HP 3D Scan FAQs

My USB key is not working correctly.

  경고:

The USB key containing the HP Scan software is not write protected. Make sure you do not accidently delete required files from the thumb drive.

If you have accidentally deleted files, we can help you restore the HP 3D Scan software (by download) and the license file (by e-mail).

A high-resolution camera is connected to one of the 2 USB ports located on the left side of the laptop. The system can detect the presence of the camera, but cannot show the streaming video from the camera.

To fix this, connect the high resolution camera to the USB port on the right side of the laptop. If you are using more than one camera, you can connect a USB hub to the right side of the laptop.

The HP 3D Automatic Turntable Pro status is red or off-line after the computer wakes from hibernating.

To fix this, remove and reconnect the USB cable for the turntable to the computer. You might also need to close and restart the HP 3D Scan software after reconnecting the USB cable.

If the connection between the Automatic Turntable and the computer (Windows 8.1 with AMD processor) is lost during a scan, HP 3D Scan cannot reconnect to the turntable.

To fix this, close the HP 3D Scan software and restart the computer. Once restarted, launch HP 3D Scan and reconnect the turntable.

With Windows 10, the HP 3D Scan software might crash if you cancel a scan and then immediately discard the scans before receiving the Alignment message from the HP 3D Scan software.

If this occurs, close the HP 3D Scan software and then restart it.

To prevent this, when canceling a scan, wait until you receive the Alignment message before deleting the unwanted scans.

Generally, you can scan all visible matte surfaces that do not move for at least a few seconds of scanning time.

The HP 3D Scanner can create 360° scans by combining single scans of views from different sides. The scans overlap to make correct alignment easy.

The HP 3D Scanner captures the 3D surface as a triangle net (point cloud plus connecting triangles) at the correct scale.

By clicking one more time with the same camera, you can record textures so you can create a colored model.

The HP 3D Scanner is mainly used for objects between 30 mm (1.1 in) and 500 mm (19.6 in). However, the entire setup is scalable and other sizes are possible if you adapt your hardware.

Scan sizes larger than 2 meters (6.5 ft) require special setups. You will need to calibrate the scanner for the given size, which requires a 90° calibration corner in about the same size as the object. It is possible to scan large objects by scanning smaller regions separately and combining them later.

You can scan most surfaces; however, if the surface is shiny, reflective, translucent, or very dark, cover it with a third-party coating spray.

For the best resolution and accuracy, we recommend using one of our complete scanner products. For technical info, see the HP 3D Scan website.

Yes. You can scan human faces.

Yes. Scanning regions like the face or back is easy. Scanning the whole body requires either a large setup or combining several scans.

If you need more than one scan, for example to get a 360° model of the face including both ears, the person should not move between scans, keeping the body as still as possible. Otherwise the single scans won't fit together correctly.

Yes. However, if the parts are too shiny or too dark, they will not reflect the projector correctly. Use a third-party whitening or coating spray to cover the object.

Scanning jewelry is rather difficult. With the HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3, you can get a resolution of up to .05% of scan size (up to .05 mm). Shiny objects must be covered with a third-party coating spray, which can sometimes be difficult to wash out of small grooves. Deep undercuts are difficult to obtain.

To scan a car, you will need a very large setup. You can also scan separate small regions of less than 1 meter by 1 meter, overlapping them, and then combining them later in the software. Shiny surfaces must be covered with a third-party coating spray.

Scanning undercuts and deep holes is possible with limitations. The HP 3D Scanner uses triangulation, which means that the camera and projector must have a certain distance between them. They must look at the object from different directions with at least 10° between them. You can only obtain surface regions which can be seen by both the camera and projector at the same time.

For example, you can scan only surface regions that you can see with BOTH of your eyes at the same time.

Yes. Outdoor scans are possible; however, try to avoid bright daylight or direct sunlight. On the scanned surface, the projector must be significantly brighter than the environmental light. You will also need a power supply for the computer and projector.

The following steps describe how to scan with the HP 3D Scanner.

