3D scanning is no longer just a matter for large companies or laboratories. Thanks to technologies such as the one presented by Revopoint, precision tools such as the new METROX are now within the reach of professionals and demanding makers.
Revopoint, in case you don’t know, is a company created in 2014 focused on the construction of accessible and quality 3D scanners that have several reference models in the 3D world.
Within its range of 3D scanners it has the INSPIRE, POP, RANGE, MINI, MIRACO series and this new METROX. Its range of models can cover virtually any 3D scanning need such as 3D printing, reverse engineering, healthcare, art and design, etc
In this review we tell you how this scanner performs, its features, strengths, limitations, and above all, what you can really do with it.
As always, before continuing with the article, remind you that you can join 3DWork on our Telegram channel full of 3D printing deranged, or on our social networks: Instagram, , YouTube, , TikTok, , Twitter and Facebook.
At 3Dwork we have had the opportunity to test the Revopoint METROX, a scanner that promises high precision and versatility thanks to its hybrid technology of structured blue light and blue lasers. Unlike infrared scanners such as those in the POP series, the METROX uses blue light for greater geometric fidelity, less environmental interference and better results on light or opaque surfaces.
In this review of the Revopoint METROX we will break down its features, scanning modes, performance in real situations, its software and whether it really delivers what the manufacturer promised.
We’ll start by sharing Revopoint’s own sensational introductory video.
The METROX is a 3D scanner designed for small to medium/large objects, combining desktop and handheld use (although it is not portable or self-contained, it requires a PC connection and power). With a minimum scanning volume of 10x10x10 mm and a maximum of 1x1x1 m, it is suitable for both small objects and considerable pieces as we have already mentioned.
Its core technology is based on structured blue light and blue lasers. It stands out for its accuracy of up to 0.01 mm and accuracy of up to 0.03 mm in a single pass, with a resolution of 0.05 mm…. The volumetric accuracy is up to 0.03 mm + 0.1 mm × L(m).
All in all, the Revopoint METROX is an ideal tool for a wide range of professional and technical applications:
Below are the technical characteristics of this Revopoint METROX:
| Revopoint METROX | Compatible Operating Systems | Windows 10/11 (64-bit), macOS 11.0 or better | |
| Scanning Type | Handheld and Desktop | Built-in Chip Computing | Depth Map Computing |
| Technology | Multi-line Laser Scan and Full-field Structured Light Scan | Buttons | 4 |
| Scannable Object Size | Small to Medium | Outdoor Scanning | No |
| Single-frame Precision, up to | 0.01 mm | Output File Formats | PLY, OBJ, STL, ASC, 3MF, GLTF, FBX |
| Single-frame Accuracy, up to | 0.03 mm | Ready to Print 3D Models | Yes |
| Volumetric Accuracy | 0.03 mm + 0.1 mm × L (m) L is the length of the object | Fused Point Distance, up to | 0.05 mm |
| Working Distance | 200 ~ 400 mm | Connector Type | USB Type-C |
| Single Capture Area at Nearest Distance | 160 x 70 mm at 200 mm | Power Requirements | DC 12V, 3A |
| Single Capture Area at Furthest Distance | 320 x 215 mm at 400 mm | 3D Light Source | 14 Blue Cross Laser Lines 7 Blue Parallel Laser Lines 62 Line Blue Full-field Structured Light |
| Angular Field of View (H x V) | 43 × 33° | Dimensions (L x W x H) | 209 × 88 × 44 mm |
| Maximum Scan Volume | 1 × 1 × 1 m | Minimum Scan Volume | 10 × 10 × 10 mm |
| User Recalibration | Yes | Scanning Speed, up to | Multi-line Blue Laser: 800,000 Points/s Full Field Blue Light: 7,000,000 Points/s |
| Special Object Scanning | Please use scanning spray when scanning transparent or specular surfaces in Multi-Line Laser modes. Using scanning spray is recommended when scanning transparent, black, specular, or highly reflective surfaces in Full-Field Structured Light modes. | Depth Camera Resolution, up to | 2 Megapixels |
| RGB Camera Resolution | 2 Megapixels | Supported Accessories | Dual-axis Turntable, Marker Block Kit |
| Color Scanning | Only in Auto Turntable Mode | CPU | 4 core ARM, 2.0 GHz |
| Tracking Methods | Feature, Marker, Global Marker | Fill Lights | 12 Blue LEDs |
| Minimum PC Requirements (*4) | macOS CPU: M1 Pro/Max/Ultra RAM ≥ 16GB Windows CPU: Intel i7 10th Gen 10700 or AMD Ryzen 7 5800 RAM ≥ 32GB GPU (Optional): NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (8GB) | Recommended PC Requirements | macOS CPU: M2 Pro/Max/Ultra, M3 Pro/Max/Ultra RAM ≥ 24GB Windows CPU: Intel i9 12th Gen or better RAM ≥ 64GB GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4060 (8 GB) or better |
The presentation of the Revopoint METROX conveys a feeling of a professional and robust tool from the first contact. It comes well protected in a metal case designed to transport the equipment safely, which together with the quality of construction and materials used in the METROX reflect the approach of this device.
