Basically, as long as we’ve been around, we’ve been capturing people’s likenesses through various mediums, from ancient cave paintings to cutting-edge 3D scans. And with the advent of 3D scanning people, we’ve opened the door to a new world of digital applications and 3D printing possibilities. In this article, we’ll examine how 3D body scans of people are used for various applications.
So let’s get into it.
Check out this article to learn how to 3D scan someone.
VR Avatars
Ok, so maybe Meta’s Metaverse hasn’t really taken off. But there are many other popular VR services like VRChat, Meeting Room, Glue, or Arthur, empowering businesses and education to hold virtual meetings or conferences without needing lengthy, expensive, and polluting flights around the globe.
Video Games
It’s not only video game devs that can take advantage of highly detailed 3D body scans to create hyperrealistic characters in their games. Now with 3D scanners increasingly becoming more affordable, thanks to companies like Revopoint, 3D scanning has seen a lift in the world of game modding, with modders using them to create assets and characters or swapping the protagonist’s 3D models for their own.
Health Care
3D scanners are a fantastic non-invasive way of gathering diagnostic or treatment data for various applications, such as measuring the progress of burn treatment, creating custom 3D printed prosthetics or tracking body shape. One of the biggest uses of 3D scanners is corrective surgery, where doctors will use 3D scans to plan the surgery and show the patient how they’ll look post-op.
3D Printing
Creating 3D miniatures from scaled-down 3D scans of people is becoming a trend. Sometimes it’s just done for fun. Other times it can preserve a special moment in time, and some enterprising folks have even created a business out of it, creating wedding cake toppers of the bride and groom or souvenirs of a holiday. Though if this is something you want to do, use a 3D printer with a high resolution, or else the model’s details can get blurred, leaving you with something that can look a little creepy.
Fashion Design
In a world of fast fashion and ever-increasing consumer demands for unique apparel, cranking out new designs in record time is essential for designers. And with the help of 3D scanners creating accurate 3D models of people, clothing designers can now make customized items designed to fit the customer perfectly without ever having to crack out the measuring tape.
Sports Science
Being the best athlete in the world isn’t just about training anymore. The clothes and shoes they wear can be the difference between coming first or not even making the podium. Increasingly full 3D body scans are done to create customized, better-fitting, more aerodynamic outfits for top athletes. And it’s not only outfits; body scans are used to track athletes’ weight loss and muscle build progress, letting them see if their exercise regimen is working.
The Future of History
Back in 2014, President Obama was digitally immortalized as the first US president to be fully 3D scanned and displayed in the Smithsonian. Imagine how much more real history will become to students in the future if they can see and interact with accurate 3D models of historical figures. And let’s face it, portraits and photos are so 20th century. It’s about time we modernize the whole thing and go digital.
Cosplay
Creating the best costume possible is a serious business in cosplay, with enthusiasts spending months and a surprising amount of money making their outfits. These wondrous creations often require custom-made 3D printed pieces reverse-engineered from collectible models with the help of a 3D scanner, then adjusted to fit the cosplayer with data from their body scan.
And this is only the beginning. As surrounding technologies mature and the world continues its march to an even more digital future, 3D body scans will become ingrained into everyday life, from online medical consultations to an AI selecting the perfect fitting clothes from a body scan during a shopping experience.
If you enjoyed this article and want to see more ways 3D scanners are used, check these out:
What are 3D Scanners Used For?
3D Scanners for Preserving, Sharing, and Studying Historical Artifacts
