Before, using my other scanners like the POP 3, or MINI 2, it always felt restrictive having to connect them to a laptop, and they also just felt more fragile.

Now with the standalone Miraco that functions as basically it’s own 16GB RAM computer, you can truly use it as a handheld 3D scanner without being tethered to a laptop or computer, which gives you more freedom, and just feels so much better.

It does mean you can run into framerate issues in some cases, but I’ll get into that. It’s most comparable to the Einstar 3D scanner, which requires a connection to a computer to run, but is considered one of the best 3D scanners in that $1,000-ish price range. I’ve also included a section comparing it directly with that, and my recommendation.

My Quick Summary: Should You Buy the Revopoint Miraco?

Overall, I think the Revopoint Miraco is the best 3D scanner out right now in its price range. I give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars, based on that its great accuracy, completely standalone usage so you don’t need a laptop connected, and for the editing suite built into it.

It feels more like a point-and-shoot 3D camera, whereas previous 3D scanners I’ve reviewed for 3DSourced felt more cumbersome. It’s a really nice experience to use, and I find myself using it a lot more than the MINI, even for smaller models, just because it’s easier to use.

Revopoint MIRACO 3D Scanner

Specs

Technology: Quad-camera Infrared Structured Light

Scanning Speed: up to 15 fps

Screen: 6” 2k AMOLED Touch Screen

Connector Type: USB Type-C

Compatible Systems: Windows 10/11, macOS

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Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Very versatile: with Near and Far modes you can optimize your scans for smaller miniatures, as well as larger scans of car accessories (or entire cars).
• High quality captures: I can see the difference in quality between the Miraco and the POP 3, which was previously their generalist 3D scanner, with sharper details caught.
• Doesn’t require a connection to a laptop: this is the biggest advantage for me. Not only does it mean more freedom when using it at home, but it also means I can bring this to any event and scan people’s faces, or bring to a practical job, for example for scanning a car interior, without having to connect it to anything. It’s very easy to transfer the models via WiFi or USB after.
• Charges quickly: you can get to around 85% in just 30 minutes, which is really handy if you’re often on the go and need to charge quickly.
• Pause and Undo modes really help with getting good scans: you can pause your scan whenever you want, and the Undo button lets you remove the last few frames and go backwards if you do ever get any bad data in your scan. Then simply press continue and resume scanning without any of this noise in your scan.

Cons:

• Arguably tries to do too much by putting 2 scanners in 1. The MINI 2 could be better for solely miniature scanning, while the RANGE can do a similarly good job for larger models. I actually disagree with this and enjoy the versatility, but I did still want to mention this. The Miraco is a lot cheaper than buying the RANGE 2 and MINI 2 individually, so it’s a better bundle deal overall.
• Expensive compared to other Revopoint scanners. However, for the specs and performance and what it allows you to do, it is excellent. But for basic miniature scanning, the MINI 2 you can get this for around $500 cheaper.
• Awkwardly placed power button. It’s not clearly marked as the power button, and also being on the side it’s easy to accidentally hit it. Very minor, but worth noting anyway.

Setup 

Setup was quick once I had charged the Miraco (it says to charge to at least 60% before use, but I charged it to 100% anyway). 

You’re asked to connect to WiFi so you can wirelessly transmit scans, your language, and date and time, before you’re ready to scan your first model.

Usually the screw-in is just for mounting for stationary scanning with the turntable. But because this isn’t tethered to a laptop, you can instead screw in a leather holding strap that goes around your wrists, giving you better control over the scanner in handheld mode.

You get the turntable, handheld leather strap, a variety of surfaces and 

My Hands-On Testing

Here’s a few of the 3D scans I tried out:

Statue

First I scanned the statue model that came with the Miraco in the box. I scanned it from two angles to get the undersides of it to then combine them in post-processing.

Plant pot

I first tested the Miraco on some flowers in a pot, as they had some pretty delicate features. It handled the more delicate flower features really well, but the color of the plant pot made it difficult to scan the pot.

Shoe

I then tested a white sneaker shoe to see how it picked up details for shoe design. I used a white Nike Air Force One trainer, and wanted to see how well it picked up the details, such as the Nike tick, the “Air” sign on the side, and the red Supreme logo on the side of the leather in the texture.

It didn’t really pick up the rectangle Supreme logo seen above in the mesh, but did a good job on most of the stitching, as well as the “Air” part.

I also tried a few shiny necklaces and rings, as well as some darker models, and while generally I think the Miraco picks up darker colors better than previous Revopoint scanners, it still can’t pick up black colors. You will still need to use a special matte spray to make these surfaces readable by the 3D scanner.

Also, one other model that isn’t in this article had a rose gold plant pot, which the Miraco could not pick up. So along with typical shiny silver, it can’t pick up less shiny rose gold either – this would still require the spray.

Features

For a quick overview of the specs, here they are:

• The actual 3D scanner lets you preview what you’re scanning with the 2K OLED touchscreen that’s 6 inches wide.
• Has a 48MP RGB camera with two sets of depth cameras for Near and Far modes, with 8K color capture for the textures.
• Revopoint claims up to 0.02mm precision, and up to 0.05mm accuracy
• It’s a 8-core 2.4Ghz computer, with USB connectivity and WiFi, and 16GB RAM and a 256GB hard drive. There’s also a 32GB RAM “Pro” version for $300 more.
• It costs around $1,300, but is often on sale for less.
• It weights around 750 grams
• Fully charged, it lasts around 2 hours, and charges to over 80% in 30 minutes.
• Two capture options: Continuous, where it captures constantly, or Single Shot mode, which captures via single shots.
• You can pause scans during progress and restart at another part of your model, for example if you want to re-start it when the turntable has shown a new side of your model. There’s also an “Undo” button to undo the last few frames of scanning which is extremely helpful if you get some erroneous data in your scan and want to remove it before continuing the scan again.
• There’s a setting for removing the surface the object sits on, such as stand used to prop your item up, or the desk the turntable sits on.
• The screen also can be pulled up, so you can scan your own face and see the progress in what Revopoint call “Selfie Mode”, which is useful. 

Software

There is built-in software within the Revopoint Miraco, so you can make basic edits on the device itself, for example the one-tap editing to turn the point cloud into a final scan. 

It basically runs a version of Revo Scan locally, so you get a lot of the same features for more precise editing as well, particuarly for projects where the one-click edit isn’t accurate enough for sharp details.

Then for any more detailed edits, there’s the Revo Studio software for Windows and Mac. You can get rid of noise in the background, fill in gaps, and generally you have much more control with Revo Scan than on the handheld Miraco scanner itself. 

Revo Scan can algo merge multiple scans together, for example if you’re scanning a trophy or a statue, and want to scan the model, and then turn it on its side to scan the base, you can then merge these together in Revo Scan for a complete 3D model.

