Artec Eva

The Artec Eva is a versatile 3D scanner that is handheld, which means that it is not bound by the restrictions of a tripod or stand mounted system. A wide variety of things can be scanned, including the human body, which broadens the applications significantly. With the ability to accurately and quickly scan people, we suddenly have a way to provide accurate and properly-fitting prosthetics, as well as support devices. We can also insert the scanned data into other images, creating decent quality special effects for movies and other entertainment media. It also opens up a world of possibilities in the research fields, which helps make the world a better place.

The handheld design makes the Artec Eva feel a lot like a video camera when used. An ergonomic handle keeps the process comfortable as well, which is important when scanning large objects that can take more than a few minutes to capture. The Eva captures up to 16 frames per second, automatically aligned by their powerful software package as you go, which makes scanning not only fast but accurate. This is critical in fields where not only speed but accuracy is important, especially when the scans are for forensic investigations, medical research or CGI animation. This can potentially save a life, prove someone’s innocence and even improve the quality of life for millions of people.

The Artec Group, based in Luxembourg, is a company dedicated to designing and manufacturing innovative products. The team is composed of people who have worked together for over 10 years and who are experts in the fields of 3D image capturing and face recognition. They also have offices in Palo Alto, CA and in Moscow, Russia. Contact info for each office is provided on their website, as well as a form you can fill out to request a demo of any of their products.

The Artec Eva is very easy to use. Simply press the button on the unit and begin scanning an object by moving the scanner around. There is no worry about doing something wrong. There are both audio and visual cues that guide you through the process should you need it. This alone helps reduce the learning curve significantly, making the odds of producing a top-quality scan on your first attempt increase significantly. Whatever you don’t pick up on the first pass you can return to and re-scan missed areas. Once the scan is done, the software goes to work. It aligns the scans, fuses them into a 3D model, and then allows you to smooth and optimize the data to fill in holes, increase definition, etc. If you have purchased texturing capabilities, you can apply texture to the scan as well. Once you are done, you can save the data in any number of compatible 3D file formats for export, which can accommodate a wide range of 3D applications.

Overall, we found the Artec Eva to be innovative, affordable for a scanner in its class and very easy to use, producing top quality results without having to be an expert in 3D scanning and telemetry. With all the wonderful features included in this package, we are glad to award the Artec Eva the top spot on our list of iReviews 2015 best 3D scanners under $50,000.

Related YouTube videos: