Technologies

Is Your iPhone Good Enough to Be a 3D Scanner?

For creating 3D printer files, your options include smartphone apps or expensive standalone scanners.

Most 3D scanners are handheld devices that scan small to medium-sized objects with a high degree of accuracy. The resulting files are used for 3D modeling or 3D printing and they can produce fantastic results — if you’re patient and willing to learn how to use them.

These scanners, like the popular Revopoint Pop 2, can cost $700 and have a steep learning curve. Alternatively, if you own an iPhone 12 Pro or higher you can almost recreate what a fancy 3D scanner does. It isn’t quite as accurate, especially for 3D printing, but if you spend some time tweaking, the output can be just about as good.

Read more: Best 3D Printer

Creating 3D prints from files uploaded to communities like Thingiverse or Printables is fine, but once you can scan and recreate real-world objects, there’s no limit to what you can create. For example, you could replicate a collectible figure or scan a broken mechanical part to recreate it.

Revopoint Pop 2 3D Scanner $699 at Amazon

Using a 3D scanner

Pros:

Can capture detail down to 0.1mm
Dimensional accuracy is excellent
Very little clean-up when you succeed

Cons:

Often costs more than a 3D printer
Software is often very hard to use
Creating a usable model is painfully difficult

3D scanners use reflected light — sometimes in the form of lasers — to map the surface of an object. The scanner uses two cameras to judge depth and create a «point cloud» that can be fused together to make a solid object. That solid model is often incredibly accurate down to the smallest crack or imperfection.

But scanning an object can be difficult. The scanner needs to be the right distance from the object you’re scanning at all times, and the object has to be the right color and reflectivity as well. Often, you will need a 3D scanning spray to coat your model in a white, evaporative coating to make scanning easier. This is not possible with human subjects, but does help with inanimate ones. Or at least it should.

I’ve spent hours using 3D scanners and struggle every time to produce a model that could be 3D printed. Often a scan will lose connection, then restart in the wrong place, causing severe disruption. After a lot of trial and error, I’ve managed to get several usable models, but the amount of work it took just didn’t seem cost-effective.

iPhone 12 Pro (renewed) $528 at Amazon

Using your iPhone

Pros:

Incredibly fast scanning
Models are instantly usable as online resources
You likely already own one

Cons:

Lower detail and quality
Can need a lot of clean-up to make it 3D print-ready

polycam shoe scan — James Bricknell/CNET

iPhones have a lot of cool technology that makes them excellent 3D scanners, including good cameras for photogrammetry and lidar technology for larger objects like cars or the inside of your home.

Photogrammetry is the best way to create a fully realized 3D model if you want that model to only exist digitally. It uses multiple pictures — the more pictures the better — to create a realistic facsimile of an object. The depth mapping is far rougher than a 3D scanner, but the textures and photo imagery make the model look extremely detailed. As you can see, the shoe in the image above looks identical to the real thing when the textures are shown, but the model I 3D-printed from it has lost a lot of its details.

A purple 3D-printed shoe — James Bricknell/CNET

The coolest thing about photogrammetry, especially on an app like Polycam, is that it can be used with any camera you have, including DSLR cameras and even drones. You simply upload as many images as you want to the Polycam app and it will spit out a 3D rendering of the object you took, whether that’s a shoe or the Grand Canyon. It even works with Android phones, though none of those have the lidar technology like the iPhone.

A 3D rendered mailbox using Polycam — James Bricknell/CNET

Lidar only works if you have an iPhone 12 Pro or later, but it’s excellent for scanning larger objects like mailboxes, pool tables and even cars. It works a lot like an expensive 3D scanner — by bouncing light off an object and measuring the distance the light travels — but it has a much lower resolution. This makes it excellent at scanning large, simple objects, especially if you’re keeping them as digital models.

Both photogrammetry and lidar imagery are extremely easy to use on your iPhone and require very little technical know-how to get right. They both need an app though, and after using several different ones, I found Polycam is the best choice.

Polcam for iPhone and Android $80 at Polycam

Polycam costs $80 a year and offers both lidar and photogrammetry. More than that, it uses those systems in some really fun ways. Not only can you scan objects to create 3D models, but you can scan the walls inside your house and build a 3D floor plan. You can even 3D print that floor plan complete with walls, stairs and window and door openings.

When scanning an object on Polycam for 3D printing I was able to get good quality, low-resolution scans for organic shapes and much better scans of simple objects. Using Polycam to scan a broken sliding door handle was quick and simple and allowed me to accurately replicate a replacement. In fact, if you’re used to using programs like Blender — a free 3D sculpting tool on the PC and Mac — or Nomad Sculpt on the iPad or iPhone, you can import the Polycam file and spruce it up before printing.

Should you buy a 3D scanner if you own an iPhone?

I’ve spent a lot of time with several different 3D scanners and they all have the same inherent flaw: They’re just too picky to work for consumers. In a commercial setting, where everything can be controlled and your day is dedicated to getting this machine to work perfectly, then sure, a 3D scanner makes sense. If you’re a hobbyist though, with a life that requires more from you than endless hours of slow scanning, an iPhone is a better option.

Even if you don’t own an iPhone, you can pick up an iPhone 12 Pro — the first with lidar — for around $550, several hundred dollars cheaper than a 3D scanner. And once you’re done 3D scanning shoes, mailboxes, cars and houses, you still have an iPhone that can do a hundred other things too.