But, I just want to also say that you shouldn’t really expect perfection in any 3D scan – no matter how good your scan data. For truly accurate reverse-engineering-level scans, you’ll need to do editing in post with specialist 3D software, though the Miraco gets you a lot closer to this level than most other 3D scanners, and certainly does a better job than anything else in the price range or cheaper.

Comparisons with the Einstar

Fully all-in-one and self-contained scanner. Doesn’t require a link to a laptop etc.

Doesn’t require a laptop connection, whereas the Einstar does

This is an advantage over the Einscan, which needs to be plugged into a laptop, and has pretty high requirements for it to run smoothly:

Component	Minimum PC specification	Recommended PC specification
CPU	Intel i7-7700H or above	Intel® Core i7-11800H or above
Graphics card	NVIDIA GTX 1050 or above	NVIDIA GTX 1060 or above
Graphics memory size	4 GB or above	6 GB or above
RAM	16 GB or above	32 GB or above
USB	2.0 or above	2.0 or above
OS	Windows 10/11	Windows 10/11

Since the actual computer is built into the Miraco, you don’t need a powerful computer to keep up with the scanning process. Many users do not have the 32GB RAM computer recommended for running the Einstar at a decent FPS, so the Miraco is great if you’re one of those people.

However, the Miraco’s 16GB RAM can lose frame rate sometimes

The Pro version is probably more stable and faster with its 32GB RAM, but sometimes the FPS could fall to below 10FPS when scanning with the Miraco. If you have a powerful computer to run the Einstar, it is probably going to be faster, and possibly more accurate, in some situations.

The Miraco can be used with Windows or Mac. The Einstar is not currently compatible with Mac

While Einstar say they are releasing a Mac compatible software soon, I could not use the Einstar currently as a Mac user, as it is only built for Windows currently. 

There are no such problems with the Miraco, which worked seamlessly with my Macbook.

Neither of them are industrial-level high-fidely, reverse-engineering 3D scanners. You still need to pay $10K+ for this.

While high-quality, neither the Revopoint Miraco or the Einstar are going to get you super high-fidelity scans for industry level reverse engineering. 

And for under $1,500 you shouldn’t expect that, ethier.

In fact, add a 0 to that ($15,000) and you get the realistic price of something like an Artec Eva scanner that has the quality for these types of scans. 

But for all other less industrial scans, the Miraco is probably the best out there for hobbyist and semi-pro scanning.

Third-Party Reviews

I don’t want to make my recommendation without mentioning what some other experts have mentioned online in their reviews, and give you a balanced recommendation. So, here are some other experts who both disagree and agree with my recommendations:

1. Superfastmatt

Prefers the Einstar overall, though this was before a lot of the new firmware updates that have improved the Miraco since this video was published. 

However, some others, such as @ispanico97 in the comments, disagree. I’ve also added some other comments from owners of these that were useful to understand.

2. PopularImagination

This review was very interesting, as it compared the Canon R5’s photogrammetry against the Revopoint Miraco’s 3D scanning.

Using the Revopoint Miraco, PopularImagination managed to get incredible detail on a scan of a Van’s sneaker. I have attached a screenshot below:

And PopularImagination found the mesh quality was better on the Miraco than the Canon R5. However, he found the Canon’s texture quality in the stitching and other areas of the shoe came out better than on the Canon, once the colors and textures were applied.

So, for a 3D scan, the Miraco is definitely the better choice. But for advanced 3D modeling, 3D animation, and rendering, especially in color, the Canon R5 came out better.

3. Artisans of Vaul

Found that while even small models have excellent definition up close, the Revopoint MINI 2 does slightly outperform it in detailed pieces. While obviously the Miraco is far more versatile and can do entire motorbike or car models as well, this is interesting to note, as if you are only interested in very small models, the MINI 2 might be the better choice for you.

I’ve taken a screenshot from this excellent review, and you can see the MINI 2 on the left has slightly sharper details on this model than the Miraco scan on the right.

However, Artisans of Vaul did find that the Miraco’s 3D model had fewer grainy errors than the MINI 2’s scan, which is a plus for the Miraco.

Undoubtedly, one of the best consumer-grade 3D scanners on the market right now is the Revopoint POP 3 scanner.

I had a blast testing the device and finding its limits over the last few weeks!

The Revopoint POP 3 scanner costs just under $600, and is extremely versatile, with multiple scanning modes for capturing objects of all shapes and sizes. The accompanying Revo Scan software lets you easily post-process and precisely edit the generated 3D models, such as to 3D print them. You can even do it on your phone!

In the following sections, I’ll take you through my in-depth review of the Revopoint POP 3 3D scanner, including its scanning accuracy, interface features, and more! Enjoy!

Revopoint POP 3 Scanner Summary

If you’re searching for a consumer-friendly 3D scanner that can produce professional results, the Revopoint POP 3 3D scanner should definitely be on your list. It’s unbelievably precise and can scan everything from simple widgets to a detailed 3D selfie.

Revopoint POP 3

Scanner Features:

Single-frame precision of up to 0.05mm 

Fast scanning speeds of up to 18 fps

An RGB camera with 30% larger aperture

Better color accuracy

9-axis IMU for a better tracking and frame stitching

Single capture range: 244 x 180mm

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Assembly & Setup

The Revopoint POP 3 arrives in a compact white package. Once you tear through the box, you’ll find a felt-wrapped carrying case that both looks and feels very high quality.

Inside the case is the POP 3 3D scanner device, a handheld tripod, an electronic turntable, and 10+ other accessories to help with the 3D scanning process. While we’ll go over more into the included accessories in a later section, they make the device suitable for scanning all sorts of special objects, regardless of size, texture, etc.

To get started with your first scan, take out the scanning module, tripod, turntable, USB-C cables, and, of course, the object you want to 3D scan. Also make sure to have your PC, laptop, smartphone, or tablet ready as you’ll need this to process the data from the scanner.

Begin by sliding the scanning module into the mount on the tripod. Next, screw in the USB-C cable to the backside of the scanning module and connect the other side (either USB-A or USB-C) to a power adaptor. If you’re using your laptop (or PC), you can power the scanner directly from an available USB port.

Now use another USB-C cable to power the turntable and set the switch to “CW” (clockwise). Place your object at the center of the turntable and extend the arms of the scanner tripod. Take your time to position the scanner (on the tripod) so it is directed at your object and fits the entire object in the frame.

On your chosen device, download the compatible Revo Scan software, available on basically any smart device. While the tablet and phone apps are usable, the desktop version of Revo Scan (5) provides a lot more tools for editing and improving your scan.

Next, you’ll need to connect your scanner to your chosen device, which is possible either via USB or a special Wi-Fi connection. The wireless option works perfectly, which is surprising given the amount of data transmitted between the scanner and your mobile device. However, I recommend using the wired option to lower the chance of any issues.

