The best 3D scanners capture reality. You can use one to make yourself the star of a video game, create digital doubles for movie visual effects, archive items of historical interest, or develop engineering models or industrial designs, and even develop perfectly fitting medical devices and prosthetics.
Whether used connected to a computer or working on an all-in-one device, a 3D scanner lets you capture the geometry and sometimes colour information of any object, converting it into a digital model using either laser or infrared light. With a little bit of post-processing, you will have a model that can be taken into your favourite CAD or animation software, ready for animation, turned into an object for a game, or archived for prosperity.
In this guide, I'll point you towards the best 3D scanners available today, which cover a range of budgets and support a number of different purposes.
Rob is Editor of ImagineFX magazine and also works as creative director of his own studio, Pariah Studios, producing film, photography and VFX for a variety of clients. An expert in all things 3D, he is your guide to the very best 3D scanners.
The best 3D scanners
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Best 3D scanner overall
If you’re looking for the absolute best 3D scanner available right now, Revopoint’s MIRACO takes the crown. The biggest game-changer here is that you don't need to tether it to a computer. It handles all processing onboard, complete with an integrated software suite and a sharp 2K AMOLED touchscreen. It’s a massive win for professionals who need a truly portable workflow.
At only 750g, it’s light enough to use all day without turning your arms to jelly. The ergonomic two-handed grip and flip-out screen mean you can get into awkward angles without straining. Under the hood, a structured infrared light system and quad-depth camera let you switch tracking modes mid-scan. This means it can tackle anything from tiny, intricate parts to massive objects, all while holding a crisp 0.05mm accuracy.
The color capture is just as impressive, utilizing a 48-megapixel RGB camera to map stunning textures directly onto your 3D meshes. To make life easier, it features a helpful distance graph to keep your framing steady, alongside both single-shot and continuous scanning modes. It’s advanced machinery made remarkably user-friendly, even if you aren't a seasoned pro.
Naturally, this level of all-in-one performance comes with a premium price tag, and there are certainly cheaper entry-level alternatives out there. But if your budget allows, the MIRACO's combination of pinpoint accuracy, standalone freedom, and fluid workflow makes it worth every penny. It is beaten by the Sermoon, but that comes at a far higher price.
Read our full Revopoint MIRACO review
Best value scanner
The Matter and Form Three is a highly capable, standalone 3D scanner designed for high-fidelity scanning of small to medium-sized objects.
Its defining feature is built-in computing hardware, making it entirely OS-agnostic and free from computer or phone tethering. You simply connect via a standard web browser over Wi-Fi, though smartphone displays feel cramped, making tablets or laptops the preferred interface.
Equipped with dual 13-megapixel Sony cameras featuring autofocus, the Three achieves a remarkable maximum resolution of 37 microns. It takes a series of still scans that its software automatically and seamlessly stitches into high-density meshes. The premium kit includes a sturdy tripod and a heavy-duty, magnetically coupled turntable that supports up to 20 pounds. While Wi-Fi can occasionally hiccup and processing large, data-dense file sizes can take some time, the scanner delivers exceptional accuracy, sharp edges, and consistent performance.
See our full Matter and Form Three review
Best 3D scanner for large scale objects
The Revopoint Range 2 is a highly portable, lightweight 3D scanner optimized specifically for capturing large objects like people, furniture, and cars.
Weighing just 253 grams, the scanner offers an expansive working window (400-1300mm distance) that allows users to cover sprawling surfaces efficiently in fewer passes. It operates at 16 frames per second with a 0.1mm accuracy and features a 2-megapixel color camera. Rather than tethering to a computer, it is designed for a mobile workflow, connecting directly to a smartphone via its own ad-hoc Wi-Fi network and a dedicated battery grip that yields up to four hours of continuous scanning.
Physical controls on the rear of the device allow on-the-fly exposure adjustments to resolve details in poorly lit areas. However, lighting remains a critical variable, as harsh sunlight can easily disrupt tracking, making overcast conditions ideal. The accompanying Revo Scan software streamlines the experience, providing automatic hole-filling and clean-up tools. While file sizes can grow immensely, and its lightweight plastic build feels slightly cheap, the Range 2 delivers exceptional fidelity and convenience for large-scale archival, automotive, and VFX projects.
Read our full Revopoint Range 2 review
Best blue laser and IR 3D scanner
The Creality Sermoon P1 is a premium, highly versatile 3D scanner designed for enthusiasts, archivists, and engineers. Combining blue laser and infrared (IR) scanning, it captures everything from 0.02mm fine details to large 4000mm objects, blending separate passes into single, cohesive meshes.
