How to 3D Scan Human Head for 3D Printing

3D scanning heads and humans for 3D printing can take some precise planning and techniques, we'll quickly go over the key points to ensure the perfect 3D capture as well as getting it ready for 3D printing!

While you can 3D scan human heads with many methods, we found Photo Scan to be the best approach as it generates the most detailed mesh.

Capturing the Scan:

• For the best results, we recommend using your phone's native camera app to take photos around the person's head.
• The person being scanned should try to stay as steady as they can during the capture.
• Take photos rapidly with the camera app to minimize the amount of movement of the person during the capturing process.
• It's best to capture at least three orbits around the subject's head:
  • One horizontal angle, which should be around eye level.
  • One at the lower angle, which should be aiming up from below their chin.
  • One at the upper angle, which should be a downward capture from above the subject's head.
• Once the three rotations are captured, you should have around 100 photos, and this is a good amount of photos for the algorithm to work with.
• Then, upload the photos via KIRI Engine's Photo Scan, and wait for the project to process.

Exporting & 3D Printing the 3D Scanned Model:

• Once you have the model, you can use the cropping tools in the app to do a simple model cleanup and export it to Blender.
• To get it ready for printing, we will use 3 tools in Blender:
  • Smooth tool: to even out the rougher surfaces.
  • Crease tool: to erase blobs or bulges on the top of the head.
  • Clay strips: to add hair layers to make the 3D print more realistic.
• Then it should be ready to be 3D printed!

We have made a full-length tutorial to walk over every single step in detail. Please feel free to check out the video here.

Happy scanning!