Once connected, open the Revo Scan application, turn on the turntable detection feature, and get scanning! After you’re done scanning, the software will guide you through the post-processing sequence and you’ll be left with a 3D model version of your scanned object.

It’s that easy!

Design & Features

The Revopoint POP 3 is a fan-favorite for far more reasons than just its futuristic appearance. The scanner offers an array of high-definition cameras, sensors, and other features that make it capable of accurate and precise 3D scans. Plus, the Revo ecosystem, specifically the Revo Scan software, brings a lot of additional value to the scanner.

We’ll take a deeper look into some of the Revo POP 3’s notable features in the sub-sections below!

Impressive Accuracy

The most impressive part of the Revopoint POP 3 is undoubtedly its accuracy and precision. The scanner blew my socks off by capturing every small geometry on the 3D models I was scanning. This scanner simply does not miss!

According to the manufacturer, the POP 3 has a single-frame precision and a point-to-point distance as low as 0.05 mm. In more simple terms, this scanner can capture details on objects that are roughly twenty times smaller than a grain of rice. So, unless you’re trying to scan your wife’s diamond ring, the POP 3 has got you covered!

As for what exactly you can scan, any object larger than a small 3D print (20 x 20 x 20 mm) and smaller than a motorbike (2,500 x 2,500 x 2,500 mm) should work with a high degree of precision.

On a separate note, Revopoint recommends scanning with the POP 3 anywhere from 150 and 400 mm away from your 3D object. However, you can always break these guidelines as long as you take other measures (e.g. using markers or scan spray) to ensure the scanner can capture enough “points” to generate a 3D model.

Multiple Scanning Modes

The Revopoint POP 3 can scan a wide range of objects regardless of size, texture, and complexity. This is only possible because the POP 3 has multiple scanning “modes” due to its wide array of onboard cameras and sensors, as well as the complex software supporting the device.

Furthermore, you can change the scanning mode by reconfiguring the physical POP 3 (e.g. keeping it stationary) and adjusting the proper settings in the Revo Scan software. You might want to do this depending on certain aspects of the scan you’re performing, such as the object’s shape and size, the surface texture, and even the amount of sunlight in the room.

Using the configuration I described in the “Assembly & Setup” section should work for scanning all small and medium-sized objects with opaque surface textures. However, for scanning objects with translucent or reflective surfaces, you should switch to marker mode.

You can check out Revopoint’s website to learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of each scanning mode.

RGB Camera

Another great feature of the Revopoint POP 3 is its built-in RGB camera. For any non-LED-lovers, “RGB” stands for red-green-blue and is the concept that allows many cameras to capture color in photos and videos.

The RGB camera on the POP 3 makes capturing the actual color of the object you’re scanning possible, adding another level of “wow” to the experience.

You can turn on the color scanning feature by clicking the color wheel icon in the Revo Scan software when scanning an object.

Integrated LEDs

Another feature of the POP 3 that goes above and beyond its competition is its integrated LED lights. When activated via the Revo Scan software, the POP 3’s two built-in LEDs start flashing from the front of the scanner.

These LEDs allow you to take accurate scans in settings with poor or insufficient background lighting. And, believe it or not, these two small LEDs can make a significant impact on the quality of the scan and resulting 3D model. 

Simplified Controls

As I’ve mentioned, the Revopoint POP 3 was the first 3D scanner I’ve ever used. And while my 3D printing experience lent itself useful in using the device, I had zero real background knowledge on how to use a 3D scanner. Regardless, the Revopoint POP 3’s onboard interface, as well as the GUI of the Revo Scan software, made using the device a total breeze!

If you look at the back of the Revopoint POP 3, you’ll see that there are only 3 buttons, each represented by an icon.

The “+” and “-” buttons control the exposure of the scanner’s depth camera, which helps when adjusting for light in your scanning environment. And, as you probably guessed, the play button icon in the center starts, pauses, and stops the scan.

You can also easily adjust the exposure in the Revo Scan software, as well as many other elements of the scan to further control the quality.

To be frank, I think the controls on the scanner’s hardware are a little pointless as all the same features can be controlled in any version of the Revo Scan software. However, it’s nice to at least have the option for direct, manual control over the scanner.

Device Compatibility

While 3D scanners have existed for decades, most require a desktop to post-process the collected 3D scan data. However, Revo made a point (see what I did there?) to make the POP 3 compatible with just about every type of device a typical hobbyist would keep around.

Furthermore, the POP 3 works on iPhones, iPads, Android phones, Android tablets, Windows computers, and Mac computers. Having tried the Revo Scan 5 software on most of these devices, I can honestly say that they are some of the most well-developed hardware-supporting applications I’ve ever used. Especially the iPad version, but we’ll go over that later!

Powerful Software

The POP 3’s hardware – sensors, cameras, accessories, etc. – are undoubtedly impressive. But the suite of software behind the POP 3 is really what makes this scanner stand out in a crowd.

As I mentioned, the POP 3 scanner works alongside just about any household smart device or computer. This is thanks to Revopoint’s relentless efforts to offer their flagship scanning software, Revo Scan 5, on iOS, Android, Windows, and MacOS platforms.

And you won’t have to worry about outdated software, as Revopoint frequently updates the Revo Scan application to improve usability and features.

As for the scanning software itself, the Revo Scan app is essential to generating and post-processing 3D scans. Once you connect your POP 3 to your compatible device, you’ll use the software to start the scan, monitor the progress, make adjustments to the point cloud data, and export the final model.

I was blown away when I first launched the Revo Scan 5 on my iPad Pro. The interface is modern and runs flawlessly, and all the features you need to create your first scan are easy to find.

I especially loved the split-screen layout of the Revo Scan tablet app. Moreover, you can view depth camera, RGB camera, and generated point cloud model simultaneously.

Not only does this look super cool, but the multi-view layout makes it easy to identify which areas of your model require additional scanning time. This feature is instrumental to consistently creating high-quality scans!

when using the desktop versions of the Revo Scan 5 app. I’d suggest sticking to the Windows or MacOS scanning software if you plan on capturing complex objects. That’s because these versions of Revo Scan 5 offer a boatload more editing features, which really let you perfect the final design.

I should also note that I ran the software on my iPhone (11 Pro) as well, and it handled the scanning and rendering with ease. However, the smartphone versions of the app come with the fewest features, so keep this in mind.

Included Accessories

The full list of items that come with the Revopoint POP 3 are below:

• Revopoint POP 3 3D scanner device
• Handheld tripod
• Marker topper
• Phone holder
• USB adaptors
• Various USB-C cables
• 2-in-1 mobile device cable
• Electronic turntable (USB)
• Calibration board
• Carry case (with zipper)
• Magic mat
• Marker dot sheets
• Sample bust
• User manual, quick-start guide, and warranty card

Most of the accessories are pretty straightforward, but some aren’t directly covered in the scope of this review.