The standard kit includes:
The Advanced kit adds the Marker Block Kit, designed to simplify and speed up the marking process, especially useful for featureless objects or in full-field modes. Which includes reusable magnetic markers (dome, ball, pyramid, bar) and additional adhesive marker dots. This kit will allow us to save time and money when performing our scans.
The Revopoint METROX measures 209x88x44 mm and weighs 508 grams. It has a design, made of high-quality plastics that provide great durability, which makes it very comfortable in use. It also has very useful control buttons as well as a USB-C port for wired connection.
The included dual-axis turntable is an extremely useful accessory as it has automatic control capability through software, allowing scans in a much simpler way.
This accessory has a 360º rotation in both directions in addition to the option to angle the platform by approximately 30º also allowing the adjustment of the rotation speed… All this will allow us to need manual adjustments in the position of the figure.
The Revopoint METROX allows full color scanning, extremely useful for some uses, thanks to the built-in HD RGB camera. This function is available in the case that we use the turntable only.
We also have a video from Revopoint with more detail about the unboxing process and first use that can be of great help to you:
One of the great advantages of this Revopoint METROX lies in its hybrid technology and its different scanning modes. This versatility allows it to adapt to different types of objects and surfaces, making the METROX a tremendously flexible scanner that can be adapted to different uses:
Cross Lines (14 blue laser lines):
Designed to quickly capture flat areas without excessive detail and especially useful for objects with shiny or black surfaces minimizing the use of scanning spray. The capture speed is up to 800,000 points/s in this mode.
Parallel Lines (7 blue laser lines):
Focused on capturing fine details, edges, and complex surfaces in high detail.
Full-Field Structured Light (62 blue light lines):
Allows you to efficiently scan objects with or without details at an impressive speed of up to 7 million dots/s. It also allows you to scan complex objects without markers in seconds. However, for transparent, black, or highly reflective surfaces, the use of spray is recommended in this mode.
Automatic Turntable:
Automates the capture process, coordinating the scanner, the dual-axis platform and the software to obtain complete metrology-grade models in a simple way.
This is the only mode that allows color scanning.
On the other hand, we have several capture modes, with the Revopoint METROX we can use the following:
Feature, tracking of object characteristics:
Especially indicated on objects with many details or distinctive patterns… although it is sometimes a complex mode to use without proper part work or scanning conditions.
Marker, tracking reference marks on the object:
Requires the use of adhesive markers or marker blocks, is usually ideal for large objects without great detail… it also tends to give better results when tracking the object
Global Marker, creating a marker pattern/map:
Suitable for large objects without great details. It requires two steps, capturing the pattern of markers and then performing the scan based on that pattern/map.
More information:
After this brief introduction to the different features and options of the Revopoint METROX and Revo Scan, we advise you to review the documentation that Revopoint has on Revo Scan and that will help us get the most out of our 3D scanner.
One of the first actions we have to perform is the calibration of the METROX, it is a fairly simple process and assisted by Revo Scan.
In the following video from Revopoint you have the step-by-step process:
Once we have our Revopoint METROX calibrated we can start making our first project, if you remember above we tell you about the different scanning modes.
Depending on the one we want to use, we will follow different steps/options:
Cross Lines or Parallel Lines and adjust the distance of the reference point in addition to selecting the tracking mode we want to useAuto, if we want a manual adjustment we can use the controls that we have as wellStart from Revo Scan or from the METROX itself on its buttons. We can use the pause button to temporarily stop the scan and the Start button to resume the processMarker Scan selecting or Feature Scan depending on what we need to scan… as a reminder… The first is to scan objects using markers while the second will do so by interpreting the characteristics of the objectFull Field as mode and select the type of object we want to scanAuto, if we want a manual adjustment we can use the controls that we have as wellStart from Revo Scan or from the METROX itself on its buttons. We can use the pause button to temporarily stop the scan and the Start button to resume the processMarker Scan selecting or Feature Scan depending on what we need to scan… as a reminder… The first is to scan objects using markers while the second will do so by interpreting the characteristics of the objectAuto Turntableselect, in the icon we Settings will use it for the connection to the platform, adjust the direction of rotation, interval, number of rotations, etc… The first few times we advise you to leave it by defaultColor Scanning enable it to perform a color scanAuto, if we want a manual adjustment we can use the controls that we have as wellStart from Revo Scan or from the METROX itself on its buttons. We can use the pause button to temporarily stop the scan and the Start button to resume the process.Once the scanning process is finished, we can edit the scanned object either automatically or manually with a fine control over the editing of the frames, perform fusion, meshing, texture of our scanned object.
Next when the object scan has been processed, we can edit by removing artifacts, filling in gaps, and polishing the scanned object.
https://revopedia.revopoint3d.com/en/Revoscan/Revoscan5metrox/Modelediting
The last step to perform is a consolidation of all our scans of the object to unify all the data of the object.
