All-In-One 3D Scanner: Revopoint Miraco vs Einstar

Superfast Matt is supported by:

[davesmith]

All reviews should be like this. To the point and honest even if that goes against the one you were sent to review. All hail

[cegan]

I shared this on the original einstar video, you can "tunnel" the USB device over your network so you can use a powerful computer in your office to handle the scanning workload while the laptop in the garage can be a low powered screen effectively. You need solid network performance to do it, but it works really well. remote desktop from the cheap laptop to the desktop so you can see that computer, setup the USB passthrough, then run the einstar software on the desktop.

[vancoz]

Great video! I'm actually an antique restoration expert and part of the Miraco beta testing team. My job requires me to travel extensively and scan artifacts (such as sculptures) in various museums or tourist attractions. In such situations, it's impossible for me to carry an Einstar along with a high-end PC. Miraco's standalone design to scan both small and large perfectly solves my problem. If I don't choose Miraco, which similar product should I go for? Artec Leo? I want to, but I can't afford it.

[bengelman]

I wonder if instead of all those dots, maybe you could throw a grid top down with a projector. As long as you're not blocking out the grid while scanning. Bit of a pain but might be cool if you're always scanning big stuff in the same place.

[TechnoPioneers]

Good job, Matt. Personally, I'm drawn to the all-in-one design of Miraco, which can handle both small and large scanning tasks. Would you consider doing another review on how the Einstar scanner performs when scanning small items like coins, bolts, or similar objects?

[whippingstar]

I bought an Einstar last week on your recommendation (and I love it). I was going to cry if you found something better this week. Frankly, I'm glad you didn't. In just a week the Einstar has become the most useful tool in my toolbox.

[mojavdlab]

I've used all of Revopoints's scanners since my early Kickstarter original POP except for this one. The scanners have all given me and thousands of other users excellent results over the course of the software development in the last 3 years. I have a couple of other scanners of another brand and one thing I've noticed is that they all act a little differently and require slight modifications to your scanning technique. So if you've been using a particular scanner for any length of time, especially a different brand, I think it'd be a little difficult to pick up one you have no experience with and be able to fully take advantage of its capabilities. You mentioned having a POP and feeling it was just a hobby toy; have you used the latest software and given it a chance to perform?

[patrickl]

Aesub spray is pricey but worth checking out as it helps with detail — no need to wipe down your piece after as it sublimates

[HomebrewHorsepower]

Holy crap. A legit tool review that just tells it like it is. It's like I'm watching AvE or something. Thanks Matt.

[Daniel_Martinez]

I tested the Einstar and also bought the POP3. For small objects and details, the Einstar, with its cheap VCSEL projector that has low accuracy, cannot compare to POP 3. It struggles to scan small objects in detail and requires several attempts before successful modeling. On the other hand, the POP3 excels in this aspect, and I still have faith in MIRACO to scan a Bolt as they demonstrated live.

[josephjones]

I milled my own trans adapter. I took a technical drawing of the transmission and some hyper accurate measurements of the engine and a few pics and threw everything into fusion… took a week or so but I managed to design it and then another week to mill it on an mpcnc… s85 to g86 trans adapter, cut the face off the trans and welded it all together. It worked first try, I git incredibly lucky

[spnrs]

At my old work we used a high end Kreon 3D scanner - it was about USD$60k. And was attached to a big arm with transducers recording joint positions. It also had a CMM attachment at the scanner head, accurate to 0.05mm.

It really was accurate, but such a cumbersome beast that it was hard to use. I guess my point is that there’s no silver bullet, the really good scanners can be $$$ and have their own drawbacks!

[chrstphrr]

I've found that Revopoint's scanners take to physical markers well. A pound or two of plasticine's in my box with the Mini I have. Pinching off little irregular blobs provides excellent tracking, and I think it cost me a buck or two for the brick of plasticine at the dollar store.

The reflective markers, I found that Revopoint's software doesn't need the given size of markers they provide. Their software detects a simple white dot + black ring around it as a reference dot. I've reflective 1x3mm dots, standard size 6x10mm ones, and I've even printed out random sized ones on white paper labels that detect.

Cleanup is a b***h with paper labels stuck to cars or car parts, but they work great to aid tracking even on "General mode" vs the actual Marker mode on the surrounding areas, like the blobs of plasticine. But I'm not spending a mint on special, specific sized reflective markers, which keeps consumables costs down.

Since I don't have more than the one scanner to toy with, I can't say if other brands also take to these tips as well, or not. YMMV.

It is DEFINITELY the case that the computer receiving the scan data, and the software make or break the usability of the scanner. The scanner hardware however: ... Revopoint still supports every scanner they make with their RevoScan software, which has brought a horde of gained usability to old models. My Mini was frankly, not much better than a toy with the software available when it shipped late last year. It's much more capable as software has matured. And the laptop upgrade, to use the new versions.

Matt, if you could, next time you do another 3D Scanning video, can you touch on the software experience with Einscan/Einstar vs Revopoint for all of us?

Have they been updating their software?
Do they continue to support all their models of scanners?
Have you noticed any improvements in performance or tracking with subsequent versions?
Have they upped their hardware requirements since you first owned it?

Since I only own the one, haven't access to another, I have no other reference, and would genuinely like to know.

[kmpnelson]

Thanks for making an honest review. This is about what I was expecting. Glad to see a confirmation of it

[Eucadiz]

Just a tip, I found myself in the situation of need/want a 3d Scanner, and even paid for an "Early release" that never did (thankfully no money was lost). But then found the greatest solution of them all... Photogrametry, I used RealityCapture, and found that I get all the detail that I want for any size of models (cars, toys, heck if you have a drone, or a huge pole with a camera attached, you could scan your whole block if you want). And they charge for the amount of data to process, so its a couple dollars a scan, and it even captures textures all in one go so no "lost track of the object", model too big for tiny processor to handle, my resolution is crap because so are my cameras, you need to coat them in $60 dollar spray otherwise ill get ansiety... Needless to say I will never need a scanner.

[russellzauner]

It looks like a handheld Kinect - I worked on the RealSense product and it looks like that too.
Fun stuff! I was mad that they killed the Kinect so fast because it was super easy to spackle sample feature code right into live debuggers and exercise it - the amount of functionality in modern integrated sensor packages available to the general consumer now is kind of crazy. The Future Is Now.
(I was a technician for 25 years - kind of a tool junkie, because, tools make everything possible - thanks for covering this)

[BrooksMoses]

Though a sequence of coincidences I got a couple of hours of instruction on how to use an Einstar (one of their older models) from an employee, and what he recommended for the best scans with the "dots" was first doing a low-resolution scan, and then discarding all of it but the dot locations and using those known locations as a starting point for a high-resolution scan. It did seem to make a significant difference in the surface quality of the scan. Might be worth a try to see if it's still useful for the current model?

[Liamgall]

In my industry and scanning scenarios, it's challenging to rely on bulky PCs for scanning, especially when I often need to complete a scan rapidly. Before the introduction of the Miraco, the ARTEC LEO was the only equipment that met my requirements, but it came at a hefty price. The launch of miraco allows me to purchase a standalone product similar to LEO at hugely favorable price. I'm thrilled, and although there are some imperfections, I believe that Revopoint can enhance the scanning experience with continuous updates.

[dfgaJK]

I would like to know how much the Einstar is being held back by the limited performance of the laptop. It would be interesting to see the upper limit of how good it is with a very good desktop workstation.

[siegmundeurades]

Was really wondering when I'd see a review that didn't just hype up the Miraco, glad SOMEONE has the decency to point out it's flaws.