For instance, I didn’t need to use the marker dots for any of the objects I scanned. However, they are extremely useful for scanning objects with translucent, reflective, or other abnormal surface textures. Additionally, using markers when scanning regular (opaque) models can still significantly improve the quality of the final 3D model.

The calibration board is also extremely useful when working with the POP 3, especially if you plan on scanning a lot of different objects in different locations. As indicated in the name, the calibration board lets you reset the tracking of the scanner so old scans don’t negatively impact the quality of new scans.

Lastly, the jumble of extra USB-C cables is meant to allow you to easily use the scanner with devices other than desktops and PCs. I loved the mobile cable and found it made powering the device while using it much easier!

Test Cases

Of course, features alone don’t prove this scanner’s worthiness; only real results can. To best show you the capabilities of the Revopoint POP 3, I scanned four unique objects across various platforms. The results are the following:

Human Bust

Included in the Revopoint POP 3 package is a detail-heavy human bust, meant to serve as a benchmark to evaluate the scanner’s accuracy.

This was my first 3D scan ever and I was instantly blown away by the astonishing results. The Revopoint POP 3 precisely captured the 3D model down to the tiny whisps of hair on the top of the bust.

Billiards Ball

Next, because I was conducting my review of the POP 3 on a pool table, I thought it fitting to scan a billiards ball. Of course, a black 8 ball has a glossy surface, but this helped me stress test the POP 3. Check out the results below: followed by 7 images the first placeholder is done

3D Printed Model

3D printing is one of the most popular use cases for 3D scanners and a personal passion of mine. So the next object I scanned was a little MatterHackers statue, printed in MatterHackers’ dichromatic filament. followed by 6 images the first placeholder is done

Potentiometer

My last test case for the POP 3 was a linear slide potentiometer that I had lying around. I thought this would be a great way to evaluate the POP 3’s abilities to capture more complex models.

While this scan is noticeably worse than some of the other items, it’s worth noting that I didn’t spend too much time trying to fix the point cloud. But with a bit more effort, you can drastically improve the scan quality by manually fixing areas that the scanner failed to capture.

Final Thoughts on the POP 3 Scanner

All in all, the Revopoint POP 3 is a beast of a 3D scanner. The hardware on the POP 3 is up to standard, if not far superior, to other budget-friendly 3D scanners these days.

You can really tell a lot of effort went into making this scanner as every feature on the device – from the simplified controls to the bright LEDs – is perfected.

But you don’t have to believe the endless list of specs notes on the product page. Through rigorous testing, the POP 3 has proven itself more than capable of consistently producing high-quality 3D model scans of everything from small electronics to detailed historic busts.

Just try to avoid scanning objects that are glossy or transparent, as the scanner’s performance with these surfaces is a little rusty.

But what really makes the POP 3 shine is its corresponding Revo Scan software. While the POP 3 would likely still be a top-tier scanner with low-quality software, Revopoint went above and beyond to give users a versatile, capable, and extremely easy-to-use platform to scan objects. It truly makes the scanning process seamless, literally!

Related posts:

• Revopoint Mini 2 Review
• Scanner Review: Revopoint Inspire
• Hands-on Review of the Revopoint POP 2

I’ve been hands-on with the Revopoint Mini 2 for the past week. The overwhelming impression is that Revopoint has designed an excellent 3D scanner that, though it’s obviously not as good as $15,000+ professional-grade models, pushes the envelope on what mid-range-ish devices can offer users.

My Quick Verdict

Thanks to a no-nonsense setup and intuitive workflow, the Mini 2 makes scanning simple all while producing scans that, with a little work, accurately reflect their real-world counterparts in quality, details, and dimensional accuracy. 

It’s geared towards small objects only, so do keep that in mind. For large objects steer towards the Revopoint Range 2 or the Miraco if you want versatility.

The Revopoint Mini 2 is one of the best 3D scanners for both beginners and those who want something in that no man’s land between budget and mid-range printers. It’s even good enough for professionals in fields like jewelry making and repair, industrial reverse engineering, or an Etsy shop producing figurines of tabletop minis. 

Revopoint MINI 2 3D Scanner

4.5

Features:

• Advanced Blue Light 3D Scanning
• Single-frame Precison: Up to 0.02 mm
• Fast 16 fps Scanning Speeds
• Wi-Fi 6 and
• USB Type-C ConnectIvity

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Whether you’ve never owned a 3D scanner or are upgrading, it’s user-friendly boxes while still delivering plenty of depth for those who want total control over their scans. 

However, it struggles when scanning featureless or color objects, but that’s a hurdle 3D scanning in general has yet to really achieve.

Testing

Scan #1 – Agrippa Bust

To begin, we scanned the Agrippa bust that came with the Mini 2. After tapping the New Project button, I adjusted accuracy, tracking mode, and object type per the instructions, choosing High Accuracy, Feature Tracking, and General Object. 

A gauge on the right side of the screen also provided information on finding the ideal distance to the model for the best scanning results, prompting me to get it as near to the ‘Excellent’ band as possible by physically adjusting the position and angle of the scanner.

I also set the depth camera exposure to automatic and did the same for the RGB camera. Generally, I found auto to be the best setting for those as the scanner and Revo Scan do the heavy lifting to tune into the optimal settings for solid captures. I also adjusted the spin direction and speed of the turntable via a set of simple controls built-in the side of the device.

I then tapped the Start button, and allowed for one full rotation of the bust before tapping the Complete button. As the turntable rotated, the program created an increasingly more detailed scan of the bust with color coding for both already-captured and to-capture points. 

After clicking the One-click Edit button, I did another second scan within the same project at a slightly higher angle to capture parts that were missed in the first scan. We followed the same process as before, then merged the two scans together. The merging function works exceedingly well, integrating the best parts of both to create a complete model. The merge quality was much better than the single scans.

I also went back and made some manual adjustments to fill in several holes, isolate and delete surplus and unnecessary points, and simplify the point cloud to iron out a few issues. 

Overall, the results were excellent – with the scanner capturing many of the finer details of the bust such as the hair and eyes, and doing so very quickly with little hassle.

I then exported the scan as an STL file before sending it to a slicer and creating a G-code file for 3D printing, and 3D printed it with my AnkerMake M5C. 

I’ve added a side-by-side comparison picture below showing the 3D printed version is pretty similar to the original, and gets reasonable similar to the level of detail. An encouraging first run for the Revopoint Mini 2!

Scan #2 – Ranni 3D Printed Model

To further test the Revopoint Mini 2, I next scanned a 3D model of Ranni from the videogame Elden Ring. I had previously printed it on a resin printer so it features lots of intricate details, notably in the hair, face, and cloak – more so than I would have gotten from my FDM printers.

