Scan Capture Accessories

The not-software / not-camera kit that makes scan results 2x better: a turntable so the object rotates predictably, soft diffuse lighting so textures don't bake in shadows, scan spray so glossy / dark surfaces are visible, and coded markers / ChArUco boards so the scanner knows where it is. Pairs with Scan Capture Hardware (the camera / drone / sensor side), Handheld 3D Scanners, Photogrammetry Software, OSS / DIY 3D Scanners, and Scan Quality & Inspection.

Turntables (motorised + manual)

• ★ Revopoint Dual-Axis Turntable / Mini Turntable — Bluetooth-controlled; integrates with Revo Scan; ~$80–200.
• Creality CR-Scan Turntable — pairs with CR-Scan apps.
• 3DMakerPro Smart Turntable — Bluetooth.
• OpenScan motorised turntable — open-hardware (CC-BY-SA); 3D-printable; the DIY default. See OSS / DIY 3D Scanners.
• Foldio360, Ortery, Photomechanics PhotoMaster — branded photogrammetry turntables; ~$100–500.
• Manual lazy-Susan + protractor — works fine; $20.

Lighting

• ★ Photo softbox / scan tent — diffuses LED / strobe light; eliminates hard shadows. $30–100 for a foldable kit.
• Ring lights / panel LEDs (CRI > 95) — colour-balanced; the texture won't shift between shots.
• DIY LED strip + diffuser — cheap; OK if you keep all strips identical.
• Cross-polarised flash — eliminates specular highlights on shiny / waxy surfaces (advanced; needs polariser films and a lens-mounted polariser).
• Daylight / overcast outdoor — free; the photogrammetrist's friend; no hard shadows on a cloudy day.

Scan spray / coatings

For shiny, dark, transparent, or featureless objects — photogrammetry and structured light both fail without surface texture.

• ★ AESUB Blue / Orange / White / Yellow — sublimating 3D-scan spray; evaporates within 4–24 hours leaving no residue. The pro standard. Blue is general-purpose, Orange is fine, White is for rare reflective metals.
• Magnaflux SKD-S2 — older non-sublimating developer spray; cheaper but leaves residue.
• Cyclododecane — niche / heritage; sublimates over days.
• Talcum powder / chalk dust — DIY; messy but free.
• Athlete's foot powder / dry shampoo — DIY hack; works in a pinch, hard to remove cleanly.
• Helling 3D scan spray — German alternative to AESUB.

Markers / targets

• ★ Reflective coded markers (Revopoint / Creality / Shining) — ship with the scanner; stick on or around the object for tracking. Critical for marker-mode handheld scans.
• ★ ChArUco boards — printable; the OpenCV-friendly checkerboard + ArUco hybrid; used to give photogrammetry / structured-light scale and orientation.
• Coded targets (RealityCapture, Metashape, Pix4D) — printable grids; each app has its own dot pattern for auto-detection.
• Reference spheres — for sphere-fit alignment in metrology workflows; ~$50–500 each depending on tolerance.
• Survey ground-control points (GCPs) — large flat-X targets for aerial photogrammetry; printed or painted on the ground.
• AprilTags / fiducial generators — apriltag-generation and similar; useful for robotics + custom scan rigs.

Colour / white-balance targets

• ★ X-Rite ColorChecker Passport / Classic — paid (~$80–200); the default colour-management target. Place in the first / last shot of a capture, profile in Lightroom / RawTherapee, apply across the set. Critical for archival / heritage work.
• Datacolor Spyder Checkr — ColorChecker alternative.
• Grey card — cheap; sets WB without proper colour profiling.

Calibration / scale

• Calibration scale bars / coded scale bars — paid; used in metrology / heritage; come with NIST-traceable lengths. ~$200–2,000.
• Steel rulers / calipers in scene — DIY; manually measure two points and rescale the model.

Drone-specific

• Ground control points (GCPs) — chequered targets placed on the ground at GPS-known positions. Critical for surveying-grade aerial photogrammetry.
• Pix4D / DJI Terra GCP markers — printable target sheets.

Cleanup / care

• Microfiber cloths — dust between captures.
• Antistatic gloves — for handling polished or pre-prepared objects.
• Storage cases — protect markers from creasing.

Pick this if…

• First scanner setup: Revopoint / Creality turntable + softbox + AESUB Blue + the marker dots that came with the scanner.
• DIY photogrammetry rig: OpenScan turntable + softbox + ChArUco board printed on photo paper.
• Shiny / dark / glass object: AESUB Blue or White, then scan.
• Heritage / museum / archival: ColorChecker + AESUB + ChArUco + a coded scale bar.
• Aerial / drone surveying: GCPs at known GPS positions; see Drone Mapping & Aerial Photogrammetry.
• Indoor LiDAR / TLS: reference spheres for registration; see Industrial & Laser Scanners.