Turn Your Old Flatbed Scanner into a High Tech 3D Graphics Scanner

Three dimensional (3D) scanning may sound like something from the future or at the very least it's very expensive. If you ask most people they will tell you that you are right on both accounts. Practical use of 3D scanners is far in the future for personal use. The 3D scanners that are used for commercial and medical use are extremely expensive. I'm going to tell you about a very little known secret I learned in college in a graphics design class. It transforms your old flatbed scanner into a high tech 3D graphics scanner using a very simple and inexpensive upgrade adapter.

3D scanning requires that the image being scanned is scanned from three separate angles simulations. By understanding a very simple principal of light and color you can get 3D effects from your flatbed scanner.

1. Light is the collection of all spectrums (colors of the rainbow).

2. Dark is the absence of light.

3. White is the absence of all color.

4. Black is the collection of all color (RGB - Red, Green, Blue)

First you will need an old or new flatbed scanner. If you don't have a flatbed scanner and are considering buying one after you read this article I suggest you go to someplace like Wal-Mart or Target or even Best Buy ad pick up a cheap 3D flatbed scanner. By Cheap, I mean around $50.00 to $75.00. There is no need to go out and buy an expensive scanner for this project.

Next you will need a shoe box. Yes you read it right. You will need a shoe box. Make sure it's in excellent condition. If you don't have a shoe box lying around go to your local shoe store, they usually have a stray box or two lying around. You don't need a lid. You should get multiple show boxes. I'll go into detail later as to why you may need additional shoe boxes.

Finally you will need a can of flat black paint. Don't use a glossy paint. It's very important that you use flat paint. Flat paint will absorb the light and the glossy paint will reflect it back during the scanning process and wash out your image.

Take some old newspaper and go outside and spray the inside of the shoebox if shoeboxes with the flat black paint. Allow it to dry and repeat if needed. The entire inside should be painted with no area exposed. Let the shoe box dry completely over night. If you use the shoe box before it dries completely you can damage your scanner.

Here's how it works. You will use the shoe box, which you spray painted a flat black to trap and absorb the light surrounding the object to objects you are scanning. The result will be a stunning 3D graphic which can be used to spice up a webpage, newsletter or blog.

Let's say you're writing an article about finances. The only thing missing is a killer graphic. You can crumple up a dollar bill and place it on your flatbed scanner scanning glass. Place the shoe box over the dollar bill. Don't worry about closing the lid. Most flatbed scanners allow you to remove the lid completely. Scan in your item at 300 or 600 dpi (dots per an inch). There is no need to scan at any higher resolution. Since the light is being absorbed by the flat black paint the shadows are more pronounced and you have created your first 3D graphic.

Let's say your child has a science project due on acorns and needs a photo or graphic. You can search for hours to find the perfect graphic. Or you can walk out into your lawn and pick up a few acorns from the ground. You can scan the in the same manner has the dollar bill using the shoebox or you can scan multiple acorns at once for a 3D cluster effect.

Not everything has to be laid directly on top of the scanner. You can take a bouquet of flowers and push the steams through the top of the shoe box and allow them t hangs directly above the scanner glass without touching it. Or you can attach paper clips from the top of the shoebox and hang other items from the paper clips. If you use paper clip do you best to make sure the item you are scanning hides the paper clip.

Play with different objects and configurations. You will find many practical business and family fun uses for it. You will breathe new life into your old boring scanner. You can of course still use your scanner for scanning pictures and documents. But now you have a more exciting use for it.