I followed mostly the same procedure, with two merged individual scans at different angles for a more complete point cloud. The scanner captured some of the more hidden aspects of the model, notably in the hands.

This was the original resin print, so you can see how accurate the 3D scan of it is:

The end result, after a touch of post-processing to remove isolated points and fill in holes was, again, impressive.

The difference between the physical model is noticeable with a drop in detail, but the final scan is nevertheless a faithful recreation with a level of detail that would be hard to get with other consumer-grade scanners.

Scan #3 – Marble Run Track Piece

Next, I scanned a piece of track from a marble track with stacks of holes and awkward shapes to really put the Mini 2 through its paces. I took two full 360° scans and then merged them in Revo Scan to create a final model.

The final scan was almost identical to the physical object, capturing all the holes, indentations, and nooks well. I also sent the exported STL file to slicing software and was impressed with how it looked. The program didn’t struggle to slice it either, a good sign of the scan maintaining the part’s integrity and dimensional accuracy.

Scan #4 – Color Scan Test

The Revopoint Mini 2 features color scanning so to test this out, I scanned a colorful Lego character. I made two separate scans at different heights to capture the entirety of the character, then merged them together in Revo Scan.

The results were disappointing, with the generated model suffering from major alignment issues and poor color capture. 3D scanners have always struggled with color objects and, unfortunately, the Mini 2 appears to be no different.

With some heavy editing, I imagine the results can be improved somewhat, but out of the box, the produced scans aren’t good enough to create a viable 3D model for 3D printing or CAD software.

Unboxing and Setup

The Revopoint Mini 2 ships inside two layers of cardboard and a high-quality zipped protective, hard shell case with cutouts and mesh pouches for all the parts, documents, and accessories. 

The case protects the scanner during shipping and also scores points for portability with a built-in handle for easy transportation. 

Inside are the following:

• Mini 2 scanner
• Quick mount kit 
• Tripod phone holder 
• Mini turntable 
• USB Type-A to Type-C cable 
• 2-in-1 phone cable 
• USB Type-C to USB Type-A adapter 
• Calibration board 
• Marker topper 
• Magic Mat
• Markers
• Glue tack
• Turntable power cable
• Test Agrippa bust model

Unfortunately, our package didn’t include a quick start guide, which from what we understand should have as standard. But, a quick visit to the support page on the Revopoint website and the PDF version was easy to find.

The physical side of setup is straightforward: connect the quick mount adapter to the scanner then screw in the tripod, and finally hook up the scanner to your device using the provided USB Type-A to C cable. I used a PC, but there’s the option to connect via Wi-Fi, Mac, Android phones, and iOS phones should you prefer those.

I then powered the mini turntable using the turntable power cable (a USB Type-C to Type-A) by connecting it via USB to my PC. The cable is a bit shorter than I’d like, which could cause trouble if you’re working with a PC housed far from your work surface.

Lastly, I downloaded Revo Scan, Revopoint’s proprietary scanning software, and waited for the scanner to sync up. When this is completed, it shows a message on the screen, as well as a solid blue light on the physical scanner.

I was then prompted to calibrate the scanner by performing a full spin horizontally and then a full flip vertically. A simple, straightforward calibration that’s well-guided by on-screen walkthrough images within the Revo Scan software. After that, I could see the depth camera, RGB camera, and point cloud visualizations on-screen.

Overall, assembly and setup took no more than 10 minutes, so you’ll be up and scanning in no time at all, which is particularly useful if you’re scanning on the go.

Software – Revo Scan 5

Revo Scan is an all-in-one scanning program that covers both the scanning process and post-processing. It’s free to download from the Revopoint website. It allows you to make scans, adjust settings, make adjustments, apply post-processing fixes, and export your finished scan in PLY, OBJ, and STL format.

I particularly liked the live feed of what the camera is seeing both in terms of depth and the RGB camera, so you can better adjust the position of objects before you start scanning. Additionally, there’s a preview visualization of the expected data cloud for the object, giving you an idea of how well it can capture the object’s shape, color, and details. 

During the scanning process, the preview updates with every frame to offer the most up-to-date version of the mesh cloud. This is useful if you need to adjust the alignment, increase the exposure, or start again from scratch without wasting time on a failed scan. Once you’ve got a scan, Revo Scan offers a suite of post-processing tools as well as a one-click edit option that takes care of it all for you. 

You can go in and edit raw data points or the mesh, depending on your needs. From there the options range from isolating points, smoothing out the mesh, fixing overlaps, and filling holes – everything you need to prep a scan for export. 

Additionally, there’s a mesh function, which is where you’ll get the best results. The idea here is to make several scans of an object from different angles and heights, then stitch them together to get a more complete model. From our experience, it works well and greatly simplifies what is typically a labor-intensive task.

Load times are a little on the long side even on a fairly high-spec PC, but most processing is completed in under 2 minutes at worst.

Final Thoughts on the Revopoint Mini 2

The Revopoint Mini 2 elevates itself above the entry-level scanner category, staking a claim as one of the best consumer 3D scanners right now if you’re scanning small objects.

Though it’s capable of high-quality scans, the Revopoint Mini 2 is still very easy to use, whether that’s the setup, the scanning process, or the post-processing a scan.

It is powerful enough to satisfy the needs of users beyond hobbyists. Therefore, it’s a well-priced entry point into high-detail 3D scanning for jewelry making and restoration, small part reverse engineering, 3D printing, and even basic conservation work, for example, scanning coins or small artifacts for preservation.

However, at £799/$900 the Revopoint Mini 2 costs more than competing options, but other scanners under $1000 simply don’t offer this level of detail and such a seamless, hassle-free scanning experience from start to finish.

Main Specs

It has the easiest workflow with the excellent and intuitive Revo Scan 5 software, and the scanner itself is extremely easy to get started with – it took me 5 minutes to get scanning from unboxing it.

The software makes it extremely easy to edit scanned meshes on the fly, and it’s easy to merge and export scans so you can use them for 3D printing projects, 3D animations or VFX, or any other fun project you might want to use your scans for.

However, it is not as accurate as some more expensive 3D scanners. For example, the 0.2mm max precision is 10x larger than the Revopoint MINI (at 0.02mm), and 4x higher than the Revopoint POP 3’s 0.05mm. So, if you want to scan small, intricate objects at high resolutions, this is not powerful enough for you.

You can get the Revopoint Inspire by supporting this Kickstarter campaign.

