GoKawiilThe Creality Sermoon S1 is a good scanner, but it needs to be tethered to a high end computer for best results.
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If you’ve ever wanted to skip the design process and just scan an object directly into your 3D printer, then Creality’s Sermoon S1 is worth looking into. This pricey bit of kit makes very good scans of small to large non-organic objects and comes with easy-to-use, AI-assisted clean-up software.
The scanner has a bit of a learning curve and takes patience to use. Its $2,699 price tag makes it too expensive for most makers to use just for the novelty of it, especially when AI modeling software can more easily make replicas from photos snapped with your phone. However, this is a valuable prosumer tool for those who need accurate and precise scans of objects as a jumping off point for CAD software or Blender.
Creality has come a long way since the frustrating CR-Scan Lizard I reviewed four years ago. It’s much easier to operate as a handheld device, though it still needs to be tethered via cable or wifi (with an optional bridge unit) to a computer. It still needs marking dots for the blue laser line mode, but often you can simply place the dots on a turntable rather than the object itself.
If you want a truly handheld, self-contained unit, Creality’s Sermoon P1 is available for $600 more. The P1 trades portability for a slight reduction in speed and accuracy.
Theoretically, the Sermoon S1 can be used on the go if you have a powerful laptop to run it. Sadly, my little web surfing laptop struggled to keep up, and I had better results when tethering it to my desktop PC. The optional Scan Bridge (currently $299) gives the S1 a comfortable pistol grip while also removing the tangle of cords for greater maneuverability.
The S1 can scan people in NIR mode, but the technique takes practice and a subject willing to stand very still for at least a full minute or two. I asked my husband to scan me and it had trouble with my hair, even when I pulled it into a ponytail. However, a skilled artist would be able to take that scan and fill in the gaps. Creality’s software offered an AI feature to fix my face, but it didn’t work due to the quality of the scan, which seems counterintuitive.
Specifications: Creality Sermoon S1
Swipe to scroll horizontally Scanning Mode Blue Laser NIR Structured Light Light Type Single, 7, and 34-Line Laser NIR (Near-Infrared) Accuracy Up to .02mm Up to .08mm/m 3D Resolution 0.05-2mm 0.1-2mm Working Distance 200mm 1200mm from the subject Minimum Scanning Volume 5x5x5mm 150x150x150mm Scan Speed ≤ 90fps ≤ 30fps Alignment Markers/Geometry/Texture Markers/Geometry/Texture Connectivity Connectivity: Wired USB, Optional WiFi Connectivity: Wired USB, Optional WiFi Color Texture Supported Supported Output Format OBJ/STL/PLY OBJ/STL/PLY Required PC Windows or Mac Windows or Mac
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