This article is for V2 and V1 3D scanners.
The Matter and Form 3D Scanner is a laser-based scanner. Laser scanners work by shining a laser at an object, using a camera to capture data that is returned from the laser hitting the surface of an object and then using software to stitch all that data together. On the Matter and Form scanner, as the lasers pass over the surface of an object, data is generated at a rate of approximately 2,000 points per second. This data is comprised of individual points that record things like surface detail, distance from the camera, texture, and color. These points, when viewed collectively, form a “point cloud” that is a direct representation of the scanned object.
The scanner is very good at capturing organic shapes. Curves, surface detail and outer geometry scan very well. Deep depressions and overlapping features, however, are difficult for the scanner to capture accurately. For example, it would be able to scan the outside of a drinking straw but not all the empty space on the inside of the straw. Like a photo camera, the scanner can only capture what is in its field of view.