Main Specs

• Minimum Point Distance: 0.3mm
• Precision: up to 0.2 mm
• Scan Speed: up to 14-18fps
• Min Scan Size: 50 x 50 x 50 mm
• Connectivity: via USB, WiFi
• Exportable File Formats: STL, PLY, OBJ
• Dimensions: 132 × 45 × 27 mm
• Price: $272 if backing the Kickstarter, then $439 at retail

Revopoint Inspire Pros and Cons

Pros

• Cheapest Revopoint scanner: ideal for entry-level 3D scanning needs.
• Beginner-friendly: extremely easy to get set up and started.
• Lightweight and portable: easy to carry around for scanning people or faces, and weighs just 140g.
• Fast scanning speed: up to 14-18 FPS
• Accurate: accurate up to 0.2mm

Cons:

• Not accurate as the Revopoint POP 3: as a cheaper, home 3D scanner, it does not have the premium features that the POP 3 does.
• Not suited for small scans: therefore, it’s less suited for jewelry and other intricate objects. For these precise applications, you are better off with the Revopoint MINI.
• Color meshing is not as accurate as more expensive scanners: though I was still impressed with the quality for such a low price, it is not as good as a more professional 3D scanner.

My First Thoughts on Unboxing

The Revopoint Inspire comes in a compact and smart box, with some useful accessories.

It took less than 5 minutes to take everything out of the box, attach the tripod to the 3D scanner camera, and plug the wire into my laptop. It comes with a USB-C adaptor, which is useful as I use a Macbook.

The accessories that come with the Revopoint Inspire include:

• The 3D scanner
• Tripod (which extends, and can also be held to use for handheld 3D scanning)
• Turntable and turntable extension kit
• Marked board for calibration
• USBs and USB-C adaptor for connecting the scanner and turntable
• Markers you can stick on any surface for scanning
• Blue tack
• A “Magic mat”
• Test scanning model of a statue

Testing the Revopoint Inspire: Statue Scan & Mesh Editing and Merging in Revo Scan 5

I first tested the statue that came with the Revopoint Inspire. It looks the same as the statue model that came with the Revopoint POP 2 when I tested it, and so I tried it in the same way.

I scanned the statue model stood up, and on its side, as I wanted to not only test its ability to scan accurately, but also the mesh editing, and merging features in Revo Scan 5.

Before merging the two 3D scans, I cleaned up the models within Revo Scan 5 using the Fusion, Isolation and Overlap features. These are easy to use and very intuitive, and if you’re a beginner you won’t struggle to use these features. 

Though, if you are brand-new and this intimidates you, you can use the “One-Click Edit” button – though there’s no guarantee it’ll get everything right.

Merging 3D scans together is very easy. You just select each of the scans in your project, and once you’ve cleaned up the noise, you merge them.

The final result was a good-quality merge overall. Sometimes merging can fail, and create distorted objects, but this one came out well.

If your 3D scan merging does fail, there are also ways to increase the chances of success.

If you switch to “Marker” merging mode, and carefully place markers in the same place for each of your mesh clouds, this increases the chance of a successful and high-quality merge.

There was a small bit of noise left over after the merge, but these are very easy to remove. Just select the Rectangle or Lasso select tools, drag these over the noise, and then remove them.

Color 3D Scanning

I tested the Revopoint Inspire’s color 3D scanning tools using this colorful Rubix cube. I had heard mixed reviews about the color meshing ability of the Revopoint Inspire, but actually I was very impressed by how well it captured each of the colors.

I 3D scanned the first angle of the Rubix cube and removed the noise, before scanning it from another angle to capture all six sides.

After I 3D scanned the other angles of the Rubix cube, I cleaned each point cloud up and prepared to merge them.

It was tricky to get the color 3D scans to merge properly on this model. This is because the sides were difficult to align, and I struggled to get the right face of the cube to align with the correct face of the other scan, causing the colors to mix with each other.

Here’s an example:

However, I did eventually get it to align and merge properly. The color 3D scanning features are passable, and for such a cheap price you can’t expect much more.

The Revopoint Inspire isn’t really designed for smaller objects like these, or for detailed color 3D scanning, so I’m fairly impressed with what it managed here.

Dark and Black Object Scanning

3D scanners notoriously struggle to read information on black surfaces, so I wanted to try a model with black parts to see if it could pick them up.

This toy model has visible black wheels, and unsurprisingly, the Revopoint Inspire can’t pick them up. You’d need to use a spray to make them visible to the scanner’s cameras.

These can be added in post editing, but it’s best to just use a matte spray here. There are also DIY options like hairspray or dry shampoos.

I tried another color 3D scan merge, which sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t:

It struggled to align the models perfectly, even after using the Marker mode. But, this can be easily done manually, so it’s not a big issue.

So, is the Revopoint Inspire it worth it?

Yes, the Revopoint Inspire is definitely worth the low price of $439. It’s cheaper than almost any other budget 3D scanner out right now, and it’s extremely easy to use for beginners looking to get started and scan at home.

It is not suited for very intricate scanning (get the Revopoint MINI for this), or for very large object 3D scanning (Revopoint offer the RANGE 3D scanner for large objects).

But is is an excellent entry-level 3D scanner for fun projects, 3D printing, and for creating fun assets for your animation, VFX, 3D modeling design, and other fun projects.

You can get the Revopoint Inspire by supporting this Kickstarter campaign.

Alternatives: How it compares vs other Revopoint 3D scanners

The Revopoint Inspire is an excellent entry-level 3D scanner, but there are better options if you have the budget.

If you want to 3D scan larger objects, the Revopoint RANGE is far better. It can capture larger objects and maintain high quality.

If you want to capture very small and intricate objects, the Revopoint MINI is better. It is ideal as a lower-priced jewelry 3D scanner and for other intricate objects like miniatures, dental casts, and more.

For a generally better quality 3D scanner that costs a few hundred dollars more, upgrade to the Revopoint POP 3. I have the POP 2 and it’s a great scanner, and the POP 3 builds on this with upgrades across the board.

Difference between the Revopoint Inspire and other Revopoint 3D scanners

Applications

Here’s some other 3D scanning applications the Revopoint Inspire is well suited for:

1. 3D modeling and design
2. 3D printing
3. Personal projects
4. Reverse engineering
5. Video game development modeling
6. Car modification
7. Art and cultural relics protection
8. VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality)
9. Education

It was accurate when scanning stationary objects like toys, household appliances and other parts, and we also used it to scan parts to 3D print, and to scan faces (but read on for our tips for face scanning!). Our calibration test confirmed the accuracy of 0.07mm, so it’s great for the price – but still, don’t expect industrial-level quality.

For more beginner hobbyist makers who want to scan things to 3D print, you’ll have no problem setting it up and starting your 3D scanning adventure in just 5-10 minutes.

However, the software needs tweaking and improving. Some of the English doesn’t read completely intuitively in the software, and it could generally be improved and optimized.

For example, if you want to export an STL file, if you select where you want to export it to, but press the enter button on your keyboard instead of the “ok” button on the menu, it doesn’t export, but exits out of the export process as if you had. (This happened on Mac, I don’t know if this is also a Windows problem.)

But overall, while the software is just adequate, the Revopoint POP 2 hardware offers great quality for the price, and more than makes up for it.

