Scanner a 3D Virtuoso with Macs and PCs

By DE Editors

Maker of industrial measurement of color, light, and shape solutions, Konica Minolta Sensing Americas, Inc. (Ramsey, NJ) and threeRivers 3D Inc. (Gibsonia, PA), a manufacturer of standard and custom 3D scanners, have announced the joint launch of the Virtuoso, a non-contact 3D laser scanner. A network-ready device, the Virtuoso is said to be able to scan virtually any object under nearly all lighting conditions. According to the companies, the Virtuoso is the first scanner on the market to be both Macintosh- and PC-compatible, making it suitable for artists, sculptors, and graphic designers as well industrial designers and engineers.

A compact (9.75- x 4.25- x 5.7-in., excluding handle), lightweight (less than 5 pounds) unit, the Virtuoso is appropriate for mobile scanning applications as well as jobs where size is a consideration, according to the companies. Specifications for the Virtuoso indicate that it can scan in light conditions of 500lx or less and that it can capture a single view (1.2 million polys; 1280 x 960) in 5 seconds or execute a full 360° scan in approximately 5 minutes.

The Virtuoso offers a measuring distance of approximately 30 in. (760 mm) and a measurement envelope of about 9 x 12 x 8 in. (225 x 300 x 200 mm). Accuracy is ±150μm. Miscellaneous features include a gigabit Ethernet interface and the ability to exports files in industry standard formats such as .ply.

The Virtuoso begins shipping this month. Pricing starts at $17,999. Optional accessories include a tripod with tilt/pan head, rotary stage, storage case, and reverse engineering software.

“The Virtuoso fills the need for a scanner at lower price point in Konica’s 3D product line up,” said Jim Clark, 3D Business Unit Manager for Konica Minolta Sensing Americas, in a press statement. “Our customers continually demanded a lower cost solution to our Vivid 910 scanner that was still highly accurate and could be used for multiple applications. Our partnership with threeRivers 3D has allowed us to answer ]that request] with the Virtuoso.”

For further information on the Virtuoso 3D scanner, go to Konica Minolta Sensing Americas.

Learn more about threeRivers 3D.

See why DE's Editor's selected the Virtuoso 3D scanner as their Pick of the Week.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.