Can I use Structure Sensor Pro to scan animals?

In general, we do not recommend using Structure Sensor Pro for the use of scanning animals for two reasons:

1. Animals tend to move

Our sensors and accompanying firmware and SDK require the object or subject of a scan to be completely static. That generally presents a problem for animals, and even a fidget or shake can negatively affect the resulting scan, adding random and unwanted artifacts and changing the geometry of the scan.

2. Animals may have black or shiny coats/fur.

In order to capture depth, our sensors project an IR speckle pattern to the object the user intends to scan. This pattern is then reflected back to the sensor, and the depth is calculated based on how long it takes for the light to be reflected.

Black objects absorb the IR lasers, causing the objects to “disappear” to the sensor, as the light never reflects back.

Reflective objects scatter the IR lasers in an erratic fashion, causing the sensor to lose tracking and producing random artifacts.

Some users have mitigated these problems by applying a temporary paint or powder to the objects in question assist the sensor in capturing depth information. However, with animals, this may not to be an option.