The Moose 3D from 3DMakerpro is a 3D scanner that promises high resolution and impressive accuracy.
In this article, I’ll put that to the test with a range of real-world scans. I’ll show you how easy it is to use, what the results actually look like, and where it still falls short.
Whether you’re into 3D printing, reverse engineering, or just want to start scanning everything around you – I’ll help you decide if this is the right scanner for you!
So let’s take a closer look.
Overview
Let’s start off scanning something simple. A running shoe has both texture and geometry and should make an easy first scan. You need to install the JMStudio software which is available for PC and Mac. Plug the single-ended cable with a USB-C connector into the scanner. The other end of the cable splits into a USB-A connector for your computer – you’ll need a dongle for a Mac which isn’t supplied, and a USB-C plug for power. Use the generous 65W GaN wall charger that comes with the scanner. This can be a little awkward if your computer and power supply aren’t close to each other – the cables are a little short.
Open the software, select Easy Scan and leave the default scan mode as Texture. You can choose between Normal and Fine Scan Quality but I found very little difference – leave it as Normal. You ideally need a turntable to 3D scan smaller objects like this. You can get a powered turntable with some versions of the Moose 3D but it’s very small and requires an outdated microUSB connection. Plus it’s often easier to manually rotate the table at your own speed. I use a cheap lazy susan from Ikea.
Increase the Brightness slider so some of your target shows red, then lower it until most of the red disappears.
Move the scanner back and forth until the Working Distance graph shows mostly blue and the text Excellent is displayed. You need to keep an eye on this whilst scanning.
Hit the spacebar and move the scanner around the object whilst slowly rotating the turntable. You’re trying to paint over the entire object with light. If you lose tracking, move back to the previously scanned area and try to pay more attention to the working distance graph and the preview.
When the preview scan looks complete, hit the spacebar again to complete the scan.
You now have a point cloud that represents the object – each point generated by light that reflects off the object’s surface and is collected by the scanner. We need to convert this raw data into a 3D mesh that can be used for 3D printing or reverse engineering.
JMStudio takes you to the Edit view. Hold the Ctrl key down and drag around areas of the scan you don’t want – in this case the turntable. You can also just select some of the turntable and then right click and choose Plane Selection. Adjust the base thickness as you wish, apply and then tap delete.
Now click on Process, which by default optimises the point cloud based on what we enter under refinement, and then joins these points to create a 3D mesh with millions of triangles.
I usually just want the highest resolution and am happy to wait a little longer so tap on Advanced and choose 0.20 in the resolution and tap Apply.
The result is a pretty detailed looking mesh that we could now export as an OBJ, PLY, STL or RSCAN. If you’re going to 3D print the model, you can enable Repair Gaps to make a watertight mesh.
Since we also recorded texture, we can add texture mapping. Deselect any ticked checkbox and check Texture Mapping and then Process. If you get a message that the model is too large, check Simplify and reduce the mesh to 1,000,000 faces.
I’ve run JMStudio on a fast M3 Pro MacBook Pro and my high end desktop video editing machine and the scanning and processing isn’t too slow. Texture Mapping does take a long time – but fortunately, I rarely need it.
The results do look good. The sidebar shows the various stages of the processing and we can take another look at the mesh version – which shows the true quality of the 3D scan.
I did a similar scan with the Creality Ferret Pro I reviewed a while back to compare. The results from the Moose are way better as you’d expect; it’s considerably more expensive. The Creality scan looks very soft in comparison. I will be doing a more detailed comparison between the Ferret Pro, the Moose 3D and the Creality Otter soon – so please be sure to subscribe if you don’t want to miss it.
Performance
The Moose 3D has three lenses – the middle lens captures textures with a visible light camera, the left lens is the blue LED projector and the right lens is the depth sensor that captures the reflected light to build up the 3D point cloud. If you scan in Geometry Mode with Color Scanning turned off the visible light camera won’t be used.
The JMStudio software is quite capable with some advanced features you don’t yet have in Creality Scan, even in their latest version 4 just released. Most usefully you can reorient scans in 3D space by choosing 3 points on a plane. I found this far easier than trying to do it in say Fusion 360. But the software is not exactly intuitive. For example here we have to right click where we want point 1, then right click point 2 to select it and then right click where we want to place it and then the same again with point 3.
You can also measure scans right inside JMStudio which is great but again it’s not intuitive. You select the Measure tool, then Ctrl left click to set the starting point then Ctrl left click again to set the end point. And then Ctrl right click on the end point to get the measurement. There is also a Transform function which is useful for comparing scans but complicated to use.
I scanned a number of objects with generally good results. The Moose 3D can scan based on texture or geometry – there’s no additional Marker mode like on the Ferret Pro.
