Shining 3D, a leader in innovative 3D digitisation solutions, is once again raising the bar with the launch of two groundbreaking new handheld 3D scanners: the Einstar 2 and the Einstar Rockit. These exciting additions to the Einstar series are designed to cater to a wider range of users, offering enhanced features and performance tailored to specific application needs.

The original Einstar 3d scanner was a market-defining product upon its release. It successfully lowered the barrier to entry for hobbyists, educators, artists, and small businesses, offering reliable performance and user-friendly software at a highly competitive price point. Its design, centred around Infrared VCSEL structured light, made it particularly adept at scanning organic shapes and human subjects, applications that resonated strongly with its target market.

The subsequent introduction of the Einstar 2 and Einstar Rockit models signals a new phase in the product line's evolution. These scanners are not merely replacements for the original but represent a sophisticated response to market feedback and growing user demands. They incorporate features previously reserved for significantly more expensive professional scanners, such as true wireless operation via Wi-Fi 6, swappable batteries, and, most importantly, hybrid dual-light source technology. This expansion of the series demonstrates a clear strategy to cater to an increasingly knowledgeable user base that demands greater speed, enhanced material handling capabilities, and more efficient workflows.

Let's dive into what makes these new scanners so revolutionary and how they're set to transform your 3D scanning workflows.

Technological Deep Dive: From Infrared to Hybrid Laser Systems

The most significant differentiator across the Einstar series is the evolution of the core scanning technology. Understanding the practical implications of each light source is essential to selecting the appropriate model for a given application.

Einstar's IR VCSEL Technology

The original Einstar is built exclusively on Infrared Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) structured light technology. This system projects an invisible pattern of infrared light onto an object, which is then captured by two stereo depth cameras. By analysing the deformation of this pattern, the software calculates the 3D geometry of the surface. This technology offers several key advantages for its target applications. Firstly, the infrared light is completely eye-safe, making the scanner comfortable and ideal for scanning people and animals without projected visible light. Secondly, it is particularly effective at capturing challenging organic surfaces like hair, offering a dedicated "Hair Mode" in the software to improve data completeness. The primary limitation of IR VCSEL, however, is its performance on dark or shiny surfaces. These materials tend to absorb or scatter the infrared light, leading to noisy or incomplete data, often necessitating the use of a matting spray or the application of tracking markers to achieve a successful scan.

Wireless Freedom: A Transformative Feature

The removal of the data and power cable is a profound improvement. It completely un-tethers the user, unlocking new applications and dramatically improving ease of use. Operators can now easily scan in confined spaces, such as vehicle interiors, or capture large outdoor objects like sculptures without being constrained by cable length or the need for a nearby power outlet. For users who may still require a wired connection due to heavy Wi-Fi interference or other environmental factors, a USB-C port is available for traditional tethered operation.

The most transformative usability upgrade in the Einstar 2 and Rockit is the introduction of true wireless operation. While the original Einstar is tethered to a PC via a USB cable, the new models incorporate a built-in Wi-Fi 6 module for a direct, stable, real-time connection to the computer. This is powered by a swappable 5500mA battery, which provides up to three hours of continuous runtime.

New Software: EXStar Hub 

The user experience is also shaped by the accompanying software. The original Einstar operates with the EXStar software, a capable platform for data capture and post-processing. The new Einstar 2 and Rockit utilise the unified EXStar Hub platform. This updated software streamlines the workflow with a more modern interface and is optimised to handle the higher data throughput and advanced features of the new hardware.

For users engaged in reverse engineering, Shining 3D offers the optional EXModel software. This powerful scan-to-CAD tool integrates with the capture software and provides a comprehensive suite of functions to convert a raw mesh (a collection of triangles) into a precise, parametric CAD model suitable for manufacturing and design. The availability of this software creates a seamless ecosystem for users moving from physical object to digital design.

The Einstar 2: Enhanced Precision for Everyday Excellence

The original Einstar quickly became a favourite for its user-friendliness and excellent value. The Einstar 2 builds upon this foundation, delivering a significant upgrade in precision and detail capture, making it an ideal choice for professionals and hobbyists seeking higher fidelity in their 3D models

Einstar 2's Hybrid System: 17 Parallel Blue Laser Lines

The Einstar 2 represents the first step into hybrid technology for the series. It retains the IR VCSEL source for human and organic scanning but adds a powerful new tool: an array of 17 parallel blue laser lines. Blue laser light has a shorter wavelength than infrared or white light, making it less susceptible to ambient light interference and significantly more effective at being captured on dark and reflective surfaces. The introduction of this laser mode is a direct solution to the primary weakness of the original model. It allows the Einstar 2 to reliably scan industrial parts, automotive components, and other metallic objects, often without any surface preparation. The dense array of 17 parallel lines is configured to enhance scanning efficiency and detail capture on small to medium-sized objects, providing a substantial upgrade for users in design and light engineering fields.

• Increased Accuracy: Experience even more precise data capture, allowing for highly detailed and accurate 3D models. This is crucial for applications requiring tight tolerances.

• Faster Scanning Speed: Boost your productivity with quicker data acquisition, reducing overall project time.