We already have our object finished and ready to be exported in the supported formats (PLY, OBJ, STL, ASC, 3MF, GLTF and FBX) by third party tools, either for editing or directly printing the object.
https://revopedia.revopoint3d.com/en/Revoscan/Revoscan5metrox/Datatransfer
You can find all these processes in more detail on Revopoint’s online documentation website.
We have been testing for several weeks and if there is one thing we are clear about with this Revopoint METROX, it is that it is a serious and powerful tool with respect to what we have analyzed so far.
Of all the projects we have carried out, we are going to tell you a little about some of those that can help you see use cases and aspects to take into account with this Revopoint METROX.
As is tradition with Revopoint they include a torso of a figure that is perfect, it is already designed for it, to see that everything works correctly. For this first test what we basically did is experiment with the different modes and options of the METROX
Although, as we have already mentioned, it is a figure specially designed to be easily scannable, due to the material and organic shape, and the results were very good in all the tests, being together with the Revopoint MIRACO the ones that we have obtained the greatest precision and detail with hardly any effort.
For the following tests we linked the turntable to Revo Scan to see its options, we think it’s a sensational mode!! being able to set up an object scanning pattern on the turntable without having to pause the sampling to adjust positions is something that makes the process much easier.
In this case we use a 3D printed cube made to test the Anycubic S1 that is specially designed to test 3D scanners since it has different characteristics/shapes that can help us evaluate the characteristics of this Revopoint METROX.
As with the bust we try to test the different ways with which we draw a first conclusion… although the METROX allows you to scan objects correctly without having to fine-tune the scanning environment and/or use mattifying spray, the reality is that if we use it normally it usually improves accuracy and improves use, especially in Feature mode.
Now that we have a better understanding of the features and use of the Revopoint METROX we decided on a project that we have been on the list for weeks… Create our own pressurizer for paddle/tennis balls adapted to other types of bounces for which the current one we use is not compatible.
Using a model as a reference that we liked for its simplicity and performance, we scanned the two parts and used markers from the kit. The METROX saved us many hours of design and trial/error… The result was excellent!!
The next project we carried out was not planned, during the weeks of testing one of the motors of the pool began to make a strange noise and unfortunately we found that a part that serves as a ventilation system had broken with the wear and tear of the years.
We used our Revopoint METROX to scan the original part and recreate it to repair our engine… again in a few minutes thanks to the METROX we solve the problem.
The next project was to scan our paint station to create a duct compatible with our air filtration system… Once again, the Revopoint METROX greatly simplified the task of creating the 3D part for us.
Another project in which our Revopoint METROX was of great help to us… make an adapter for the new TwoTrees TC6050 that we will soon publish the review.
In this case, the TwoTrees vacuum adapter is not compatible with the advanced router, so the METROX helped us to scan the different parts as well as the router and thus be able to create a compatible model.
Finally, and although we have done many more projects, we scanned one of the last figures we made that with a size of 42 cm in height and about 35 cm in diameter that also has some sensational details for its size.
The objective was to be able to make some supports to send the figure safely and again the METROX made the task easier for us, although in this case we had other alternative forms using the original files, we found it an interesting use for those cases that we only have the physical piece.
By way of summary and to give you some suggestions and good practices to obtain the best results with this METROX Revopoing:
We have different options to get the Revopoint METROX both on its website and in other online stores:
You can also find a wide range of accessories and spare parts.
The Revopoint METROX is a significant step in its range of Revopoint 3D scanners being an affordable device for a 3D scanning tool with features of professional equipment.
The combination of hybrid blue light and laser technology, its metrology-grade precision and the rest of the characteristics make it a powerful, solid and versatile tool that will allow us detailed and accurate results.
The issue of price, as always, is a complicated point… while it is superior (price) in many ways to the rest of Revopoint’s models, it is relatively affordable when compared to professional/industrial 3D scanners of similar accuracy.
In this regard, it is important to emphasize that to get the most out of it, it is more than advisable to have a powerful computer equipment, especially its GPU for certain functions. In addition, 3D scanning, despite the fact that we have more and more powerful equipment and better processing software, usually has a significant learning curve to take advantage of these devices.
The Revopoint METROX, although it promises to improve “direct” scanning without the use of, for example, mattifying or 3D sprays, is still necessary on many occasions to improve results on types of objects that are complex due to their characteristics.
We believe that the Revopoint METROX is a great choice especially recommended for professionals in engineering, industrial design, quality control, restoration… who want a powerful and accessible team.
On the other hand, also for 3D printing technicians and advanced makers who need to digitize parts with high fidelity for replication or modification and who have contained budgets or non-intensive use.
Revopoint: If there’s one thing we’ve loved over the years we’ve been using your devices, it’s your commitment to updates and support on your devices/software, and your device. which is always a good sign for the user.
The Revopoint METROX is not a toy… is a high-precision 3D scanning station that, although it requires an initial investment in hardware and learning curve, offers capabilities and technologies that until recently were prohibitive for general use.
We also have a small video with a video/podcast summary of the entire article:
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