Creality RaptorX
Incredibly powerful, fast, and accurate 3D scanner for a wide variety of objects.
What we like
- 34 cross line/7 parallel blue laser scanning
- NIR scanning
- Long-lasting battery
- Wireless and wired scanning modes
- Fast, detailed scanning
What we don’t like
- May not be compatible with all PCs
- Limited instructions
Have you ever been sitting around and thought it’d be a great idea to 3D print a version of yourself? Thanks to the Creality RaptorX, I can now scan myself and create mini (or full size) versions of myself with a 3D printer, and I can also scan and print my car so that mini me has a cool ride.
This is a sponsored article and was made possible by Creality. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author, who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.
Content
- Impressive Scanning Power in One Hand
- Well Protected Case With Accessories
- Speedy, Yet Accurate Scanning
- Setting Up
- Scanning Objects With Creality RaptorX
- Limitless Possibilities
Impressive Scanning Power in One Hand
Something powerful enough to create a highly detailed scan of sculptures, action figures, automotive parts, people, and more, should be rather large, right? I was impressed to discover the Creality RaptorX is a handheld device, weighing just a few pounds. The scanner itself weighs around a pound, while the handle weighs a tad more.
As the world’s first wireless hybrid scanner, I have the power of a blue laser and NIR scanner in one device. The blue laser features 34 cross lines and seven parallel lines, along with an NIR structured light for 3-in-1 functionality.
What’s even better is the accuracy. Since Creality’s scanner costs about a third of the competition, I wasn’t expecting a volumetric accuracy of 0.02mm + 0.06mm/m. Plus, I’m able to scan objects ranging from 5-4,000mm.
It’s not really designed for transparent, hollow, and reflective objects, though you can use a scanning spray on reflective surfaces to make it work properly.
Well Protected Case With Accessories
Immediately out of the box, I was blown away to find everything neatly packed in a hard shell case. Each component has its own compartment, including a section for the included reflective markers (both 3mm and 6mm) and a Wi-Fi 6 dongle, if your device doesn’t already have Wi-Fi 6 capability.
The charging cable, wired scanning cable (if you need a wired connection), and different plugs for different countries are all included as well. I also really like the magnetic connector to attach your phone to the Creality RaptorX scanner. Trust me when I say it holds tightly.
Speedy, Yet Accurate Scanning
I fully expected scanning to take a while to achieve a high level of accuracy. I was happily wrong. With the blue laser cross lines, the Creality RaptorX can scan up to 1.02 million points per second. If you’re using NIR scanning, it’s a little slower and just slightly less accurate, but in my tests, I didn’t see much difference.
For the best results, Creality recommends:
- 34 cross laser lines – medium to large objects, ranging from 100mm to 4,000mm (markers required)
- 7 parallel laser lines – small to medium objects, ranging from 5mm to 200mm (markers required), partial HD scanning for even finer detail
- NIR scanning – best for markless scanning up to 30fps, such as geometric shapes (more efficient, but sometimes less detailed)
While you don’t have to choose full color scanning, it’s fully supported in all three modes.
Obviously, the exact scanning time varies based on the object, surrounding lighting (I found medium light to work best), and how detailed the object is. To scan a truck planter, it took around one to two minutes using NIR scanning. To scan a cabinet door with blue light lasers and markers, it took around the same amount of time.
Setting Up
Creality’s instructions for setting up the scanner itself, attaching the phone, and installing the software was pretty clear.
After that, I was on my own. Even the wiki I was sent to wasn’t that detailed about how the different scanning modes worked, recommended object size for each mode, or even how the Creality Scan software worked.
Luckily, once I found the Creality Scan mobile app, it had several pages of tutorials to help me get started. Otherwise, I would’ve been clueless without watching quite a few YouTube videos.
The scanner attaches easily to the handle, both of which feature buttons to start, pause, and finish a scan. It was nice that the scanner was about 75% charged upon arrival so that I could get started immediately. During my review, I found a charge lasted about three to four hours, and it took roughly 1.5 hours to recharge the scanner.
A magnetic phone attachment let me connect my phone to the back of the scanner. This is for two reasons: I can connect to the device’s Wi-Fi network and scan directly into my phone. If using the desktop software, I can also view the scan in real time on my phone.
Scanning Objects With Creality RaptorX
Without instructions, my first test went horribly. First, I discovered my laptop wasn’t powerful enough to handle the software. It didn’t inform me, though the software did a performance scan, said everything was great, and kept giving me failed scan errors. Make sure your PC is compatible before buying.
Fast forward to another PC with a little more oomph, and I could finally see what this handy scanner was capable of.
I started with a truck planter: small, but detailed. I opted for the NIR scanning, as it was a smaller geometric shape. I’ve never used a 3D scanner before, but I only lost the tracking a few times. I used the mobile app for this first test, and it advised me when I needed to move closer or further.
If the object turned green, the scan was going well. If it turned red, I needed to adjust my position. It was that easy. When it looked complete, I finished the scan and proceeded to the processing phase. A few quick taps later, and I had my 3D model ready to use with 3D printing software.
Original Truck vs. Full Color 3D model
Next up, I tried a smaller bowl, which was mostly flat. I wanted to test out the blue light lasers on small objects. I had to put several 3mm reflective dots on it, as it’s a flatter surface. This time, I used the PC software. I liked the guide that shows you whether you’re in the optimal position or not. It took about a minute to get a detailed scan, though I think it could’ve been faster with better lighting.
Once again, the processing phase let me go from scan to model. Automatic and manual processing modes are available, but I stuck with automatic, which seemed to work fine.
My next scan was a larger cabinet door using the 6mm reflective dots and the cross lines. I kept losing tracking for some reason, but it was a darker area, so that could be the problem. What’s nice is that during the processing phase, I discovered the editing tools to fill in holes, crop out areas I didn’t need, and more. And, it was all very user friendly. The 34 cross laser lines did an excellent job of picking up the details of the door, even in the darker light.
To further test how well the blue light scanning with the 34 cross line laser worked, I also scanned a larger trash can. I initially tried it with the mobile app, but after contacting Creality, I was told this mode takes too much memory and phones can’t support it. However, support for the 7 line laser mode is coming as soon as January.
Once I switched to the desktop app, it took around 10 minutes to scan all the way around. I’m not sure if the extra time was because I didn’t have enough dots (I had at least 80 on it) or because it randomly kept losing tracking going around each side, but when it finished, I was impressed with the precise results.
Finally, I scanned my head. Doing a full body scan by myself just wasn’t going to work, so I stuck with my face. I used NIR scanning for this. The detail was amazing, though I could have happily lived with a few less details and wrinkles showing.
Limitless Possibilities
I can’t even begin to imagine just how many things I could possibly scan and print thanks to the Creality RaptorX. It’s convenient and compact, though still works with larger objects. It’s perfect for car parts, art, statues, body models, machine parts, and much more.
It does take trial and error to figure things out. Better instructions out of the box would’ve helped. I recommend jumping on YouTube to get a good foundation. Then, just practice with various objects to learn which settings work best for different items.
Grab the Creality RaptorX today for just $4,599. It’s also currently on sale for $3,299. While it may seem expensive, keep in mind similar scanners cost upwards of $15,000, so this is actually quite a steal.
Crystal Crowder –
Staff Writer
Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps. She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems.
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