Hands on with the Afinia ES360 Desktop 3D Scanner

This week we had the chance to test out the Afinia ES360 tabletop 3D scanning system. The device has a turntable design, where a camera system observes an object while it spins around a turntable. The ES360 uses a structured light approach to derive a representation of an object’s 3D structure.

The ES360 turntable 3D scanner from Afinia reviewed by Fabbaloo. (All images courtesy of Fabbaloo.)

Structured light is one of several approaches used to achieve 3D scanning. It works by displaying a known pattern of light on an uneven 3D surface and observing the deviations from the expected pattern. The ES360 does so by displaying a series of thick and thin vertical bands, marching them progressively across the object.

The system is best used to produce 3D models from smaller objects that can fit on the turntable. And they shouldn’t be excessively heavy, either, as the turntable motor might bog down. The turntable’s capacity is for objects up to 215 x 215 x 200 mm in size. There’s also a “free scan mode” where you can capture objects up to 700 x 700 x 700 mm in size.

The scanner can work reasonably fast, as it can complete its automatic scan cycle in only three minutes. Some competing turntable scanning systems can take much longer. However, the three-minute time frame is only for the mechanical portion of the scan; processing and conversion to a proper 3D model takes a bit more time. The good news is that the process can be automated, and you can literally push the start button and walk away to do other work while the scanner is working.

Setup of the ES360 scanning system requires a bit of work. As you can see here, there are many pieces that must be assembled and plugged in.

All the many parts included with the Afinia ES360.

There are a substantial number of cables to plug in—for connecting the cameras, projector, turntable and PC running Afinia’s software. It might be best to have an empty table on which to set up all this stuff.

When you’re done with the assembly, it’s a bit of a cable jungle. While the ES360 is more or less portable, you probably want to set it up permanently on a table to avoid the effort of having to repeatedly set things up.

Once you’re set up—and by set up, I mean that you’ve correctly cabled everything and placed the ES360 projector/camera unit precisely on its marks on the supplied sheet—you’re ready to begin scanning.

Well, almost. There is one very peculiar problem I noted during my first attempts to use the scanner. For some reason, the scanner would not project the structured light pattern on the object. Eventually, after a call to the very helpful Afinia support line, it was determined that this button was the problem. It’s the power button for the projector, and it’s illuminated with a blue LED—whether it’s off or on! When you first power up the scanner, the button shines blue, but it is actually turned off! You must press the button to light up the projector. And, of course, it remains blue throughout this process.

You’ll also need to install the Afinia ES360 software on your computer. This is a straightforward process, although you must provide a license key that comes with your equipment.

I must say, however, that the software is for Windows-based systems only, and there are no versions for other platforms. No problem, I thought, I’ll just boot Windows natively on my MacBook.

Well, it turns out that this does not work. In spite of valiant efforts by me and Afinia support, the relatively current MacBook was unable to run the Afinia software properly, having many problems with the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). My recommendation: Do not attempt to use the ES360 unless you have a non-Mac Windows PC handy. Once moved onto a current Windows PC, the software worked perfectly and instantly.

The calibration box used on the Afinia ES360 desktop 3D scanner.

The most important activity to perform before scanning is calibration. This function ensures that the hardware and software are in tune with the imprecise positioning of the two components comprising the ES360. Calibration involves placing this marker board on the turntable in several positions while running the calibration routine. It’s pretty simple and takes only a few minutes. You must do this any time you move any of the scanner’s hardware components.

If you don’t perform the calibration process correctly, your scans will turn out extremely distorted. Now you’re ready to scan an actual part. I’ve found that the best results occurred with light-colored objects.

Scan options available for the Afinia ES360 desktop 3D scanner.

You’ll need to give the system a hint about your object by picking one of these options. Basically, you’re trying to ensure that the cameras can pick up the structured light patterns by playing with the brightness.

Once the scan starts, the turntable presents several views to the camera and projector, which display the structured light patterns. It takes about three minutes to circumnavigate the object and a couple more minutes to develop the 3D model.

A very successful "hippo" 3D scan made by the Afinia ES360 desktop 3D scanner.

Results can be quite good if you have everything set up correctly, as I achieved with this scan of a friendly hippo model.

Another excellent 3D scan made by the Afinia ES360 desktop 3D scanner.

Simple objects scan very well, such as these stacked wooden blocks.

A challenging 3D scan subject.

But I must say that there are plenty of objects that are challenging to scan, such as these clear eyeglasses. The light patterns pass through the lenses and cannot be seen by the scanner.

Further reporting on issues not included in this article can be found here on Fabbaloo.