3D Scanning Flowers for Science

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espalia
Posts: 1
Joined: 07 Jan 2021, 20:55

3D Scanning Flowers for Science

Post by espalia »

Hello,

I am in the market for a handheld 3D scanner that would be appropriate for scanning smaller flowers in the field (outside, flowers left in the ground). The flowers are about 1-2cm long and arranged on a stalk that is 3-7 inches long (depending on the species). We are hoping to be able to scan the whole stalk with good detail of each individual flower. The flower petals are usually quite opaque, so I don't think there will be too much trouble with transparency, however some have hairs that I imagine would interfere with the scanning process. We can definitely manipulate the vegetation to remove any obstructing plants nearby, but we would likely want to leave the plants in the ground. However, we also have the option of digging them up and placing them in a pot if that would yield better results.

You can see an example of some of the flowers here:
https://hikersnotebook.blog/flora/flowers/wood-betony/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dereneato ... 879892514/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dereneaton/4835869253/

Are there any handheld scanners on the market capable of this kind of work? This is for evolutionary research applications, so we need scans that would yield accurate measurements - obviously the more accurate the better, but accurate up to 0.1 mm is acceptable. Color and texture is not a necessity, but is a useful feature for our purposes. It seems like the Artec Space Spider may be a good contender, however we would like to explore alternatives. We will likely be carrying the scanner on international flights and hiking with the equipment to remote areas, so charging time and durability are also factors to consider, although we can plan around these challenges so it's not a deal-breaker.

Additionally, can you advise as to whether structured light or laser would be better for this application?

Thank you,
~Elissa
User avatar
Micr0
Posts: 586
Joined: 15 Nov 2016, 15:20
Location: New York City

Re: 3D Scanning Flowers for Science

Post by Micr0 »

espalia wrote: 07 Jan 2021, 21:01 Hello,

I am in the market for a handheld 3D scanner that would be appropriate for scanning smaller flowers in the field (outside, flowers left in the ground). The flowers are about 1-2cm long and arranged on a stalk that is 3-7 inches long (depending on the species). We are hoping to be able to scan the whole stalk with good detail of each individual flower. The flower petals are usually quite opaque, so I don't think there will be too much trouble with transparency, however some have hairs that I imagine would interfere with the scanning process. We can definitely manipulate the vegetation to remove any obstructing plants nearby, but we would likely want to leave the plants in the ground. However, we also have the option of digging them up and placing them in a pot if that would yield better results.

You can see an example of some of the flowers here:
https://hikersnotebook.blog/flora/flowers/wood-betony/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dereneato ... 879892514/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dereneaton/4835869253/

Are there any handheld scanners on the market capable of this kind of work? This is for evolutionary research applications, so we need scans that would yield accurate measurements - obviously the more accurate the better, but accurate up to 0.1 mm is acceptable. Color and texture is not a necessity, but is a useful feature for our purposes. It seems like the Artec Space Spider may be a good contender, however we would like to explore alternatives. We will likely be carrying the scanner on international flights and hiking with the equipment to remote areas, so charging time and durability are also factors to consider, although we can plan around these challenges so it's not a deal-breaker.

Additionally, can you advise as to whether structured light or laser would be better for this application?

Thank you,
~Elissa
Yes, but......

There is only one handheld that I know of that may even come close to doing what you want to do but it is expensive (understatement). The Handyscan Black from creaform. I believe the price is between $45k-$60k.

https://www.creaform3d.com/en/portable- ... ndyscan-3d

Perhaps the Artec Spider, but my experience with it is that it may not be able to capture the detail you are looking for.
A distant third would be the Einscan X2pro..
µ
contactpolyga
Posts: 73
Joined: 26 Nov 2020, 23:26

Re: 3D Scanning Flowers for Science

Post by contactpolyga »

Disclaimer: This is the official Polyga account on this forum so I work for the company. :? - So you'll need to take this info with a grain of salt.

That being said, The Polyga H3 could also do the job for you for small details, compared to the Artec Spider, it does a comparable or better job.
Although it won't be able to deal with transparency very well but that'll be the case for literally any scanner in the market today.

https://www.polyga.com/h3-handheld-3d-scanner/

If you need a battery operated scanner, i think that narrows it to the Artec Leo, as literally every other scanner will required a AC plug or an external battery pack.
LuRage
Posts: 1
Joined: 30 Dec 2021, 20:53

Re: 3D Scanning Flowers for Science

Post by LuRage »

Artec Leo would be a terrible advice, it's resolution is in no way good enough to scan flowers.
The point distance is around 0.5mm and the accuracy is around 0.3mm in one shot, and it struggles with thin objects too.

I would think photogrammetry with some makro lenses would be the best tool for this job. It can be portable too, with laptop.
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