Shining 3D EinStar

Handheld 3D scanner for medium and large objects, and people.

EinStar scanning a camera on a marker-covered turntable

EinStar scanning a camera on a marker-covered turntable




Location

Top drawer of the drawer unit at the right-hand CAD station

Software

EXStar

Access

Free use

Best for

Objects larger than about 15 cm. Smaller objects: use the EinScan SE.

How to use

  1. Choose a project folder on the local C: drive; network drives are too slow.

  2. Choose the mode:

    • Portrait: people, hair, or things that move slightly; captures shape rather than exact geometry.

    • Object: rigid objects.

  3. Choose the tracking method: feature (shape), texture (colour), marker (reflective stickers) or hybrid (shape + markers).

  4. Press play on the scanner to start the preview.

  5. Adjust the exposure until the brightest parts just start showing red dots in the preview (top left).

  6. Zoom with the scanner buttons. The colour scale on the left of the screen and the LED on the scanner show when the distance is right.

  7. Turn on data quality to see a green–red map of how well each area is scanned.

  8. Press play to start scanning. Move slowly but steadily round the object. Longer scans mean more data and longer processing.

  9. Press play again to stop.

  10. To delete stray data, hold Shift, select it and press Delete.

  11. Press Generate point cloud (second from the top right). To scan the underside, create a new project group, turn the object and scan again.

  12. Align the groups with the puzzle-piece button: pick one from the upper list and one from the lower. Use manual align if auto align fails.

  13. Press Mesh (bottom right) and export as STL or OBJ.

  14. Remove used stickers, pack the scanner and put it back in the drawer.

Tips

  • Symmetrical, thin or small objects are much easier with silver marker stickers. Easiest is the turntable, which is already covered in them; more stickers are in the drawer under the scanner.

  • Thin objects, such as a paper cup, need one scan per side, or the software drops the first side when you scan the second.

  • The scanner can't capture black, shiny, mirror-like or transparent surfaces. Use a sublimating scanning spray such as AESUB. Baby powder or dry shampoo also work, but keep them well away from the scanner optics.