• Optimised for Versatility: The Einstar 2 maintains the intuitive workflow of its predecessor, making it suitable for a broad spectrum of applications, from reverse engineering and product design to digital archiving and custom fabrication.

• High-Quality Texture Capture: Capture vibrant and realistic colour textures, bringing your 3D models to life with rich visual information.

 

Einstar 2 Target Market: The Versatile Creative Workhorse

The Einstar 2 is the ideal tool for creative professionals, designers, and advanced prosumers who require greater versatility than the base model offers. Its hybrid light source is the key feature that bridges the gap between organic and industrial scanning.

• Ideal Applications: Creating high-fidelity assets for Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR), where both accurate geometry and true-to-life colour are important; scanning custom-designed parts for fabrication, where the laser mode can handle challenging materials; digitising artwork that may have both organic and metallic components. The wireless functionality and compact form factor are major quality-of-life improvements for work in a studio or on location.

• Strengths: The addition of the 17-line blue laser system provides a significant performance upgrade for anyone who frequently encounters difficult surfaces, justifying its higher price over the original model. It offers a balanced solution for users who need to do a little bit of everything

The Einstar Rockit: Unleash the Power of High-Performance Scanning

For those who demand uncompromising performance and speed for larger, more complex scanning tasks, the Einstar Rockit is here to deliver. This powerhouse scanner is engineered for high-throughput environments and challenging industrial applications.

Key Features of the Einstar Rockit:

Einstar Rockit's Advanced Hybrid System: 38 Crossed + 7 Parallel Blue Laser Lines

The Einstar Rockit sits at the top of the series, featuring the most advanced and flexible light source configuration. It builds upon the hybrid concept with a sophisticated, switchable blue laser system. The primary laser mode utilises 38 blue laser lines arranged in a crossed pattern (19 vertical and 19 horizontal). This grid-like projection is engineered for maximum speed and data coverage over large surface areas. It is far more efficient for capturing expansive objects like car doors or large sculptures in a single pass compared to a parallel line arrangement.

Recognising that a single pattern is not optimal for all geometries, the Rockit also includes the ability to switch to a 7-parallel-line laser mode. This mode is designed for capturing fine features and intricate details with high precision. This dual-mode laser capability provides unparalleled operational flexibility, effectively giving the user two specialised tools in one device: a high-speed scanner for large-scale work and a high-detail scanner for complex components.

 Marker-Free Laser Scanning

A key feature enabled by the Rockit's advanced laser system and processing power is marker-free laser scanning. In this mode, the scanner can align subsequent frames based on the unique geometric features of the object itself, rather than relying on adhesive tracking markers. For users scanning objects with sufficient surface detail, this capability is a transformative workflow enhancement, eliminating the time-consuming preparation step of applying markers. However, this convenience comes at a significant computational cost. The official documentation and user experiences confirm that a smooth marker-free scanning experience is highly dependent on system resources, with a strong recommendation for 64 GB of RAM or more. This requirement underscores the direct link between the scanner's most advanced features and the need for a powerful host computer

EInstar Rockit Ehnanced Colour Capture:

The higher-resolution 5 MP texture camera also makes it the superior choice for applications in digital art and high-end VR/AR content creation and Digital Archiving, where color fidelity is paramount. The higher upfront cost of the scanner and the requisite high-end PC is justified by the significant and measurable reduction in project completion time.

 

Einstar Rockit Target Market: The High-Performance Prosumer Tool

The Einstar Rockit is targeted squarely at high-performance users, prosumer engineers, automotive customisers, and professionals for whom efficiency is a top priority. For this user profile, time saved directly translates to increased productivity and profitability.

• Ideal Applications: Large-object scanning, such as automotive body panels, interiors, and aftermarket parts; reverse engineering of complex mechanical components where both speed and detail are required; on-site scanning of large sculptures or architectural elements where mobility and outdoor performance are critical.

• Strengths: The Rockit's value proposition is rooted in speed and workflow optimisation. The 38 crossed laser lines dramatically reduce the time needed to cover large surfaces. The marker-free scanning capability can eliminate hours of prep work on suitable objects. The higher-resolution 5 MP texture camera also makes it the superior choice for applications in digital art and high-end VR/AR content creation where colour fidelity is paramount. The higher upfront cost of the scanner and the requisite high-end PC is justified by the significant and measurable reduction in project completion time.

 

Conclusion

The Shining 3D Einstar series has evolved from a single, groundbreaking product into a sophisticated, well-segmented family of scanners. The original Einstar successfully democratised access to quality 3D scanning. The Einstar 2 and Einstar Rockit build upon this foundation, offering advanced, professional-grade features like wireless operation and hybrid laser technology to a prosumer audience. Shining 3D's Einstar 2and Einstar Rockit represent a significant leap forward in entry level handheld 3D scanning technology. Whether you're seeking enhanced precision for your design projects or require the brute force and speed of an industrial-grade scanner, there's now an Einstar scanner perfectly suited to elevate your 3D digitisation capabilities.

Not Sure if the Einstar 2 or Einstar Rockit is right for you?

The 3D Printer Superstore are Australia's Leading Experts in 3D Scanning with over 25 years experience in design, 3d scanning and reverse engineering. We can provide solid advice on what is best most suitable for your needs.