MakerBot Unveils Digitizer 3D Scanner at Its Brooklyn Headquarters (PHOTOS)

Exciting things are happening at <a title="Home" href="http://www.makerbot.com/">MakerBot</a>’s world headquarters in downtown Brooklyn today. Bre Pettis, the man who made the <a href="http://makerbot.com/">MakerBot</a> into a household <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/3d-printer/">3D printing</a> name, finally unveiled the company’s latest invention, the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/makerbots-new-digitizer-3d-scanner-set-to-hit-the-market-next-week/">Digitizer 3D scanner</a>! The smart device allows users to photocopy practically any object that fits on its eight-by-eight-inch base with just two simple clicks. Although the 3D scanner has been <a href="http://inhabitat.com/makerbot-unveils-prototype-for-desktop-3d-scanner-at-sxsw/">teased and revamped since May</a>, this was the first time anyone outside of MakerBot actually got to take it for a spin. Read on for all of the details and our firsthand account of what the Digitizer can actually do.

MakerBot also has a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/makerbot-removes-3d-printable-gun-parts-from-thingiverse-database-after-sandy-hook-tragedy/">catalogue of 3D digital objects</a> people can 3D print on <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/">Thingiverse</a>, only those experienced with 3D modeling could contribute. Wanting to save everyone’s time and make creating objects simple for everyone, the Digitzer became a clear answer.

The Digitizer is equipped with a pair of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/eu-approves-the-use-of-laser-tattoos-on-fruit-as-replacement-for-sticky-labels/">lasers that paint</a> the original object in spectral light while a camera takes pictures. Acting as a sort of photocopier for objects rather than paper, this is one of the more futuristic ideas to come out of 3D printing.

Pettis said that like all tinkers they wanted a 3D scanner but found no affordable or usable tools already out there for their own uses. And so MakerBot decided to make one itself. The most important things they needed the 3D scanner to be was fast enough for anyone to use without a deep knowledge of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/autodesks-new-milan-offices-achieve-leed-gold-with-lots-of-italian-flair/autodesk-milano-goring-straja-5/">AutoCAD</a> (a 3D modeling software often used by architects and engineers).

The new Digitizer follows MakerBot's usual black on red or white look.

You can <a href="http://store.makerbot.com/digitizer.html">preorder your own Digitzer today</a> for $1,400 (plus $150 for the MakerCare support program that’s a bit like Apple Care).

You can send your scanned objects to Thingiverse and directly to a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/replicator-2/">Replicator 2</a> to fabricate an object.

When the Digitizer first starts it looks a lot like terminator vision.

In two simple clicks, you can set the scanner to capture and create a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/incredible-spray-that-makes-anything-totally-waterproof-is-finally-available/">watertight</a> 3D design that’s ready to 3D print Pettis says they’ve reduced the whole process to take approximately 12-minutes.

Even though there are gaps, MakerBot designed its scanning software to be robust enough to fill in the blanks.

If you’re still inclined to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/6-of-the-coolest-most-innovative-3d-printed-designs/">fussing around with your design</a> before sending it off the print, you can do that too. The MakerBot MeshMixer software also lets you incorporate just about any object you can find on Thingiverse or manually manipulate the model with a brush as though you were working with virtual clay.

Beyond the MakerBot ecosystem, the Digitizer outputs a STL file outputted as an object with other 3D printers, even those not made by MakerBot. Pettis says they wanted to make the Digitzer an agnostic, standalone device for anyone to use even if your not into 3D printing. He imagines other occupations such as animators and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/%E2%80%9Csilent-evolution%E2%80%9D-builds-a-beautiful-coral-reef-from-statues/">sculptors</a> could also use the 3D scanner.

An example of a how the Digitizer can help <a href="http://inhabitat.com/%E2%80%9Csilent-evolution%E2%80%9D-builds-a-beautiful-coral-reef-from-statues/">sculptors</a> create duplicates of their original clay objects into 3D printed copies.

There are however a few limitations with the 3D scanner, namely it does not do so well with capturing objects that are either shiny or black because of the way they affect light. The 3D scanning experts at MakerBot found that cornstarch or baby power was an easy way to fix this problem.