I first got into 3D scanning with the Microsoft Kinect V1, but when I saw the Structure Sensor on Kickstarter, it seemed like the ideal tool to hack around with mobile 3D scanning. I’ve paired my Structure with an iPad-mini 2, and taken around the streets of Zurich, to the Detroit Institute of Arts, and experimented with full-body scanning, capturing things behind shop windows and statues in the museum.
I absolutely love the Structure sensor, it’s still the most mobile 3D scanner you can buy, and the open-source code nature means it’s possible to develop with it for custom applications. The example applications from Structure include a room scanner, which isn’t the most accurate way to create a scan but is a wonderful new way to record adventures in life. I got the Structure sensor along with a license for Skanect, which I can use with the Structure or my Kinect. The iPad will then send the scan data directly back to my laptop via wifi, which is so much easier than using a tethered Kinect. I now commonly pack along a Kinect or the Structure when doing photo shoots, and am wondering how hard it would be to replicate the RGB-D Toolkit function directly within the Structure and iPad, for a mobile 3D video camera, the mind is boggling at the possibilities.
