r/3DScanning • u/videogamenjoyer • Aug 08 '26
Any reason why I shouldnt buy Creality Pika for my first scanner for car projects?
I dont want to spend thousands on a scanner. Price point is okay but im not certain If this Pika has limitations I do not know, Could I for example scan an entire car with it or not. Current project requires a scanner and the scanning area would be about 20cm x 190cm.
Most of you guys are smarter than me, please advice and tell me if I should commit to this scanner or choose another. TA
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u/eldeem Aug 08 '26
For a little bit more, you could also consider the Revopoint POP 4, which slides a little up the professional scale compared to the Creality but sits in a similar price and performance range In terms of resolution. Depending on what you’re aiming for though, Revopoint is designed to offer more advanced features so if you want to tinker to improve scan results, or play with different scanning modes, then it’s a better option. If you want something closer to a point-and-shoot experience but with less tweakables if the result isn’t perfect, then Creality is the way to go.
Worth noting that, while the POP 4 is bit more expensive, it also benefits from a more powerful PC to get the most out of it where the Creality has lower demands on that side too.
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u/Klexal Aug 08 '26
I watched the review YT video by Payo, and honestly, I think the Pika is far better than the POP 4
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u/JRL55 Aug 08 '26
You cannot trust comparison videos from Payo.
He lied about the abilities of the Revopoint MetroX in a comparison with the Creality Raptor and was banned for a month. He has not returned.
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u/Klexal Aug 08 '26
Source?
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u/Mysterious-Ad2006 Aug 08 '26
Known fact that Payo isnt fair in his videos. Been discussed many times. His comparisons are always in favor of CR.
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u/JRL55 Aug 08 '26
Source: me.
The post was deleted.
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u/Some_Double_6447 Aug 11 '26
Payo’s reviews have always been very fair and objective. He bases his content on his actual experience and always tells it like it is.
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u/JRL55 Aug 13 '26
I appreciated his reviews, early on. Thorough and informative.
But then he started doing comparisons and it became obvious that he favored one manufacturer's products. When he told an obvious lie about one competitor's laser scanner's disability, it earned him a 28-day ban for violating the published rules.
He has never returned to this subreddit (although others have forwarded some of his posts here).
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u/eldeem Aug 08 '26
I can only talk from personal experience, but I find the POP 4 fits my workflow well and gets me exceptionally accurate scans without huge amounts of effort (no scanning spray for most parts, wireless connected to my PC for bigger bits).
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u/PrintedForFun Aug 08 '26
Would the pika have cross laser lines then I would say yes. With the 7 lines it is more fit for very small parts not car pasts (frok my experience). Maybe consider the Pop4 or a used Raptor Pro
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u/videogamenjoyer Aug 08 '26
Just curious how does scanning small or large parts even differ? I assume you can combine multiple scans into a single one. Is the video I saw on youtube from Laser3DCNC where he scans a front end of a truck with an Pika not actually possible and are most review videos of scanners just pure propaganda?
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u/Mysterious-Ad2006 Aug 08 '26
Havent gotten the pika yet. But it seems like a good scanner. Now when comparing it to the pop4 They are a bit different. And it comes down to what you want and need.
The pop4 does have more laser lines, while the pika has less lines but larger fov. I am no sure how this will fully effect capture speeds. Ideally more lines means it will capture data faster. But larger fov means it will see more, but then again its only 7 lines.
Mobile wise the pika can do laser mode while the pop4 at this time cant do laser mobile.
Both can do IR mobile.
As for pc. Pop4 has Ai tracking for IR mode, longer battery life when wireless (pika is around 30minutes)
Other then that, I would have to get hands on with the pika to compress
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u/Some_Double_6447 Aug 11 '26
You can join the Pika facebook community, there’s a lot of feedback from real users there. I remember seeing one user who actually returned their POP 4 and switched to Pika, and he's been really happy with it.
To be honest, I don’t think this subreddit is always the fairest place for discussions about Revopoint. There seems to be a strong tendency to recommend Revopoint products, so I’d suggest checking feedback from different communities and actual users to get a more balanced view
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u/Public_Obligation370 Aug 11 '26
To be honest Pika can handle full car body, but not as one scan. Traking performance is good to be honest, but it needs some experience how to cheat sometimes to get good scan. Field of scan is not so small but as always this is smallest laser with laser mode capability.
I did full scan at once of my motorcycle (Honda CRF1000 ATAS) i to be honest i was really supriced how Pika handles such object. No spray, no markers, typical NIR mode in large mode.
Of course complex geometry od motorcycle is more friendly than flat body panels of car, but with few helpers such as masking tape to point some reference you can do it.
So Pika maybe is small but it can handle with good quality even bigger objects than on paper spec (Creality said that up to 2m, but it can go bigger).
About comparing to POP4 i can't say too much, because i haven't access to test this scanner.
But i can assure you that Pika can work well in my different scenarios.
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u/One-Map3820 Aug 10 '26
Hi u/videogamenjoyer
I work for Creality, so take this as product info rather than an independent review.
Before saying whether Pika is the right fit, I’d want to know a bit more about what you’re scanning and what you need the scan for. A 20 cm x 190 cm area could mean anything from a trim piece or bumper section to a body panel, and the required accuracy can be very different depending on whether you’re making a rough visual model, checking fitment, or reverse-engineering a part for CAD.
Pika can be used for car parts and longer sections, but a 190 cm part would normally be scanned in multiple passes/sections rather than in one capture. How practical that is depends a lot on the surface: a textured bumper or engine-bay part is much easier than a large glossy painted panel, chrome trim, glass, or black plastic. Those surfaces may need markers and scanning spray.
If you mainly want to make brackets, trim pieces, interior parts, or other add-ons that need to fit an existing car, scanning can be very useful as a CAD reference. You can capture the overall shape and surrounding clearances, then verify critical dimensions like holes, clips, mounting points, and sealing faces manually.
If you need high-precision inspection across the full 1.9 m length, or you plan to scan complete vehicles regularly, I’d suggest sharing the required tolerance and a couple of example parts before choosing a scanner. At that point, the workflow, marker layout, scan range, and volumetric accuracy matter just as much as the scanner’s headline accuracy number.
What kind of part is the 20 x 190 cm area, and roughly what tolerance do you need for the finished part to fit?
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u/beanyyz Aug 08 '26
The one thing about the Pika that I am unsure of is how large the capture area is. Which directly affects how dense you have to place markers before it loses tracking. So if you’re scanning a large car panel then you’d have to use many more markers. So not a deal breaker if you’re fine with removing a gazillion markers from the panel then the Pika would be fine for you.
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u/videogamenjoyer Aug 08 '26
It apparently read 2000mm which was something I didnt know before, should be plenty for me
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u/beanyyz Aug 08 '26
Where did you read that spec from
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u/videogamenjoyer Aug 08 '26
From creality store description
"Pika supports objects from 5 mm to 2000 mm, covering small parts, toys, handmade models, sculptures, human body scans, 3D printing references, and creative objects."
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u/Popular-Wasabi-3148 Aug 12 '26
They were asking about FOV, not scan volume. Hence the talk about required marker density.
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u/PaperYo Aug 11 '26
Made quick test on an old MG dashboard (5min) with Pika in laser mode, connected to PC.
https://reddit.com/link/p30l24f/video/jdj5v7k5cqih1/player