Free 3D scanning

[L i am]

Hi, I am trying to find out about free 3D (android) scanners the results of which could be imported into Sketchup?. Has anyone had any experience with them and would care to advise?

[Rich O Brien]

Depends on lots of factors.

MeshLab will help you reduce mesh density if the scan is too heavy for SketchUp.

Scanning has lots of things to consider - lighting, reflections etc. Results are ropey at times.

Best scanners for home/hobby use are Structured Light based. Like these...

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/campaign/3Dscanner/overview.html?jumpid=va_t1345uf8k6

Scanning is time intensive and requires lots of patience.

[samnorth]

This article may be worth a quick look...?

http://3dscanexpert.com/3-free-3d-scanning-apps/

[L i am]

Thank you Rich and Sam, I think this may be a solution for myself wanting to make organic wood playground elements. as they are kind of organic and free-form anyway a bit of randomness can be tolerated. And as Rich says poly count needs to be considered. Would still like to ask if anyone has any experience with a free 3D scanner please post with good or bad results it would be very much appreciated.