More on 3D printing

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, July 4

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 4.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

There are a few July 4-related clues in today’s Mini Crossword. Need answers? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Uncle ___
Answer: SAM

4A clue: It’s full of stars
Answer: SPACE

6A clue: It’s full of stripes
Answer: ZEBRA

7A clue: Month when the American Revolutionary War began
Answer: APRIL

8A clue: 4th of July sales promotions, e.g.
Answer: ADS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Big brand of hummus
Answer: SABRA

2D clue: Foul-smelling
Answer: ACRID

3D clue: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Answer: MEALS

4D clue: Singer who performed «All the Stars» at Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show
Answer: SZA

5D clue: Lively energy
Answer: PEP

Technologies

Act Fast to Save 15% on This Powerful CarbonMag Portable Charger

This Sharge charger can keep you powered on the go, and right now you don’t have to pay full price.

There’s nothing worse than your phone dying in the middle of the day, especially when finding an outlet means being stuck in an uncomfortable situation. MagSafe portable wireless chargers are a great fix for that, as they snap onto the back of your phone and charge it while you go about your day. One solid pick that won’t weigh your phone down like a brick is the CarbonMag MagSafe portable charger by Sharge. And right now it can be yours for less with this Prime Day deal.

Thanks to Prime Day, you can currently snag it for 15% off with the code QHUAPIWG at checkout — bringing the price down from $70 to just $59. That’s the same cost as the smaller 5,000mAh model, but this one gives you double the battery capacity for the same price.

This device is made out of carbon fiber, which makes it 40% lighter than your usual power banks and 80% more durable than chargers made with the materials normally used. It gets you a 10,000mAh battery capacity, enough to charge your devices multiple times throughout the day. You’ll enjoy up to 15W wireless charging, which can power an iPhone 15 from 0% to 55% in just 44 minutes.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

The charger also features ultrastrong (but safe) magnets that maintain a stable hold on your smartphone. You can use the built-in USB-C port for pass-through charging or to power another device at the same time. The only catch? We don’t know when the discount code expires, so you might want to hurry.

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See all photos

Why this deal matters

MagSafe wireless chargers can be a game-changer for anyone tired of juggling wires throughout the day. This deal gets you a slim, lightweight, yet powerful option at a $11 discount for a limited time. We recommend acting while you can.

Technologies

Save Up to $35 Off a Baseus Charging Station This July 4th and Stay Powered Up All Weekend

When USB ports aren’t enough, a Baseus charging station is what you need. Power all your gadgets with multiple well-spaced AC outlets and no clutter.

Keeping all your gear charged can be a job unto itself, and it gets more complicated when you have visitors. Whether you’re having guests this Fourth of July weekend or you just need a better charging solution for your family, a charging station could be the answer. But even the best charging stations can only share so many watts between devices, which is why the best charging stations from brands like Anker and Baseus not only feature multiple USB ports but also multiple AC outlets. AC outlets accommodate those few devices that still use proprietary chargers, and it lets you expand beyond the included 2-4 USB ports without sacrificing wattage when you need to top off everyone quickly before heading out.

The Fourth of July deals are bouncing into next week’s Amazon Prime Day to give us some of the best savings of the year a week early. Among the dozens of mobile accessories Baseus has on sale this holiday weekend is a trio of towers that can declutter your desk and keep everything you need ready and recharged. Available in 6-in-1, 7-in-1 for $65, and 10-in-1 varieties, these charging stations all offer two USB-C ports, at least one USB-A port and multiple AC outlets. Just note: You’ll need to clip the on-page coupon to get the lowest possible price.

For the best blend of power and ports, Baseus’ 100W 7-in-1 USB-C charging station can fast charge a laptop at 65W — full speed for all Chromebooks and many Windows laptops — while a phone and tablet each standard charge at 15W and still leave 5W for your smartwatch while your non-USB tech or your desk’s smart speaker can use the AC ports on both sides and the back of the tower. These towers are part power delivery chargers and part surge protectors with surge and lightning protection to keep your digital lifelines from frying should calamity strike.

The Baseus $35 10-in-1 desktop charging station model may sound like it’s the most powerful, but it only offers 35 watts to share between the two USB-C and USB-A ports, leaving the lion’s share of the station’s potential power to the six AC ports. This isn’t to say 35W between four ports is useless, but you’ll want to use those ports for lower-powered devices like recharging your smartwatch or wireless earbuds.

If you’re looking to charge multiple phones and tablets with those ports, you’re probably better off going with the 6-in-1 USB-C Charging Station at $50, which may only have three AC ports but features a retractable USB-C cable in addition to one standard USB-A and one USB-C port. Those three ports share 65W, meaning that you can charge both a phone and tablet at full speed rather than both getting middling speeds.

Why this deal matters

I use a 100W charging station like this at my desk and have another next to my couch for both me and my guests to keep our phones powered and ready. Being able to stick my 65W travel charger into one of the AC ports and fast charge four phones instead of two — well, one phone and my Chromebook — when I have people over and then swap it back to powering my oil diffuser or smart speaker once they’re gone is a godsend, and since the wall outlets are spread out across multiple sides of the tower instead of sandwiched next to each other in a line, I never have to worry about bulky plugs blocking out half my ports.

Because these charging stations double as surge protectors, you can also click their switch to power off and disconnect everything when severe weather comes, unlike standard charging stations you would have to unplug. Living in lightning capital of the U.S. makes this feature more important to me than most, but it can also be handy for parents wanting a one-click shut-off for all the kids’ consoles and computers.

We’re still days away from Prime Day, and deals like these will continue to drop through the next week, but these chargers are all within a few dollars of their lowest prices ever. We’ll watch for further price drops and competing deals throughout the holiday week, including Anker’s plethora of deals on chargers, speakers and smart home appliances.