I was very excited to receive the HP Z 3D Camera/Scanner. I watched the promotional videos and hoped that it would provide helpful shortcuts when designing objects for my 3D printer. I did not expect miracles from it, but it was not useful for that purpose.
Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to get decent 3D scans of most objects even if you have hardware that meets the minimum requirements. If you are trying to scan an item that is not the proper size, shape, stiffness, and texture... it will not just scan it poorly... it will not scan it at all This has camera has very few useful purposes outside of very specific situations.
At this point I am not sure what those specific situations would even be. HP used as an example a shoe manufacturer, but I couldn't get a decent scan of a shoe. They also scanned a stick for 3D animation that after owning the device I realized was picked because it was the ideal size and texture. So I found an almost identical stick and it scanned better than the shoe, but that is about the only object that I was able to get an acceptable scan of. Unfortunately, I have no desire to print a plastic 3d replica of a stick.
To be more fair to HP they released a chart where they did not claim that this camera was useful for 3d printing. But watching the videos and reading the testimonials convinced me otherwise.
I am highly skeptical of the reviewer here saying that they are using this camera for some type of corporate use. And that their "companies" have bought a bunch of them and they are using them in place of "$30,000 3 D scanners" and that this camera has "revolutionized" 3D scanning. This is not an accurate review and should be taken down.
| Brand | HP |
|---|---|
| Item model number | 3DB06AT |
| Hardware Platform | PC; |
| Operating System | N/a |
| Item Weight | 1.3 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 8.73 x 4.51 x 5 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 8.73 x 4.51 x 5 inches |
| Color | Black |
| Manufacturer | Hewlett Packard |
| ASIN | B078W3Y2GH |
| Date First Available | January 8, 2017 |
