Can I use Structure Sensor Pro for 3D printing?
3D printing is one of the best use cases for our sensors! Now instead of paying tens of thousands of dollars for a 3D scanner, Structure has democratized 3D scanning and printing with Structure Sensor Pro. To begin with, please check out these pages:
- https://structure.io/use/3d-scanning
- https://www.shapeways.com/tutorials/3d-scan-and-print-with-shapeways
You can also check out our Sketchfab here, which contains a bunch of sample files we have created using our original Structure Sensor:
Best Apps
The best apps for 3D scanning can be found here.
File Formats
Exported file formats vary depending on which app you use with Structure Sensor Pro:
- The Scanner sample apps from the Structure SDK export your scan by email as an OBJ file attachment.
- Apps from third parties will export the file format that is preferred by that developer, but most will export the OBJ file format because this format can be imported by most 3D modeling programs and 3D printers.
- The Skanect Pro software for your PC or Mac can export your scan as an OBJ, STL, PLY, or VRML file.
Slicing Software
Please check out this article for the best slicing software available to convert your scan into print.
What's the workflow?
- Scan your object with your software of choice.
- Upload the file into your favorite post-processing software. We suggest open-source solutions, such as Blender or MeshLab.
- Adjust your mesh however you need to. Make sure that your mesh is watertight and that all random artifacts are removed. For a more in-depth checklist, please check out this article.
- Load your resulting mesh into your favorite slicing software. Most slicing software plays nicely with .obj files.
- Print!