Classy Dog Studios shows how to make a DIY 3D Scanning rig for trees and more.

James Candy from Classy Dog Studios shows us (for those of us interested in 3D scanning) how to scan trees faster, by creating a DIY 3D scanning rig made from PVC and other low-cost materials. The final rig is simple to use and doesn’t require any special skills to use it. The rig can shoot surfaces in general, but Candy created the rig to speed up the process of shooting trees.

The rig combines the strengths of using a tripod with the nimbleness of shooting handheld. All you have to do it pick it up, place it against the tree and click the shutter. Like a tripod, you can shoot with much slower shutter speeds than shooting handheld. James has quite a few tutorials that deal with scanning objects and surfaces into 3D, especially environments and the like. The rig is like the one James used to scan his 8k tree texture pack.