The Value of Realistic Expectations

As far as I know, there are no perfect 3D scanning tools.  And, that is most definitely true when it comes to sub-$1,500 scanners.  But, that has never stopped new users from prematurely declaring this or that scanner is 'junk' or 'useless'.

I was reminded of this recently as I explored a web site for uloading scanned or captured images.  There was a scan of an object that appeared quite good to me, having seen the results from dozens of scanners over at least 6+ years.  But, it was disheartening to see the person uploading the image to seem to be utterly disappointed by the result.  I can only guess that they were expecting perfection from their new scanner right out of the box and, in my experience, that is laudable; but, totally unrealistic expectation.

The All Too Often Sad Outcomes of Unrealistic Expectations

I am not going to post an image of the object because my purpose is not to offend, or even criticize this user.  In fact, my issue with their position isn't that they do not tkink the scanner they have is adequate; but, that an expectation of perfection can often be an impediment to success and fulfillment.

Back in what many would consider to be the dark ages, I was a teacher of middle school students over several years.  One of my most promising students was also my most frustrating student.  If this student did not get 100% on a test, they angrily tore their paper up in little pieces. 99% was completely unacceptable.

I have watched this person over the years and have seen the devastation this has had on both their personal and professional life.  Who could hope to have a long term relationship with a person that demands perfection in all things.  And, in spite of the fact that this person clearly had the intellectual capabilities of doing great things, that has not been the case in the real world of work.

The Abrupt End of Growth and Discovery

My heart sank as the user declared they were probably sending back the scanner, which I know to be one of the best in its price range.  One reason for my lamenting that decision is that I new, from experience, based on what I could see in the scan, that none of the competitors in that price range was going to do any better.  Now, to be fair, I do not know their ultimate reason for thinking they need a super-high quality scanner.  In fact, for their intended purpose they actually may need an ultra-high resolution scanner well beyond anything moost of us need in the classroom.  But, if so, they had better be prepared to spend tens of thousands of dollars for one.

But, even then, I have the sneaking suspician that this user would be less than impressed by the output from the best professional scanner right out of the box.  As far as I am aware, the results from ALL scanners require some level of post-processing to achieve anything close to perfection.

In every case, what is likely to happen is that a new scanner is purchased, tried and found wanting only to be returned without any real effort to understand the tool's true capabilities.  An unrealistic expectation allow a person to dismiss a product too prematurely without any real commitment to getting the most out of it.

And, that is a shame... because, the journey usually has the potential to be even more valuable than the outcome.  When we make a commitment to fully understanding a tool, the adventure can take us into many directions.  In the case of scanning, that can be coming up with special lighting solutions or, in the case of scanners using a turntable, a more indepth study of the object being scanned to overcome design limitations that hinders the scanning function.

Bringing Expectations into the Realm of Reality

The first place I would look for a dose of reality is our ultimate purpose, educationally, for scanning.  In the scope of this blog, that is to use the capturing process as a starting place for observation and research.  While we want the best representation possible, within the means at our disposal, the actual capture need not be absolutely perfect to be of enormous value to our students and the community.

So, in fact, it matters little if we use Qlone on a smart phone or a $25,000 scanner.  Both are a means to and end and the bottom line is that all we need to do is focus on learning to use what we have to get the best result possible given our circumstances.

If we have no means to scan, we need to find the best we can find within our budget.  If we have a scanner, however crude it may appear to be, we need to focus on getting the most out of it.  And, all this has to be done with the realization that some things are going to work better than others and that disappointment is NOT a show-stopper.  It is an opportunity to learn and grow.

I have spent the past few weeks using a single scanner focusing on capturing objects purposely chosen to challenge both the equipment and myself.  In the process, the challenges have driven me to come up with new lighting techniques specific to this scanner and learning an all new image processing program that can help deal with the specular nature of the objects themselves.  I'm very pleased with where we are now in our understanding of this scanner.  But, I know there is more to learn.

But, now, I will be going back to some older scanners we've owned for years to see how they fare with these same objects.  Though I have extensive experience over the years with these scanners, what is different this time is that I bring what I have recently learned with the most recent scanner. While it may or may not help for any given scanner, it certainly enhances the probability of improving the outcomes with each scanner even if it's only a starting point for a new quest to discover a different lighting strategy.  But, if I were to bring unrealistic expectations for any of these tools to the table it bring all exploration to an abrupt end.  And, that is the worst outcome of all.

P.S. Recently, I picked up an HP Z 3D scanner to test and immediately tried using it.  Quite frankly, while I don't think my expectations were too high, since I have an HP RealSense scanner tablet, it was difficult to keep from losing tracking.  Not wanting to give up, I contacted the product manager and learned it had been discontinued.  And, the reason for that was that HP, too, realized it was difficult to use.  Creating a 3D scanner that is user friendly is NOT easy.  And, the fact that a huge company like HP found it difficult to pull off to their satisfaction should say something about how truly difficult it is.  Even so, while the HP is now lower on the priority list, it is still a tool we plan to pursue to try to learn because when it does work, it is gorgeous.  We don't like tools going to waste!