1. Setup: Scale the setup according to the object. Position, align, and focus the projector and then the camera depending on the scanned object size. Adjust the exposure/brightness.
2. Calibration: Place the 90° calibration corner at the object's location. Then calibrate the scanner.
3. Scanning: Each scan requires one click. Collect several scans from different sides of the object making sure the scans overlap. The most convenient way to perform 360° scans is to use the HP 3D Automatic Turntable Pro.
4. Texturing: With the Auto - Grab Texture option enabled, you can grab a texture with each scan.
5. Alignment: The collected scans are aligned to each other one by one. The user defines the order by marking which scans are neighbors. As long as the scans overlap sufficiently, the scan is automatically aligned correctly with no markers necessary.
   If you are using our motorized turn-table, the HP 3D Scan Software collects and aligns all the scans around the object with one click.
6. Fusion: When all scans are aligned, the Fusion process computes one closed triangle mesh without overlapping.

No. Remove the calibration panels during scanning. After calibration, you can move the entire scanner, but do not move the camera or projector on the red bar.

The camera and the object should be as close as possible, so that the camera can see the scanned surface and not much more.

The intersection angle, the angle between the camera view direction and the projector direction, should be between 15° and 30°. Ideally, this angle should be between 20° and 25°, or between 10° and 15° for stereo setups.

Generally, a darker room is better for scanning. Direct sunlight is too bright, but some environmental light is OK; you don't need complete darkness. The most important factor is that the environmental light is constant during scanning. The projector must be brighter in the camera image than everything else.

Structured Light scanning is always performed without calibration panels, which are required only to calibrate the scanner. Set up the scanner for the desired scan size, fix all screws, then calibrate.

After calibrating, place the scanner on its tripod in front of the object and scan surfaces or patches of the size for which it was calibrated. This can be up to 600 mm (23.6 in) with the included calibration panels, but even more is possible by scanning larger surfaces in small pieces with overlapping areas, then aligning them in the software.

As long as the camera and projector are not moved with respect to each other, and their focus is not changed, the scanner does not need to be recalibrated.

The calibration patterns are included as PDF and CDR files in the HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5. To find the patterns, click Start, click Programs, click HP 3D Scanner, then click Printout. Print them in any size to fit the object you want to scan.

To perform automated 360° scanning, use the HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S2 or the HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3 together with the HP 3D Automatic Turntable Pro.

Yes. To scan with two cameras, see our Dual Camera Upgrade Kits.

Extended View is available only when using two cameras. It also depends on the selected Scan Mode.

Single Scan: Extended View is available.

Manual Scan Sequence: Extended View is available but not all scans are aligned.

Automatic Turntable: Extended View is not available. When using a motorized turntable, Extended View it is not necessary. Instead, set a higher Number of Scans.

Background Scan: The scanner automatically makes background scans for both, with Extended View on and off.

In general, Extended View scans are less precise than Stereo scans (Stereo = Extended View off). Use Extended View only with care.

No.

Yes. DAVID 4.x contains both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5 is 64-bit only.

No. There are no plans for a Mac or Linux version at this time.

As a workaround, some people have used the HP 3D Scan Software within a virtual machine. A workaround for Mac would be to install Windows on a Mac computer using Bootcamp. However, HP cannot offer support for these systems.

At this time, the software is available in English, Chinese, Czech, Estonian, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.

The manuals are available in English and German.

The origin (0,0,0) lies at the center of the calibration pattern in the corner.

• The X axis lies horizontally inside the right calibration panel.
• The Y axis points upward.
• The Z axis lies horizontally inside the left calibration panel.

If you move the scanner after calibration, the origin and axes move with the scanner, meaning they stay at the same position relative to the scanner.

Yes. The HP 3D Scan Software does not create a machine program that drives your printer or CNC, but these machines usually have software that can import 3D triangle meshes.

These machines usually require a water-tight 3D model, a model which has no holes, so that inside and outside are clearly defined. The HP 3D Scan Software's single scans are not closed, but the last processing step, the Fusion, can create water-tight models.

Yes. The HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5 offers measurement and mesh comparison functions. In addition, you can export files in standard 3D file formats (OBJ, STL, PLY) which third-party software can import for analysis. The 3D data are at absolute scale, usually in millimeters.

Meshlab is free and offers point-to-point distance measurements. Rhino3D and Geomagic are other powerful 3D software programs.

The HP 3D Scan Software exports to the OBJ file format. This is an ASCII text file that contains a 3D point cloud plus triangles, surface normals, and texture coordinates. If you need only the point cloud, read all lines that start with V. Each line stores the X, Y, and Z coordinates of one 3D point. The reference coordinate system is the center of the calibration corner, with the Y axis pointing upward.