Its standout feature is flexibility, operating in three distinct modes: wired tethered (100fps), wireless tethered (80fps), and standalone (60fps). Standalone mode frees users from PC dependency, utilizing a crisp 6-inch touchscreen and an 8-core processor.
The rugged, compact unit weighs enough to prevent micro-jitters, though the release mechanism for its hot-swappable batteries is somewhat stiff and fiddly. While each battery provides a modest one hour of continuous use, the kit includes a spare to prevent downtime. The P1 captures color data effectively, though inconsistent external lighting can cause minor texturing seams. Overall, it delivers excellent tracking, stability, and high-fidelity meshes.
Read our full Creality Sermoon P1 review
FAQs
What is a 3D scanner?
A 3D scanner is a device that captures the shape of a real-world object or environment to create a digital 3D model. It's like a high-tech camera that takes pictures in three dimensions, capturing the depth and contours of an object, rather than just a flat image. Some models can also capture colour information, so you end up with a fully textured 3D model for use in other software such as Blender or Maya.
All 3D scanners will have a lens or lenses on the front, which tend to be a mix of laser or IR emitters alongside receivers, and some will have colour cameras too. The biggest difference you will see is that some models are smaller, with limited controls onboard, reserving control of functions for a connected computer or smartphone, while others have touch screens on the back. This second type tends to be used for standalone purposes, where being connected to a computer isn't possible. In all cases, it's inevitable that you will need to access your scan data from a computer for further processing, and all models will allow this, either by transfer cable or WiFi.
How does 3D scanning work?
There are two distinct approaches to 3D scanning. The first involves moving a camera, smartphone, or drone around your subject to create 3D triangulation points, using software, such as Display.land. While this approach doesn't require new equipment, it's not the most accurate.
The second approach involves the use of dedicated 3D scanners, which are the devices I am looking at here.
Unlike scanning a photo, where the main job is capturing color, with a 3D scanner, it’s possible to map the 3D shape without any such tone at all, depending on the device, so bear that in mind. (Game designers may not mind this, but retailers will certainly want accurate colors, so that their website visitors can rotate the product and consider it from every angle.)
That said, there's still a degree of imperfection in a digital scan. Just as a photo scanner has a limited resolution, there will be a limited gap between each laser trace on the outside of the subject. It’s useful to find software that can fill these gaps, creating ‘closed models’, though there might be some loss in surface detail. Repairing the mesh will almost certainly need a little hands-on activity, just like photo editing. This will include decimation of the mesh to reduce the resulting polygon count, as scans tend to be rather dense.
Some scanners are capable of doing hole filling and decimation on board, while others leave this to you to do in your preferred software.
There are also two modes of 3D scanning. One uses lasers and will most often need markers to be placed on the surfaces of the target object. This adds an extra step but does give excellent results, especially for engineering models.
The second method, ideal for organic shapes, is IR scanning, where infrared light is used. This is commonly found across models at all price points and, while it is accurate, it doesn't deal so well with hard surfaces, so keep that in mind when comparing your options.
What is 3D scanning used for?
3D scanning has an almost endless variety of applications. Firstly, it's used in the entertainment industry to capture actors' faces or bodies for digital doubles, props, and real-world objects for use in animation and visual effects production for movies, TV, and games. In a similar way, it can be used by artists to capture physical sculptures or objects and transform them into digital models.
Industrial designers use 3D scanning to capture real-world objects or environments as a reference for creating new products. It's used by cultural heritage institutions, museums, and archeologists to digitally preserve artifacts, historical sites, and monuments.
It's also increasingly used within medical fields for purposes such as prosthetics, orthotics, and dental applications. It can be used to capture areas that then need extra modelling on the computer for 3D-printed prosthetics.
How to choose a 3D scanner
The right 3D scanner for you will depend on a number of factors. First, decide how large a scanning area you're likely to need. Secondly, consider what level of accuracy and resolution you're going for (the higher you need, the more you're likely to pay, so there may be a compromise needed here). Thirdly, consider whether a handheld or a stationary scanner is more likely to fit your needs. If you need to work remotely, then you will need to narrow your search down to models that have onboard processing and ideally, swappable batteries, or that can be run on a power bank. Finally, evaluate the scanner's compatibility with specific materials and object sizes, ensuring it suits your intended applications.
How we test 3D scanners
To test 3D scanners, we don't just consider technical information but also carefully consider what scenarios each 3D scanner could be used for. We test each model to assess how useful it's likely to be in practice, taking into account factors such as the size of objects it can scan, how long it takes to scan, how accurate the scans are, how portable it is, and what operating systems it's compatible with. We test each scanner fo not only scanning capability but also user experience, from the physical handling to the operating system. For more details, see our article on how we test and review.
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