Build Your Own Raspberry Pi-Powered 3D Scanner
You can affordably make a 3D scanner with a few Raspberry Pi Zero Ws and Camera Modules.
3D printing has been well-established in the hobbyist community for about a decade now, but 3D scanning is still quite uncommon. Part of the reason for that is that 3D scanners haven’t reached the level of affordability that 3D printers have, and part of that is because the output from 3D scanners isn’t always easy to work with. The ideal 3D scanner would let you easily generate a 3D model of a physical object, make a few modifications if needed, and then 3D-print it. Now you can do that affordably with a few Raspberry Pi Zero W single-board computers (SBCs).
This 3D scanner design was developed by Revolution Scan, a company that also created the software to use it. That with this 3D scanner and the Revolution Scan software, you can generate 3D models or simply take 360 degree product photos. Best of all, you can build this 3D printer using readily-available electronic components and 3D-printed parts. Printing those parts will take quite a while, but you won’t need any other mechanical components other than bearings, hex standoffs, screws, and bolts. You should be able to print these parts on any 3D printer with an 8.5 x 8.5 inch or larger bed.
The electronic components you’ll need center on the Raspberry Pi Zero W computers. You will need three to five of them, as one is required for every camera you use. The more cameras you use, the better the quality of your scans. Those are all standard Raspberry Pi Camera Modules, and are arrayed across a vertical arc. The platform that your object rests on is rotated by a NEMA 17 stepper motor, which is driven by one of the Raspberry Pis (the “master”) through a popular L298N stepper motor driver. An LED light ring keeps your part well-lit when it’s inside of the 3D scanner. You will need a substantial power supply to provide enough current for the stepper motor, the three Raspberry Pis, and the LED ring. After assembly, you just need to follow the directions to setup the Revolution Scan software and then you can start scanning!