3D Musketeers // Scanning Series

What you get back from a 3D scan

"A 3D scan" is not one thing. Depending on what you do next, you want a mesh, a color model, an editable CAD file, a comparison report, a printed part, or two of those. Here is each deliverable in plain words: what it is, what it is good for, what it is not, and when to ask for it. The pictures are frozen frames from our scan-to-CAD walkthrough, same L-bracket, same stages.

Mesh

STL / OBJ / a surface of trianglesevery scan starts here

The scan data joined into one watertight skin of small triangles. It is the true shape of the object as scanned, nothing idealized. It opens in any slicer or 3D viewer. It has no editable features: you cannot type a new hole diameter into a mesh.

Files: STL (shape only) or OBJ (shape, with a color texture when captured)
Good for: 3D printing a replica or a fitting part, visualization, 3D-printed jigs and fixtures, a permanent digital record
Not for: Changing the design, machining from features, engineering drawings
Ask for it when: The next step is a printer, a screen, an archive or a courtroom

the shape as it is, frozen

Color texture

OBJ + MTL + texture image / true colorArtec Spider, Eva, Leo capture color

The scanner's color cameras wrap the mesh in the object's real color. Nothing is painted on; this is what the part looks like. Our scan of a weathered copper clock ornament for Boyd Clocks and our crashed-vehicle scans are full color. Color adds nothing to a part you will machine, and everything to a part you will show.

Files: OBJ with its MTL and texture image, or other textured formats on request
Good for: Museum and conservation records, court and insurance exhibits, renderings, the "before" of a restoration
Not for: Machining or CAD work; the color is a picture on the surface, not geometry
Ask for it when: Someone will look at it, or the surface condition is the point. See the clock ornament.

geometry + what it looks like

CAD model

STEP / IGES / solid, editable featuresDesign X, Fusion 360, SolidWorks

The mesh rebuilt as real, editable surfaces and solids: planes, cylinders, radii, a sketch with dimensions. This is surface reconstruction, and it takes modeling time on top of the scan. It drops into SolidWorks, Fusion 360 and similar programs so your team can edit, machine, draw and improve the part.

Files: STEP or IGES; native files for your CAD program on request
Good for: Recreating a discontinued part, machining, fixing weak points, changing fitments, preparing for manufacturing
Not for: Jobs that only need a print or a picture; you would pay for modeling you will not use
Ask for it when: An engineer or a machine shop is next in line. Reverse engineering.

a part again, not a skin

Deviation report

color map / scan vs model, or scan vs referenceControl X, Artec Studio

A color-mapped comparison between two shapes: the finished CAD and the scan it came from, a manufactured part and its design, or an object and an original. Green where they agree, orange where they do not. On real jobs the agreement is often within a few hundredths of a millimeter. It is how we prove a model matches the part before you build from it.

Files: PDF report with color maps and numbers; the comparison data on request
Good for: Validating a reverse-engineered model, inspecting a finished part against its design, product and copying disputes
Not for: Jobs with no reference to compare against
Ask for it when: You will build from the file, or you need to show two shapes differ. How accurate is a scan?

two shapes -> where they disagree, in color

Printed model

3D printed from the scan / one shop75+ printers on site

A scan does not have to stop at data. We 3D print from the mesh: a replica to practice on, a replacement part, a model a jury can hold, a touchable copy for a museum. Scanning and printing in one shop means the whole job stays with one team, like the awning tops we scanned and then printed for Hotel Flor, 75 feet in total.

Files: You still get the mesh; the part is the extra
Good for: Replicas for restoration work, courtroom and insurance models, accessible museum copies, replacement parts
Not for: Nothing, really; tell us the material and the use
Ask for it when: Someone needs to hold it. Hotel Flor case study · 3D printing.

real thing -> file -> real thing again

Side by side

pick by the next step, not by the file name

Swipe sideways to see all columns

Deliverable	Files	Editable	Color	Extra work	Best next step
Mesh	STL, OBJ	No	OBJ only	None, it is the scan	Print, view, archive
Color texture	OBJ + MTL + image	No	Yes	Captured with the scan	Exhibit, record, render
CAD model	STEP, IGES	Yes	No	Modeling time	Machine, redesign, draw
Deviation report	PDF	n/a	Color map	Comparison time	Prove, inspect, dispute
Printed model	The part + mesh	No	Material color	Print time	Hold it, test it, show it

Which one do I ask for?

start from what happens next

I want to 3D print a copy or a fitting part

Mesh (STL or OBJ). We can print it here too.

I want to show it: a jury, a museum, a client, a before picture

Color texture (OBJ with texture), and a printed model if people will hold it.

A machine shop or an engineer gets it next

CAD model (STEP), with the deviation report that proves it matches.

I want to check a made part against its design

Deviation report. Bring the design file or the original part.

I need a record before the object changes

Mesh with color. A digital record you can measure, view from any angle and keep on file.

I do not know yet

Say so. We scan once and can add the CAD or the report later from the same data.

What you do not need to pay for. A CAD rebuild when you will only print. Color when you will only machine. A report when there is nothing to compare against. We would rather deliver the right file than the longest list.

Tell us the software. Mesh files open in any slicer or viewer. STEP and IGES open in SolidWorks, Fusion 360 and similar programs. Say what you use and we match it, or deliver both. Quote-form uploads take STL, STEP, STP, OBJ, 3MF, IGES, IGS, DXF and PDF. Tell us about your object.

Questions

short answers, longer ones on the service pages

What is the difference between a mesh and a STEP file?

A mesh (STL or OBJ) is a surface made of triangles: great for 3D printing or visualization, but not editable as real features. A STEP file is solid CAD geometry built from editable surfaces and solids, so you can open it in SolidWorks or Fusion 360 and change it.

Can I get both?

Yes. Tell us the end use and we recommend the format, or deliver both. The CAD rebuild is modeling time on top of the scan, so we only suggest it when you will edit or machine the part.

Do you scan in color?

For many jobs, yes. Several of our scans, like the historic clock ornament and the crashed vehicle shown on this site, are full color. Tell us if color matters and we choose the scanner for it.

How accurate is the result?

We validate the converted model against the original scan before delivery, so you can build on it. The scanner's own figures and what moves them are on How accurate is a 3D scan?

Can you print the part too?

Yes. We scan it, then 3D print the new one, so the whole job stays with one team. That is how we made the awning tops for Hotel Flor.