In your 3D software, look for an import function for OBJ, STL, or PLY files. Some programs might require an import plugin.

You might also be able to find a conversion tool to convert OBJ or STL files into the format that you require.

Yes. We offer a trial version that can be used indefinitely. Use the trial version if you want to test the compatibility with your camera and other hardware.

The trial version has full functionality, except that the 3D scan results cannot be saved or exported.

Our licenses have no time limitation. Each license is valid for one major release version (for example Version 4), and can be used with all its minor version updates (4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, and so forth). All minor updates are free.

Major upgrades can be purchased from a reseller in your country. To locate a reseller, see the HP 3D Scan website.

We have tested many cameras and projectors and received many reports from our forum user community. Based on this experience, we have put together complete scanner packages that contain the best value hardware components.

The HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S2 and HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3 are complete Structured Light scanners. They contain our favorite cameras, a projector with a specially adapted lens, precise glass calibration panels, a stable tripod, mounting rail, and all necessary cables.

We are able to offer these packages at a price lower than the sum of their contents.

The system requirements are listed below:

• 64-bit Windows 7, 8, or 10
• Available HDMI port
• Two available USB ports (An additional USB port is required for a stereo scanner or the Dual Camera Upgrade Kit)
• Microsoft. NET Framework 4.5

The following are recommended for best results:

• Dual-core processor
• 2 GHz
• 8 GB RAM

1. NVIDIA or AMD graphics card (mid-priced gamer card)

The camera specifications are listed below:

• HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S2: Monochrome, 1.2 MP standard camera
• HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3: Monochrome, 2.3 MP HD camera

Try the following suggestions if your scans contain noise.

• Make sure your camera is as close as possible to the object, so that the object nearly fills the whole camera image.
• Camera properties: Decrease the gain value (for most cameras to the minimum); instead, increase the exposure time (or the mechanical aperture size).
• Increase Projector Brightness in the HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5.
• Make sure the red sine curves are not too low. Increase camera exposure if necessary.
• Decrease environmental light so that when you cover the projector lens with your hand, the camera image is nearly black.
• Select a better SL Pattern Parameter profile, such as Quality.
• Try a larger intersection angle; this means a larger distance between the camera and projector.
• As a final step in the scan process, use the Smooth Average filters.

If your scans are wavy, try the following suggestions.

• Make sure the red sine curves are not distorted. They should not be cut off at the blue lines anywhere in the camera image.
• On shiny objects, avoid direct reflection of the projector light in the camera. You might have to cover the object with a third-party coating spray.
• The camera exposure time must fit to the frame rate of the projector. This is usually 60 Hz, so set the exposure time to 1/60s. When the camera looks at the projection, the camera image must be constant, with no flickering or pulsing. The red curves must not move up and down.
• Make sure everything is completely still. The object must not move, for example, a breathing person must hold their breath. The camera and projector must also remain completely still.
• Make sure the environmental light is constant and not flickering. Avoid fluorescent lighting.
• In the projector menu, make sure all filters are neutral, with no artificial contrast or brightness enhancement. Ensure that the keystone correction is set to 0 (off).
• Set the projector to its native resolution.

Try the following suggestions to increase scan speed.

• Select the Speed profile in the Structured Light menu in the software.
• Turn off texturing if you do not need it.
• Use a faster computer.

In the HP 3D Scan Software, adjust the Projector Brightness slider using the following instructions.

1. Set your scanner brightness settings for the dark surface regions.
2. Reduce the projector brightness for calibration with the white panels.
3. Scan the object. The scan will include only the brighter surface regions. Save the scan, and/or add it to the list.
4. Increase the projector brightness again. The next scan will then capture the dark surface regions.
5. Combine the scans in Shape Fusion. If you have not moved anything between the scans, alignment is not necessary. If there are faulty scan data, increase the Quality Check filter value, or remove them with the Cleaning Tool in Shape Fusion.

• Make sure your camera is as close as possible to the object, so that the object nearly fills the whole camera image.
• Make sure the camera and projector are perfectly focused on the object surface.

Try the following suggestions if your scan has outliers.

