D435 for 3d scanning? / help to pick right camera

[ALast1]

Hi,

I'm looking at RealSense cameras and having hard time understanding which one will work best for my goal, 3d scanning of face.

I saw few posts on web abour D400 serie not being ready for 3d scanning, not working with easy 3d scan, ReConstruct or similar software. Is it so?

If this is correct, which camera model should I pick? I'm looking to get .obj's with textures out of it.

Thanks,

[MartyG]

Options for 3D scanning with the 400 Series cameras have improved in recent times.

LIPScan 3D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N14Pi6z-MkE LIPScan 3D with RealSense D415 - YouTube

DotProduct Dot3D Scan

If you are just going to be focusing on the face of a person who is standing still, rather than scanning the wider human body, then I would recommend the D415. The D435 has a wider field of view and a faster shutter (better able to cope with scanning objects in motion), but has more noise in its depth scans as distance of the observed object from the camera increases.

If you wish to explore the possibility of using the older software that you mentioned, 2015's RealSense R200 model is still available from Intel's online store. Its technology is considerably less capable than the modern 400 Series generation and its software and drivers are no longer updated, as it is a retired product. It does have the advantage of being especially suited for human body 3D scanning and generating .obj models though. The '2016 R2' RealSense SDK (the last SDK version to work with the R200) has a free 3D scanning program called 3DScan that can export obj.

https://click.intel.com/intelr-realsensetm-developer-kit-r200-951798.html Intel® RealSense™ Developer Kit (R200), VF0830

Edit: for your convenience, I have attached a PDF scan of the 3DScan documentation to this message.

[ALast1]

Hi Marty,

thanks for your reply.

So if I understand correctly, there is no free 3d scanning software available for D415/435?

R200 looks like a right pick for me, but what about SR300? Is it any better over R200?

[MartyG]

SR300 is about a year newer than R200 (launched the start of 2016). However, it is best suited to scanning small objects, as it has a limited depth range of around 1.5 m, whereas the R200 has a depth range of up to 4 m. This means that it can be difficult to get larger body parts into the camera's view (especially the full length of arms). It is conceivable that a face could fit within the 1.5 m range of the SR300. The R200 remains the better option overall for body scanning though.

It is possible to create 3D models for free with the 400 Series, though it takes a bit of labor. You first have to create a 'point cloud' type scan (an image made up from a series of points), which can be done with the free RealSense SDK 2.0 software. This provides a 'ply' format file. The ply can then be imported into a 3D modeling program such as MeshLab or Blender and converted into a solid 3D mesh.

[ALast1]

Ok, thanks for help Marty.

I'm considering SR300 now. Just to be sure.. this cam here Creative BlasterX Senz3D, it is SR300 actually, correct?

https://www.alternate.de/html/product/1316464?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInemNiYjC3gIVj813Ch1zjgCMEAQYAiABEgLEKfD_BwE https://www.alternate.de/html/product/1316464?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInemNiYjC3gIVj813Ch1zjgCMEAQYAiABEgLEKfD_BwE

[MartyG]

The Creative BlasterX Senz3D is virtually identical to the SR300. This is because Creative manufactured the official SR300 for Intel. It works with SR300 applications just as well as an official SR300.

You can get an official SR300 much cheaper than a BlasterX from Intel's own store.

https://click.intel.com/intelrealsense-developer-kit-featuring-sr300.html Intel® RealSense™ Developer Kit (SR300) - Intel® RealSense™ Depth Cameras

[ALast1]

Marty you are very helpful, thank you!

And of course I come back with another question Devkits are pretty cheap. Can you tell me if I could build a setup with few SR 300's? If it at all makes sense, if so.. will it increase quality?

[MartyG]

You are very welcome!

Yes, you can create a setup with multiple cameras of the old generation (R200 / SR300). The hardware sync feature of the modern 400 Series cameras will not work with them, but you can still gain benefits from arranging multiple cameras horizontally or vertically and overlapping their fields of view.

For example, a RealSense robot creator achieved a wide 150 degree view by overlapping three R200 cameras, whilst a drone had a 360 degree view with six R200 cameras arranged in a circle around a small single-board computer. The more cameras that are in an arrangement, the better the depth data that can be achieved, because there are less blind-spots where gaps in the scan can occur. You also have greater redundancy in the data if more than one camera is capturing information from the same area..

[MartyG]

Speaking of use of the R200 on drones, you may be interested in the RealSense Vision Accessory Kit. This is a caseless R200 module with two additional video cameras that can provide improved video quality over the standard R200. They can be used with a single-board computer called the Aero Compute Board.

https://click.intel.com/intel-aero-platform-developer-kit.html Intel® Aero Platform Developer Kits

The modern 400 Series cameras are also available as caseless modules, and have been used with drones. Intel do not sell these directly in their store but they are available from Intel Approved Distributor companies, such as FRAMOS. Of the modules available, only the D415 module has a built-in RGB sensor.

https://www.framos.com/en/cameras/3d-cameras/ 3D Cameras | Cameras | FRAMOS

Edit: here is an article with an image of the six-R200 drone.

https://mashable.com/2015/09/02/intel-realsense-drones/?europe=true# 7qQPfn4n8PqI https://mashable.com/2015/09/02/intel-realsense-drones/?europe=true# 7qQPfn4n8PqI