and as scanning is not very fast, I killed several weekends trying to scan a single object. I got a super expensive scan spray, added clay on symmetrical objects but to no avail. I bought the scanner used so either maybe it is damaged and someone scammed me or this scanner is a Monday device :( I really wish the software would be a bit more advanced with more options, also the Software wasnt updated since 2021 if the Name of the install file corresponds to the last date the Software was updated.

The SOL 3D Scanner is a solid scanner.

My use-case for this is a hobby interest in preserving and recreating difficult to find parts for Arcade & Pinball Machine maintenance and restoration. Often, these 35+ year old machines require specific parts from companies that no longer exist.

The Sol 3D Scanner is meeting my needs but it does have some limitations, I have some nitpicks.

First, the nitpicks

The thumb screw placement on the scanner head is difficult to access given the mount-design unless you have the fingers of a child or north-pole elf. There are probably tripod-screw workarounds for this in the photography space.

The Scanner requires two USB 3.0 connections and includes two cables. The annoying part of this is they are very short cables and they are different USB standards. The scanner head takes a USB-C and the turn-table takes a mini USB. Remember, you are snaking these cables out of a blackout tent to your computer. Why cheap out on something so simple as USB cables when it directly impacts the user experience and potential scan quality? I recommend you buy longer cables or a dedicated powered USB 3.0 hub and extension cable to go in your scanning kit to give flexibility for scanner / tent / placement.

The SOL Viewer on the Mac is incredibly slow and clunky. It makes the fans on even a newer i7 Macbook Pro sound like a Marvel SHIELD Hellicarrier. I'm guessing this performance hit is a result of some sort of cross-platform or non-platform-native coding shortcuts. (Just a guess.) Fortunately, the MacOS Preview app is really quite good and lightweight for viewing models.

After I initially wrote this review, I went back and tried the Windows-based SOL Creator and Viewer apps and I can confirm they appear to be more performant on the Windows platform. To be clear, there is exactly consistency in scan results between the two, the Windows version seemed to complete the computational steps in less time. (~30%)

The SOL Creator app fails to align multi-positional scans maybe 25% of the time. This is sometimes attributed to object stability during the scan and sometimes due to complex object structures and finishes. I've found sometimes it is beneficial to 3d print a stand that can be easily edited out later in order to stabilize certain weirdly shaped objects. Sticky tape and putty can be useful as well.

Perhaps the most substantive limitation I've found is that the Scanner requires objects to have consistent reflectivity in order to get usable scans. Makes sense given the technology but know that pitch-black and semi-transparent materials will yield inconsistent results.

On the positive side..

It works and the scan-quality usually exceeded my expectations so long as I gave the models multiple passes. Some of the results have frankly surprised me at the level of detail that is picked up in the scan.

Using the scanner in close-mode I've gotten some excellent and usable scans of parts that are nearly impossible for me to source.

The build quality seems good.

The SOL Creator software does a lot of heavy-lifting in aligning the point-clouds between multiple scans and masking out the table-base so that in most cases you end up with a usable model from its output without requiring a ton of manual post-processing. I suspect there is some solid Machine Learning at work on the backend.

Compared to other scanners and price points, the SOL 3d Scanner is a solid contender. I was initially skeptical that my use-case would justify even the $700 spend on this but I've been pleasantly surprised in the myriad of uses I've found for the scanner, in just a short amount of time. It is an incredible time saver and jump-start and heck of a nice tool to have available.

I was very exited to receive my new scanner. The scanner was well packaged and easy to assemble. After assembly I loaded the software to my brand new computer, which well exceeds the requirements to run this device. I then attempted to scan the rubber duck that is included as a test object. This is where things started to go bad.The scan turned out like a big blob. It looked nothing like the object in the scanner. I tried again and again, with no success. I contacted support, followed their instruction, same result. The response I received from support after sending them a copy of the once again failed scan was "glad we are making progress". I have had the scanner for a week. It has yet to scan anything successfully, and support is no longer responding.

Update:
It took me a while to make time to set up the replacement unit. I have to say I am very happy with the results I am getting from it. The first unit was a nightmare, however this one is everything I expected and more. Not only did the test scan produce a remarkable replica of the rubber duck, I have been able to scan miniatures even smaller than 30mm, which is the listed minimum height.
Thank you

Can’t seem to get it to scan anything right except the duck that came with it. Will try again but seriously thinking of returning it.

Fast delivery. Will try scanner and see the results.

Scan is very slow even for small objects. Software is plain and lacks automatic update feature.

The instructions leave a little to be desired. I had to do a fair amount of researching to find ou how to best use the scanner, including how to adjust from far to near. The tips that occaisionally show up on screen while waiting for number crunching to occur are useful but should be in the instruction book in the first place. As for the hardware, I give it an enthusiastic 2 thumbs up.

This is the first scanner I have used, it turned out to be quite easy. I did go online and viewed the 3D Printing Professor for the SOL scanner his video was very helpful. My first scan turned out pretty darn good just be ready to be patience and use the tools that come with the scanner such as the tent and learn to adjust your distance.

The scanner is great! Very high quality scans with only a few minutes of setup. Impressive results from an inexpensive machine.
Delivery was on time and in perfect condition.
No complaints

Excellent product for an excellent price!
do 3 or more scans to get better results.

I bought the SOL 3D scanner because I needed to scan spare parts for my Robots.I chose the SOL because I really liked how thorough and complete the information and documentation was. I emailed the company and asked questions and they were more than happy to get into a discussion with me. I think that was really great and missing with most companies now.

I actually timed myself, and from the moment I opened the box, assembled it, downloaded from the website and installed all the software, connected to my computer, calibrated it and scanned my first object, saved the STL file to an SD card and started printing on the 3D printer, it only took 56 minutes. And it was perfect. The image was crystal clear, the shape and color was correct.

Then when I was all done, it took 28 seconds to disconnect and pack away into a backpack.

What I really like is how very well thought out this scanner is. They thought of everything. They even included the pop-up case that you put the scanner in so that the scan is in complete darkness. It makes a big difference indeed.

I have scanned and printed several spare parts already. This has saved me so much time and money. Without this, I would have to design those parts that were given to me on the 3D modeler and it would have taken me days, instead of a few minutes.

I highly recommend this for anyone that needs to 3D scan small to medium sized objects. It is miles ahead of any 3D scanners I have tried that were less than $1500. An excellent deal.

Very good 3d scanner, i have other scanner that are way more expensive than this, and the quality of scanned object are same, the only difference of this scanner from the more expensive one is the time of each scann and mesh to take, sol software are excellent maybe can be upgraded so the time of each scann and mash to improve and maybe add a function to edit/cut the scann object. Other than that i recommend to get this scanner.

The scan quality is great for its price, you probably won't find a scanner that is so easy to use then this one. My child uses it without very much instruction. I love the tent is included.