It has a very small field of view so you need to keep a constant eye on both the preview and the working distance graph for the best results which takes practice. And the dynamic range is limited – you’ll sometimes need to manually adjust the brightness slider as you move around your scan for lighter and darker areas. 3DMakerPro specifies the scanner is intended for objects from 15mm to 1.5m in size. But with the length of cable supplied and the small field of view that’s very optimistic.
There is a Table Scan mode which works with the motorised turntable and tripod that comes with some bundles. You do an initial scan with the table alone, and then place your object on the table. The software should be able to automatically remove the table. But this is very quick using the selection tools manually, and unless you’re scanning round small objects it’s more trouble than it’s worth in my experience, with its limited field of view. Just use the scanner handheld in Easy Scan mode as I mentioned earlier.
With all these caveats you can get some excellent results with the Moose 3D. I’ll start with this Milwaukee Impact Driver.
With decent texture and geometry this was fairly easy to scan. Scanning speed is just over 10 fps which is half the speed of similarly priced scanners but feels ok in use.
The level of detail in the final mesh is very good. I also used this scan to check the scanner’s accuracy. The back of the driver is almost exactly 60 mm with my callipers. I measured 60.13 mm with the measure tool in JMStudio – which is impressive. This model I also scanned with texture so you can see how it looks with the texture map applied.
Scanning my DJI Neo drone was more of a challenge. I used a few tips from Payo’s excellent YouTube channel I’ll link to below. I used a darker contrasting mouse mat underneath the drone, and a few white 3D printed decoys for extra geometry. The first scan in Fine mode didn’t come out too well so I did the remaining scans in Normal mode. For a complete object, you usually need to scan from at least 3 angles for the automatic alignment to work. I did four scans of the drone and the automatic alignment worked well. There is a manual alignment option, but make sure you have something to reference off. It can be quite a struggle navigating in 3D space locating common geometries in each of your scans. It’s much easier doing additional scans.
The result is very good. I couldn’t get the fine details of the prop guards. And the translucent gimbal guard couldn’t be scanned, but overall if you were designing a compact case or landing gear for the drone, this scan would be perfectly adequate. Measuring the scan, it was accurate to within 0.5mm.
As before when we applied texture, you will want to Simplify the model for 3D printing or importing into additional software. This model has almost 3 million faces. I find again a value of 1 million faces works well under the Simplify settings.
Since the scanner doesn’t support markers, if you want to scan something like this black torch you’ll need to use scanning spray. I’ve used dry shampoo before but in this case I used specific vanishing 3D scanning spray from AESUB that evaporates after a few hours so there’s no cleaning involved.
I still didn’t get a great scan, probably because it was a very hot day and the spray started disappearing too quickly. But with a little more time I’m certain I could get a more complete scan.
I also tried a face scan of my son. I asked him to close his eyes, and turned off the visible light camera with its strobing white LEDs. I’d need to use some dry shampoo to get his hair, but the details on his face are very good. It was also pretty easy to do, although you are limited by the length of the USB cable.
Conclusions
3DMakerPro’s Moose 3D can produce some impressive results with high resolution and high accuracy – a step above the Creality Ferret Pro I tested previously albeit for a higher price. The software isn’t particularly user friendly but has some welcome advanced options. And the more you can do in the 3D scanning software the better as far as I’m concerned. Post processing 3D scans in additional software is still not easy and will be a huge stumbling block for a lot of people.
I’d like to see a button on the scanner to start and stop scanning, and a longer cable would be helpful. It’s also a little frustrating that the scanner needs a separate power supply. As it comes, it’s only really suitable for indoor use next to your computer. 3DMakerPro does sell a Smart Grip to scan with your phone, but I’ve not tested it yet and it’s expensive.
I’ve been testing the Luxury version which comes with the case, turntable and tripod. The case is useful but I wouldn’t pay much extra for the turntable and tripod.
I’m always keen to test more 3D scanners — so if there’s a particular model you’d like me to review, let me know down in the comments of the YouTube video. I’ll be comparing the Moose 3D to the popular Creality Otter infrared 3D scanner (above) in an upcoming article and video so look out for that!
Don’t forget to take a look at my YouTube video at the top of the page, and again please subscribe to my YouTube channel where I’m releasing videos every week on the latest technology and how to get the most out of it. If you tap the bell icon when you subscribe you’ll get a notification as soon as I release a video, and there’ll be a link to my site here for the written article. YouTube is also the best place to leave a comment. I read all of them and respond to as many as I can!
Affiliate Links & Discount Codes
If you’re planning to purchase the Moose 3D Scanner, please consider purchasing directly from the manufacturer using the link below. It helps support the channel — and you’ll get $15 off with the code GD15:
👉 Buy Moose 3D Direct — Use code: GD15 for $15 off
If you prefer to shop at Amazon, I’ve included Amazon affiliate links below. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you:
👉 3DMakerpro Moose 3D scanner: https://amzn.to/3GfA0yV
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