Laser vs White light scanner comparisons

3D Scanning creates a 3d representation of an object using multiple views of the object. The object is often illuminated with various types of light patterns to aid digitalization.

Laser scanners  like the Revscan Creaform Scanner use either a single laser line or point to scan across an object. the sensor picks up the light and uses trigonometric triangulation to calculate the distance.

How a laser scanner works

Creaform Revscan scanner

 Structures Light or white light scanners  like the 3D3Solutions scanner use the same trigonometric calculation however it uses a series of linear patterns and projects a series of them onto the object and examines the edge of each line pattern to calculate the objects surface.


 

How a white light scanner works

3D3 Solutions Whitelight Scanner

 

Type	Laser Scanning	White Light Scanning
Overview	Use a laser light to mark the subject.	Uses a white light projector like the ones used for power point presentations to mark the subject.
Key Weaknesses	Slow Scan time	Light sensitive environments Projectors are higher cost than lasers Ideal for medium sized objects.
Key Strengths	Can scan in areas where there are various amounts of ambient light control.  Calibration tends to be easier to use because of this. Usually the best choice for industrial inspection and installed systems	Can scan over a million points fast, this is critical in many scanning applications. Usually the best choice for scanning human beings as there’s a low risk of permanent eye damage and humans move during the scanning process.
Speed	Generally on the order of 19000 seconds	Very fast 2million points in 3 seconds
Point Accuracy	Good.	Good.
Point Density	High but depends on time spent on scan. Resolution tends to be even through out the scan.	High, and is fixed to projector resolution. Often more dense along a particular axis.
Noise Level	Low	Medium
Object Size	Good for small, medium or large objects but you often need different scanning hardware for each case.	Most off the shelf projectors are good for medium to large objects. Custom projectors are needed for small objects