Main Content

A completely automated way to take photos and convert them into a 3D object.

DESCRIPTION
This turntable is a new and improved version of my hand cranked version (which is fully 3D-printable, no extra parts needed. Check it out here. It uses an Arduino UNO to control a 1602 LCD screen, a stepper motor and a 9g servo motor. The turntable can be used as a 3D scanner by taking photos of an object 360 degrees around it. These photos can be converted later on into a 3D model using photogrammetry software. The amount of photos that have to be taken can be determined by the user, ranging from 2 photos to 200 photos (can be easily adjusted in the arduino program). The turntable can also be used to take cinematic shots. In this mode the turntable rotates at a constant speed chosen by the user. The last menu enables the user to manually move the turntable.

DETAILS
As said before this turntable is a new and improved version of my hand cranked version. A lot of people suggested to me I should put a stepper motor onto it to get some very nice cinematic shots. This is exactly what I did.

I gave it a bit more functionality than just a regular cinematic turntable. I added the possibility to use the turntable to capture photos 360 degrees around an object.

The photos are being taken by a smartphone connected to a Bluetooth remote located inside the turntable. I just used the most straight forward, obvious and simple solution to capture these photos, which was to use a servo to press a button on a Bluetooth remote. I went for this solution due to the fact that Apple products tend to not like the HC-05 and HC-06 Bluetooth modules and refuse to connect to them. I’m sure a cleaner and more durable solution is to use these HC-05 or HC-06 modules and connect them to an android device.

The amount of photos that have to be taken can be determined by the user, ranging from 2 photos to 200 photos. These values can be easily adjusted in the Arduino program. The taken photos can be converted later on into a 3D model using photogrammetry software. The photogrammetry software I use is Autodesk Recap Photo.

In the second menu you can find the possibility to use the turntable to make awesome cinematic shots of your objects. In this mode the turntable rotates a certain amount of turns at a constant speed chosen by the user ranging from 1 to 17 RPM (speed of the stepper motor).

The third and last menu enables the user to manually control the turntable and bring the plate to the desired position at the preferred speed.

All the mechanical parts of this turntable are completely 3D-printed. The bearing for example is a print-in-place one which works great for this application. The print in place of moving objects adds to the simplicity of the build”

Link to article