HP Announces New Sprout 3D Scanning Platform

Today, HP has some exciting new announcements for those interested in 3D scanning using their Sprout platform.

The Sprout by HP is a ground-breaking piece of computing hardware that incorporates a touch screen, all in one desktop computer with a projector, capture surface, an Intel RealSense 3D camera, and a 14 megapixel traditional camera. These features allow users to capture real-world content and then interact with it digitally in a way that was never possible before.

Now, HP is taking the scanning features to the next level. The previous scanner was capable of taking 2.5D scans of objects by using its projector and camera arrays to capture the object using structured light scanning. The problem with this method is that the capture was only taken from one overhead angle.

Coming this July, Sprout owners will be able to purchase the new Sprout 3D Capture Stage. This device will automatically rotate the object being scanned a full 360°, capturing the object from many angles, and giving a far more complete and detailed scan.

Of course, hardware is nothing without accompanying software to tie it all together. HP will be releasing their new 3D scanning software as a free upgrade to all current and future Sprout owners in July as well. This software, while necessary for the 3D Capture Stage, will also allow users who are not ready to purchase the hardware to create better scans. The new software will allow users to manually move an object into different positions where it will be scanned, and those scans will then be stitched together to create the final, more complete scan. With the 3D Capture Stage, this will be a very powerful process that no other consumer-level 3D scanner currently on the market allows.

The new 3D Capture Stage will retail for $299 when it becomes available in a few months. While combining this with the price of the Sprout doesn’t make for the cheapest 3D scanner on the market, the combination of projected structured light, automated scanning, and multi-scan stitching might make it the best scanner on the market.