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Setup

We received the Revopoint POP 2 Premium Edition, which comes in a flattering grey case containing the neatly-packed 3D scanner, turntable, and various accessories.

While the Revopoint POP 2 comes mostly pre-assembled, there is a short 5 minute assembly process to get the scanner up and running.

If you’re connecting it to your computer or laptop, there are cables for both Mac and Windows. We tested it using an M1 Macbook, and Revopoint package the POP 2 with a USB C cable, as well as a USB A 3.0, so you won’t have any trouble connecting or have to use an adaptor. However, the turntable cable only uses a default USB, so if you’re a Mac owner like us, you’ll need to pay a couple of bucks for an adaptor.

Once you’ve connected the cable via the Micro B 3.0 to the Revopoint 3D scanner, and then to your computer, load up RevoScan software. You can download it for free on Revopoint’s site. It automatically previews both the RGB camera and IR depth camera views, as well as the scanner data benign captured so you can adjust to the ideal scanning position.

THE REVIEW

Revopoint POP 2

Available at:

Revopoint 3D here

Revopoint POP 2 Review & Test

First Scan

Revopoint ship the POP 2 with a statue object to use as your first 3D scan. Resembling a Roman marble statue the likes of Michelangelo would have chipped away at, we first tried 3D scanning the statue to check the quality.

To create a scan quality comparison, we used just the standard turnstile without any markers, and without the black sheet to cover the background. 

Then move the object far enough away from the scanner that the distance is measured as “Excellent” and click New Scan.

If you’re in a rush, you can select Fast Scan – but be prepared to suffer a slight loss in quality. For the best results, go for High Accuracy Scan. You can also pick what type of object you’re scanning, for example to focus on faces, heads, bodies, or standard objects, and you can also opt for a color scan or a no color scan.

Simply have the turntable on and turning, and start scanning (spacebar key is a shortcut) and you’ll start generating the point cloud.

When the model is scanned, simply stop the scan, name it and export it. You can choose between PLY, OBJ and STL file formats, but we chose STL to import into Cura and 3D print.

You can also turn the model on its side during the same scan to capture any difficult-to-scan areas, such as the top or within any overhangs. 

You can see the areas on the top of the head (there are other areas under the nose that also didn’t capture) missing because of the single scan position, and Revopoint’s RevoScan software will recognize and combine the two differently-located scans into one cohesive model automatically. 

The first scan was good – you can clearly make out the face and features, and the texture of the statue’s hair. This wasn’t a human face but a faux-marble statue, so the features were never as sharp to begin with – yet still, we wanted to sharpen up the scan by using the improved turnstile, background, and by optimizing our capture settings.

We switched from Feature mode to Marker mode – using the markers on the larger turntable (and adding many more on) to compare the quality with this mode.

We also used RevoScan’s intelligent detection features to combine two scans together: we scanned the model normally, paused then scan, put the model on its back, and then resumed scanning – it recognized the model and put the two viewpoints together.

We then 3D printed it using our Ender 3 S1 Pro:

Other Scans

We tried scanning multiple views of the same object, to then put them together in Revo Studio, Revopoint’s post-scan editing and optimizing suite. 

We tried a model of Latios, a Pokemon toy, scanning both the standard view, and with it upside down to capture the underneath.

Once we had captured these, we imported the two models into Revo Studio and merged the two together.

This gave us a fully filled-in model – and considering this is done automatically (you can tweak things manually if you’re technical, but we’d prefer to show you the automatic merge for newer hobbyists) it was accurate. There was a slight misalignment on the wings, but overall it recognized the areas and positions of the model well – and this can be fixed.

We also tried a few other objects, including another toy with some more precise insides, and a mug, to see how they captured.

For the toy (Firestorm from the original Robot Wars series) we set RevoScan to automatically fill any holes, so by the time we imported it into Revo Studio, it was a solid mesh. For the mug, we didn’t select this option, hence the model isn’t solid – the noise around the outside would have likely caused the shape to be distorted if we had selected this option. For the best results, use Marker Mode.

You do get occasional alignment problems, and there’s no going back once you’ve started a scan – you just have to cancel it and start again. Occasionally this leads to comical Frankenstein’s monsters scans – such as this three-handled mug that might have just reinvented haute couture design. 

These errors aren’t common though, and overall we found the Revopoint POP 2 to be very reliable and consistent.

Color 3D Scanning

You can also scan in color with the Revopoint POP 2, which we were very interested in trying out. We’d read online that you needed to select the fast scan option rather than high-quality scan mode to try this, so we chose that option – but it may be the case that you can use the high-quality option, we should have tried that (and will update this when we have!).

We first tried a 4×4 Rubik’s cube, to see how it would capture the bold and bright neon colors on the cube. Obviously, the cube surface and shape is easy to capture, but we were more focused on the actual colors, rather than torture testing the scanner on intricate shapes.

Strangely, it captured the black turnstile here, as well as the cube. So, in this case we would need to remove that black growth on the bottom of the cube in editing, a minor annoyance. You can select the clip plane option in the software to prevent this happening in your scans.

The yellows, oranges and greens were really bright and clear – I wasn’t expecting the colors to be captured so vividly. 

However, there wasn’t any black in this model, with black a notoriously difficult-to-capture color (bordering on impossible) as these sensors use light to capture the texture and whereabouts of an object. 

We then tried it on a toy model with black parts, a replica of a robot that competed on Robot Wars (the UK version of Battlebots), as well as on a shiny silver ring to see if it could capture both the intricate details on a small shiny object.

As expected, we couldn’t capture the black parts – but there are ways to get around this.

To make black surfaces show up, you need to spray them with a matting spray that coats them. It’s a similar story with shiny objects: you need a dulling spray to make them opaque to capture them.

These sprays are fairly cheap, but some things, such as human eyes, obviously can’t be sprayed, so you’ll have to make those changes in post-production, unfortunately.

Another issue was the shiny ring was too small: Revopoint say the minimum object size you can scan with the POP 2 is 20 x 20 x 20 mm, and perhaps the ring fell just below that.

But, clever tinkerers online have found workarounds for this by placing the small object on top of the larger object and scanning both, such as a white mug. Then you just remove the mug in post-processing.

Revopoint POP 2 Accuracy and Calibration

Much discussion has centered around how accurate these scanners actually are, and whether they’re as accurate as they say they are. The original Revopoint POP was advertised as accurate to 0.3mm, with this upgraded Revopoint POP 2 said to be accurate to within 0.1mm. 

So, we loaded up Revo Calibration, Revopoint’s software for re-calibrating your scanner as well as testing accuracy, and tested this. The results were an accuracy of 0.07mm – very impressive.

Face Scanning

A major part of desktop 3D scanning questions are around scanning bodies and faces, so this was something we will further update this article on in the future. We haven’t tried this as much as we would like – focusing instead on stationary objects. 

