Four or five years ago, I got interested in 3D printing. Equally so, I got interested in 3D scanning, or the idea that you can capture an object from multiple viewpoints and create a 3D object.

There are different devices with which you can do this sort of creation – from a simple digital camera, to a smartphone, to full-fledged light or laser scanner. Of course, you also can draw something in a 3D design software package, from the screen up, so to speak.

I have always had an interest in preservation, which I wrote about here: 3D Scanning And 3D Printing For Cultural And Natural Preservation. In that piece, I talked about Google’s Project Tango, which is a development project using the built-in smartphone or tablet camera as well as additional sensors that can help you build a three dimensional model of an object or area.

I’d like to share the easiest method that I have used that allows you to create a 3D model of just about any object, at little to no cost.

3D Capture with a Smartphone

You do not need an advanced Project Tango phone today to create a 3D model; however, all you need is a smartphone or digital camera.  Along with an app from Autodesk called 123D Catch, you can take numerous photos of an object and then upload your photos to the cloud and in a little while (usually an hour or two), the software service will stitch your images together into a 3D model.

The method is not hard; you just need to be methodical. Typically, you move around the object and take photographs in two or three bands or levels.

Let’s say the object is a four-foot tall statue of a human child. You would move around the object shooting photos from the knee down. Try to stay in the same lateral position as you work your way around, in a full 360 degrees around the statue.

In your second pass, you would photograph from the knee to the midsection, working your way completely around the statue. You are striving to keep the camera lens the same distance from the object all the way around.

On your third pass, you would shoot the top portion of the statue. In that pass, I would shoot a few photos from as high as you can reach, aiming down toward the head or top of the statue.

Each pass around the statue, you would take between five and ten photos of each level, plus the few of the top. The idea is you are creating images that overlap one another both vertically and horizontally. This allows the software to have some room to stitch the photos back together into a 3D model for you to use in a variety of ways.

I used the 123D Catch app frequently on our around the country 3DRV journey, with multiple different smartphones I was testing. I had an iPhone 5S from Cricket Wireless that they were kind enough to loan me. I also had a Samsung S4 and S3 that I tested. I also used a Nikon DSLR frequently and would have to upload the photos when I could find a good broadband connection.  I also used the Autodesk ReCap software, which is a more robust version than the iPhone or Android app version.

Let me know what you are scanning and share your models! Here are some samples that I found on Autodesk’s site.

Gandalf the Grey is one of my favorites, by Amanda Jackson.

Then Fredzilla by Sami Gerges.

Last one is called “Online” by Robert Pettersson.

You can do some of your own searching of the Autodesk 123D Gallery.