• Make sure the environmental light conditions are constant during each complete scan.
• Make sure the environmental light is significantly lower than the projector light.
• Avoid any movements in view of the camera, such as behind the object.
• On shiny objects, avoid self-reflection of the projector light. You might have to cover the object with a third-party coating spray.
• Use the Outlier Removal filter in HP 3D Scan (since version 4.2).
• Use the Scan Background/Background Removal filter in HP 3D Scan Software.
• If you cannot avoid outliers, delete them in the Shape Fusion menu. You can clean each scan individually or clean them all together.
• In the last step, Fusion, small outliers will disappear automatically.

If HP 3D Scan finds alignments that are mathematically good with lots of overlapping, but the alignment is wrong, try the following.

• Start the alignment again, using the Retry button.
• Use Contact Pair Selection to define one pair of contact regions with the mouse.
• Make sure the neighbor scans overlap by at least 30%.
• If the scanned object has large regular surfaces, select Use Surface Features to make the software detect and align distinct, irregular surface areas.
• If the object has been rotated around the vertical axis only (parallel to the calibration corner), use the Around Y Axis mode.
• If the object has a distinct texture or you can paint some lines on it, grab a texture with each scan and select Use Texture during alignment.
• If you know the approximate angle of rotation, enter it in the Known Angle field. Try positive and negative.
• If nothing else helps, align the object manually with the mouse. Keep the SHIFT key pressed and move/rotate with the left/right mouse button. With a little practice, this takes only 10 to 20 seconds. When you have achieved a rough alignment, use the Pairwise Fine Registration mode to make it perfect.

To make sure your scans are not distorted, try the following:

• The camera or projector cannot be moved after calibrating. If unsure whether this has happened, calibrate again.
• Make more scans, so that neighboring scans overlap more.
• If the object has a distinct texture or you can paint some lines on it, grab a texture with each scan and select Use Texture during alignment.

If the colors are wrong, calibrate the scanner again to update the White Balance.

If your 3D object has the wrong scale, try the following suggestions:

• When calibrating, make sure you enter the correct scale length before clicking Calibrate.
• The 3D data will be in the same unit as the scale value which you have entered (usually in mm).
• If you have entered the wrong scale, for example, if your value was factor 4 too high, all scan data will be exactly factor 4 too large.

• Fuse your scans with a lower Resolution setting. Do not re-fuse a Fusion result, instead restart Fusion with your aligned scans.
• Import the fused scan into Shape Fusion's List of Scans. Right-click its name in the list and choose Reduce Mesh Density. Then click the Save button below the list to save it again. Do not fuse the Fusion result again.

Try the following suggestions if you get bugs, crashes, and other strange behavior.

• Make sure you have the required Microsoft .NET Framework installed: DAVID 4 32-bit requires NET Framework 4.0 or newer; DAVID 4 64-bit requires NET Framework 4.5 or newer; HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5 requires NET Framework 4.6 or newer.
• Open Settings, click Advanced Settings, click Service, then activate the Debug Console. Check whether there are any messages in the console window.
• Check the HP 3D Scan user forum. If the problem has not been reported yet, enter it in the forum.
• Save your work regularly (single scans, or aligned scans in the list), using the Save Project function.

The USB key containing the HP Scan software is not write protected. Make sure you do not accidently delete required files from the thumb drive.

In some cases, the USB key can be repaired online. Is the USB drive readable? Do you get an error message? Have you tried it in another computer?

If possible, format the USB key. We will help you restore the HP 3D Scan software (by download) and license file (by e-mail). Then the USB key does not have to be sent by mail.

If the key is broken beyond repair, contact your dealer.

In the HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5, check the license status in the Help menu under License Info.

Check the following if a No license file message displays.

• HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5: The license file name is DAVID5_license.lic. The license must be located on your DAVID or HP 3D Scan USB key in the \DAVID5 folder.
• DAVID 4.x: The license file name is DAVID4_license.lic (PRO version) or DAVID4E_license.lic (ENTERPRISE version). The license must be located on your DAVID USB key in the \DAVID4 folder.
• DAVID 3.x: The license file name is DAVID3_license.lic. The license must be located in the same folder as the DAVID3.exe file, usually in C:\Program Files\DAVID-Laserscanner3 or X:\DAVID3\ on a DAVID USB key.

Check the following if a License file not valid message displays.

