Sale

What is the price?
The price depends on where you live. Each country has its own tariffs, taxes and custom fees as well as cost of labor, shipment, etc. That is why pricing may vary from country to country. We know for a fact that the US just imposed some silly tax on Chinese tires…anyone could be next.
If you live in a country where Artec has an authorized reseller, please contact them to receive a quote. Check out the list of authorized resellers. If you reside in a country without an authorized reseller, feel free to contact us directly. The base pricing for Artec scanners are as follows:

Please be aware that prices above do NOT include shipping, customs, or training fees.

What is included in the price?
The hardware, the software, the manual, a USB cable and a European power adaptor cable. Why European? Oh, who knows? Perhaps they were on sale when the acquisition department went on a shopping spree.

What about warranty?
Yeah, our scanner comes with a year of warranty. If you are a bit paranoid though, you can also purchase an extra year of warranty for 20% of the purchase price.

Where can I see examples of 3D data and videos of the process itself?
Check out the 3D models in our Gallery, watch videos, or look at photos. Also, if you’ve got time on your hands, check out the «How it works» section, the «Software» page, and the «Interactive 3D» gallery.

Technical

Can I convert Artec data into a standard 3D format to use in other CAD software?
Sure. You can convert data into.obj, .ply, .stl, .aop, and.wrml formats.

What limitations does the Artec scanner have?
Like all technology, Artec technology has its benefits and drawbacks. Like most 3D scanners, ours often has trouble scanning human hair, scanning overly black objects, sharp edges (like a blade of a knife) and scanning in direct sunlight. Each customer is unique and so is each application. That is why Artec and our trusted worldwide resellers are committed to making sure our technology suits your particular needs before making a sale.
Example of things we definitely cannot or will not scan:
1. Dogs — too hairy, too fidgety, and ultimately will want to chew on the scanner!
2. Butterflies — too see-through, too fidgety, and will exhaust the technician before he has a chance to finish.
3. Mermaids — too underwater and too shiny!
4. Dick Cheney — he just gives us the creeps…

Can the scanner capture color?
Absolutely. Check out the Artec MHT scanner.

How difficult/easy is post-processing?
Ummmm…depends on what you want to do. Recently we were asked to scan a 16-foot (5 meter) statue of David for a museum. As you can imagine, the scanning took a few days and post processing took a few days as well. But you try hanging on to David’s neck with one hand and scanning his 10 inch nostrils with the other. It’s tough.
On the other hand, to scan a human face or leg would only take about 10–15 seconds and the post processing shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes, depending on the speed of your computer.
Simply put, drop us a note at sales@artec-group.com and describe what you’d like to scan. Also, if possible, attach pictures of objects, so we can recommend the proper model and estimate how long it will take to scan.

What’s the set up?
That’s one of Artec’s advantages. The set up is simple. You unpack the scanner, plug in the USB cable, plug in the power cable, install the software and you are ready to go. There is no complicated calibration procedure, there is no set up. Once you’ve done this, just take the scanner in your hand, press the start button and walk around the object scanning.

How exactly does the scanner work?
Are you sure you want to know? Ok, here goes…
The scanner has a flash bulb and a camera. The bulb flashes a light pattern onto the object and the camera records this pattern. The distortion in the light pattern, due to the specific curvature of the object is then translated into a 3D image by Artec software. As the user moves around the object, the light pattern changes and the software recognizes these changes. The light pattern is projected onto the object up to 15 times per second, so you can move around it quite quickly and still get good results. Did that make any sense?