• Resolution of up to 0.1 mm/px, 0.06 mm/px or 0.02 mm/px 

• Object sizes from <10 - <50cm

• Camera resolution from 5.0-8.0 megapixels

• Digital CCD camera technology

• Measuring times of 1-2 s

• File formats: . ply . stl . vrml . obj

• Larger scans are also possible by arrangement

To order a 3D scan, employees of the University of Cologne must specify a costcentre of their institute, institution or department. The costs of the scan are re-booked internally.

Students must pay the costs via acorresponding cost centre, e. g. their own faculty. Students may also use the services of the 3D laboratory for university purposes only. A person responsible for the cost centre must confirm this.

In addition, please fill out the application form for a 3D scan:

Application for a 3D-Scan (PDF; 140 kB)

Please note the information on the secondpage of the application as well as the information due to the describtion of the object and further options The choice of options significantly affects the costs of the 3D-scan.

Please also contact the RRZK Helpdesk to arrange a transfer date for the object to be scanned.

The 3D scanner is the smartScan model of the company Aicon 3D Systems. It is a white light scanner that with miniaturized projection technology.

This means that a projector projects an image of black and white stripes onto the object while two cameras capture the object from different angles. The surface of the object is calculated using the curvature of the strips.

With the scanner, small and medium objects up to a size of 50cm can be scanned easily. With additional tools, we can first partially scan larger objects and assemble them digitally.

Since the scanner works over a projection with white light, the color and material of the object also play a role. Light, smooth, matte surfaces are ideal for capturing the geometric structure. Very dark to blackspots, transparent areas and shiny spots are not detected without pre-treatment of the object, as the projected light is not reflected correctly. Such items can be pre-treated with a washable matting spray.

The scanner’s cameras record the images from the outside. This means that the scanner cannot detect angles and cavities that are not visible or only difficult to see with the human eye.

The default format for 3D objects is STL(without texture) or PLY/OBJ (withtexture). If you prefer a differentformat, we can make it possible by arrangement. You will receive your scanned 3D object once in the full resolution of your choice and additionally in a reduced and a coarse version. Furthermore, a backup copy of these files remains with us for one year, so that you have the opportunity to get them again.

We have put together some sample files in sciebo for you to see. The examples of the table tennis ball show the selectable detail options.