USB version: Make sure your HP 3D Scan USB key is plugged in and the license file is available at the location indicated in the previous section.

Single PC license: If you have migrated to a new computer or operating system, we will have to exchange the license file. Send an e-mail to 3Dsinglelicense@hp.com with your new Registration ID copied and pasted as text.

To find the Registration ID on your new computer, start HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5, open the Help menu, and look under License Info.

You can order from one of our resellers in your country.

To locate a reseller, see the HP 3D Scan website.

No. However, the calibration patterns are included as PDF and CDR files in the HP 3D Scan software and USB version. The files are located in the Printout subfolder. You can print them scaled to any size, adjusting the pattern size to fit the object you want to scan.

The pattern must be scaled equally in all directions. The center positions of all markers are important since HP 3D Scan does not measure their size. See the user manual for more information.

No. Our products are not injurious to your health.

We use a video projector that is not dangerous to your health. However, we recommend not looking directly into the projector beam. When scanning your face, close your eyes or look into the camera.

Yes. The projector was originally designed for these tasks. Our special optics (extended focus range) do not prevent you from using the projector for displaying presentations or watching movies.

Contact a reseller in your country and request a demo or test system. Tell them your requirements (object size, surface, required resolution), and they will recommend the right hardware and explain the possibilities and limits.

To locate a reseller, see the HP 3D Scan website.

Upgrades for DAVID 1 and DAVID 2 are no longer offered.

You need to purchase the HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5 from a reseller in your country. To locate a reseller, see the HP 3D Scan website.

There is no upgrade to DAVID 4 Pro. You need to purchase the HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5 from a reseller in your country. To locate a reseller, see the HP 3D Scan website.

To upgrade your DAVID 4 license to HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5, purchase an upgrade code from a reseller in your country.

To locate a reseller, see the HP 3D Scan website.

After you have purchased an upgrade license and have the upgrade code, you can upgrade directly from the software, but you must be online.

Use the following steps to upgrade your license:

1. Go to the download URL to download and install the new software version onto the computer.
2. When the new software is installed, click Help, then click License and Version Info.
3. In the License and Version info screen, click Upgrade DAVID 4 to HP 3D Scan Software v5.
4. Complete the information in the License Upgrader form, then click Start Upgrade!
   사진 : License Upgrader - David 4 to HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5

   
   The upgrader automatically connects to HP and registers the upgrade, then stores the new license info on your license USB.

SLS-2 or SLS-3 Pro. If you purchased the HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S2 (SLS-2) or HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3 (SLS-3), the HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5 software was included. 

David SLS-2 or David SLS-3. If you purchased the David SLS-2 or David SLS-3, DAVID-4 software was included. 

Stereo: If you want to upgrade to stereo, you need HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5 software. You should purchase the HP 3D Dual Camera Upgrade Kit and HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5.

For more details, see the HP 3D Scan website.

You can order software, projector, camera, and calibration panels.

The HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S2 and HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3 packages contain the following:

• Industrial camera with focusable lens
• Video projector with special lens for large focus range
• Mounting rack with flexible configuration options
• Tripod for stable setup
• Calibration panels (different sizes) for multiple scan volumes
• USB drive with HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5
• All required cables

The SLS-2 and SLS-3 camera is monochrome, which is better for 3D scanning. However the SLS-2 and SLS-3 can still capture COLOR textures. HP 3D Scan uses the color projector to measure the reflectivity for different colors on the object surface.

You need two available USB ports - one for the camera and the other for the HP 3D Scan Software USB key (for licensing).

An additional USB port is required for a stereo scanner setup or the Dual Camera Upgrade Kit.

The HP 3D Structured Light projector is a standard projector but with specifically modified optics for an extended focus range. With the extended focus range, you can scan small objects because it can focus to screen sizes starting at 60 mm (2.3 in) and go up to infinity.

The weight and dimensions of the box are listed below:

• Weight: 8.7 kg (19.1 lb.)
• Size: 632 x 342 x 218 mm (24.8 x 13.4 x 8.6)

None of the Starter Kit components are suitable for structured light scanning. Therefore, purchase the SLS-2 or SLS-3 package.

For information, see the HP 3D Scan website.

Contact a sales team in your region.

USA: Contact Synnex

Canada: Contact Synnex

Latin America: Contact Ingram Micro-Miami