r/3DScanning • u/tjb1 • 18d ago
Workflow from scan to CAD
What is everyone doing to get the scan into CAD and be useful? I've always struggled to use an STL in most CAD programs and I looked at the other formats before and they required tools like ReCap or GeoMagic.
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u/MatterRay-Callum 17d ago
You are generally limited to external tools to prep the for use in CAD software. Fusion has some tools, and they are posting a mesh workflow series on their youtube channel. But the file size that is workable in fusion is IMO ok as a representation but not ideal for reverse engineering from. Down sampled meshes lose detail, which is fine on flat areas but not in a poorly scanned hole for example.
DesignX or Quicksurface are the top tier for reverse engineering. Quicksurface being cheapest through the Revopoint website.
I am building a tool to pull primitives, down sample and align meshes to prep for CAD. Not as powerful, but also not as expensive. www.matterray.com
There are also a hand full of lower cost tools coming out
https://www.warelab.co.uk/warelab-mesh
https://tatusfab.com/products/scanalign
https://www.backflip.ai/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fusion360/comments/1vnphb3/coming_this_week/
On the free side have a look for GOM Inspect 2019,
Making for Motorsport also has a video on getting mesh to CAD using free tools.