Here’s how it works. The Itseez3D uses both the Structure Sensor and iPad’s camera to capture the mesh structure of an object or subject with high-resolution RGB color, using augmented reality technology. Because the SDK is open to all developers, Itseez3D won’t be the only app to utilize the Structure Sensor, but what makes Itseez3D unique is the coloring. You see, using the Structure Sensor alone isn’t enough to create printable product. The same goes for taking high-resolution RGB images. But it is possible to create a product when you combine the data from both sources.
Our secret sauce is how we create very high quality color models,” says Erukhimov. “The SDK provides you with the possibility to get a pretty good shape of an object without color, but what we do is merge that with data from the iPad camera – the images from the camera – and we synthesize that…it’s a really hard job to make this all work together so that your resulting models are realistic.”
Besides cost and accessibility, Erukhimov says another one of its app’s strengths is the ability accurately render human faces.
The Structure Sensor is different “because it’s intended to be used by consumers,” Erukhimov says. “Other scanners are created for specific industrial applications, and they cost more because their industry can afford to buy them. Other scanners have their own restrictions: For example, Makerbot has a laser scanner that can scan objects of a certain size, but it’s extremely difficult to scan a face with a Makerbot scanner.”