We will add more face scans we have more experience (we’re hesitant to make a judgment on how good it is for these without having really got to grips with it), but from our testing, we have one main tip: avoid using the auto fill in holes opinion in Revo Scan if you’re scanning faces.

Naturally, when scanning faces with other things around you (and the scanner sometimes loses its calibration with the face if you move it out of the optimal scan distance) you’ll pick up bits of noise. While these aren’t a problem and can easily be removed in post-processing, if you have autofill on, the software can sometimes create large growths on the side of your face from a tiny speck of noise.

This was one example: it was an accurate scan until a small bit of noise turned the scan into something you might want to sneak quietly around in The Last Of Us.

We suggest you take time to learn the distances well for scanning, which can take time to get used to if you’re brand new. 

However, the actual ability of the Revopoint POP 2 to pick up details on faces was actually very impressive – this scan distinguished accurately the small nasolabial folds and other features that I wasn’t expecting it to pick up on a human face.

This model above doesn’t capture how effective the low-cost 3D scanner actually was for scanning facial details – and we will update this when we have tried this out more.

General Tips and Tricks for the Best 3D Scanning Results with the Revopoint POP 2

• Make use of the various other accessories that come with the kit — The larger circular turnstile lets you place larger objects to 3D scan (the standard turntable isn’t big enough), and the kit comes with a number of black-and-white dotted pattern marker stickers that improve model precision and detection if using marker mode. Place a lot of these on your turntable, especially on smaller objects.
• We also recommend using the black sheet on any surface you use. If you’re using a workshop table, or even any other colored surface, you’ll probably be fine, but blacking out any background noise will deliver the best results.
• Tick the Clip Plane option to ignore the turntable in scans.
• Don’t use the fill holes option in RevoScan if you are scanning faces and have picked up any noise in your scan. It will add unwanted features to your scans.
• Press the software buttons when exporting files, don’t use shortcuts or the Enter key – it can trigger bugs.

THE REVIEW

Revopoint POP 2

Available at:

Revopoint 3D here

Software – RevoScan & RevoStudio

RevoScan

You can download all of Revopoint’s software tools for free from their website. The main tool, RevoScan, lets you start new scans, pick your settings, creates meshes (if exporting as an STL, not needed for OBJ and PLY), and lets you export your scans as either an STL, OBJ or PLY file for editing or 3D printing.

You get access to all the previews and data live with RevoScan: it’ll show you the grey-view picture from the depth sensors, the color data from the RGB camera, and the mesh cloud data picked up from the main scan (and any noise, if you aren’t doing it right).

You also get a live feed of your scan’s progress, so you can see if any alignment issues have occurred (you can’t undo this – you have to just cancel and restart the scan), and see how complete your point cloud looks, to choose when to finish the scan. You’re updated with the total number of frames captured, and the total number of points, as the scan goes on.

After a scan, RevoScan takes you to the next menu – the mesh. You can choose the level of mesh noise to remove, and the level of scan smoothing you want, if you choose manual mode – otherwise RevoScan will pick your settings for you. You also have the option of filling in any holes, which for some scans are useful, while others – such as when we tried scanning a face, and a small area of noise got into the scan, which when filling the holes created a zombie growth-like thing sticking out of the head!

We found scans mesh and finish in around a minute on average, though this will depends on your scan and the number of frames.

RevoScan can be buggy, such as the pressing enter rather than clicking the export button issue we mentioned in the intro. Some translations are off – Revopoint would benefit by paying to have the software translated properly to make it more intuitive and understandable. 

Alignment issues happened occasionally (such as in the three-handled mug we showed above – but maybe we’ve just accidentally re-invented modern appliance architecture) – however, when we better set up markers on the turntable, these happened far less. The Revopoint is a powerful and reliable entry-level 3D scanner – you just need to get the settings right and learn the intricacies.

RevoStudio

You used to have to post in a forum to get a license key (though the software is free), but now Revo Studio has come out of beta, you can directly download the software on their downloads page.

The software works decently as a 3D scan editing and optimizing tool for fixing and editing STL files (and PLY and OBJ). 

We tried the merge option to merge two scans together. We used a scan we did of a plastic Latios pokemon toy, scanning facing down, and facing up.

It’s worth noting that RevoScan will notice if you are scanning the same object positioned differently in some cases, such as the statue figure facing up, and on its back – but in some cases this doesn’t work, as we found out by trying to 3D scan the statue on its front and back, accidentally creating a two-headed Roman statue thing.

There are options for filling in holes (though RevoScan also has this option) as well as a variety of other features for improving your scans and removing anything extraneous from your final design.

Others found it buggy and reported it crashing often, but RevoStudio never crashed for us.

Revopoint POP 2 vs POP: the Differences and Upgrades

The main difference between the new POP 2, and the original Revopoint POP, is the significant improvement to accuracy. Whereas the original Revopoint POP shipped with an accuracy of 0.3mm, the POP overhauls this to an accuracy of up to 0.05mm – which we tested and confirmed to be at around 0.07mm.

The Revopoint POP 2 also now features two scanning options: Fast Scan for quicker scans, and High Accuracy Scan for patient makers who want top quality.

Improvements have also been made to the smoothness of scans via higher 10fps scans (vs 8fps on the original POP), and embedded 6Dof gyroscope for better shape, marker point and color feature cloud mapping and stitching.

Read more: Revopoint POP vs POP 2 vs MINI

THE REVIEW

Revopoint POP 2

Available at:

Revopoint 3D here

There is now also the low-cost Revopoint Inspire 3D scanner. I’ve also tested this, and you can read the full comparison in my Revopoint Inspire review.

Specs

• Price: $699 – Available at Revopoint 3D store here
• Accuracy: up to 0.05mm (confirmed 0.07mm in our test)
• Camera setup: 2x IR sensors, projector, RGB sensor
• Technology: dual camera infrared structured light
• Scan options: Fast Scan or High Accuracy Scan
• Scan modes: Features, Markers, Body, Face, Dark/Hair, Head
• Color: both color and no color scan modes
• Exportable file formats: PLY, OBJ, STL
• Single capture range: 210 x 130 mm
• Min scan volume: 20 x 20 x 20 mm
• Scan speed: up to 10fps
• Alignment: via feature, market, and color
• Weight: 195g
• Scanner dimensions: 154.6 x 38.2 x 25.6 mm
• CPU: Dual-core ARM Cortex-A7
• Connection type: micro USB
• Compatibility: Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS

Other articles you may be interested in:

• The best 3D scanners reviewed
• The best cheap 3D scanners
• DIY 3D scanners and 3D printable 3D scanners reviewed
• The best 3D scanner apps
• Revopoint Pop 2 vs Pop vs Mini compared
• Revopoint Pop 2 vs Creality Lizard and CR-Scan 01