In order to make 3D printers ubiquitous there needs to be an easy way to create or access digital files. A number of companies are already working on making 3D scanning much easier including one German retail shop that is looking to capture frozen moments in time. TWINKIND has a reservation required photo booth that can instantly create a 3D file of whoever steps in the booth.
 |
| 3D Print From TWINKIND |
Learn about more ways to 3D print a replica of yourself
 |
| Detailed miniatures look exactly like the person who stepped in the 3D photo booth |
If you are interested in getting your own likeness in a figurine the only way currently is to travel to the Hamburg home of TWINKIND. For hobbyists, home consumers, and those who do not live near Germany there are other options though. Leading 3D printer company, Makerbot, who was recently acquired by Stratasys, has already announced a 3D scanner.
Read more about Crowd Funded 3D Printing Projects
It should come as no surprise that the crowd funding community is also in on the trend. One current project, Fuel3D, is looking to release a sub $1000 handheld scanner. With already more than 200% funding Fuel3D looks like they’ll have a lot of orders to fill – hopefully the new flood of scanners leads to a wave of great scans available across the web.
It is important to note that the above noted scanners are more than just 3D cameras. Unlike simple devices, like Poppy, which give a standard single lens camera the ability to shoot in steroscopic, a true 3D scanner creates a complete 3D file of the subject.