Knowledge base · from our own projects
3D scan or 3D model, which do you need?
THE REAL MAG. advises scanning an object if you only want to show it and it already exists. Rebuild it from CAD if it has to come apart into variants, if it does not exist yet, or if the dimensions have to be right. A scan is one whole and will not split; a built model will.
Almost every conversation about 3D starts with the same question. Can you not just scan our product? The answer does not depend on the product but on what has to happen to it afterwards.
The question behind the question
Scanning and modelling both produce a 3D file, but they are different things. A scan is a recording of something that already stands there, fast, convincing, and closed. A built model is a construction, slower to make, but you can lift parts out of it, adjust dimensions and derive variants from it.
The practical test is one sentence. Does anyone ever have to turn, choose or measure anything on this model? Then you build it. Does it only have to be seen, exactly as it looks now? Then you scan it.
The routes side by side
| Photogrammetry | Gaussian splatting | Rebuilding from CAD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source | dozens to hundreds of photographs | photo or video of the scene | the drawing that already exists |
| Result | mesh with texture | point cloud, no mesh | dimensionally accurate geometry per part |
| Realism | good on matte shapes | the highest of the three | as good as your material work |
| Configurable | limited, it is one whole | no | yes, this is the only route |
| Dimensionally accurate | no | no | yes |
| Lead time | short | short | longer up front |
| Fails on | glass, chrome, flat black | nothing, but delivers no parts | missing or polluted source data |
Why a configurator almost always needs built work
A configurator does not show a picture but an assembly. Choose a different handle, a different colour or a different size, and the image has to be right without anyone taking a new photograph for it. That is only possible if every part exists separately and can be controlled separately. On that point a scan is a dead end. It is one block, and you cannot divide that block up again.
That is not a shortcoming of the scan but its nature. Anyone who buys a scan intending to pull variants out of it later pays twice.
What it costs, and why that is lower than it used to be
The individual models that come out of this work THE REAL MAG. charges from 10 euro each, depending on volume and complexity. That is not a discount but a consequence of automation. A pipeline does the repetitive steps, and the handwork that remains is the judgement about quality. At a bathroom supplier the price per product fell 45 percent once we had automated that placement step out of the process, while our own margin went up.
A scan is cheaper per item than a built model, but that compares apples with pears. Count on the outcome. A scan of fifty products is fifty scans, and fifty built models are fifty models plus every variant of them for free.
Where it goes wrong
The classic mistake is scanning because it is possible. A beautiful splat of a product that comes in four colours next month is an investment that lasts exactly one month. The second mistake is underestimating the source data. A CAD file with open faces or duplicate geometry costs more cleaning time than redrawing the part.
What we would do
Does the product exist, does it not change, and do you only want to show it? Scan it, and then Gaussian splatting for the finest result. Will there ever be a variant, a size or a configurator? Rebuild from CAD, and use the scan at most as a reference for how it looks in real life.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a scanned product in a configurator?
Usually not. A scan produces one coherent mesh, and a configurator has to be able to control parts separately. For a configurator THE REAL MAG. rebuilds the model, often from the CAD drawing that already exists.
What is Gaussian splatting and when do you use it?
Gaussian splatting captures a scene as millions of small translucent specks rather than as a mesh. Reflections, transparency and soft edges therefore look more lifelike. You use it to show an existing object, not to make it configurable.
Which products scan badly?
Glass, chrome, flat black and thin wire constructions. The algorithm needs reference points, and those are missing on mirrored or uniform surfaces. THE REAL MAG. rebuilds those parts and puts them back into the scan.
Do I have to send in my product?
You can, and THE REAL MAG. also comes on site to scan. Recently it works with photos and video you take yourself as well. Send one in with no obligation and you will see what the pipeline makes of it.
Sources and accountability
- Our own practice with photogrammetry, Gaussian splatting and CAD rebuilding in production projects for configurators and campaign imagery among other things.
- Model price from 10 euro each, published at therealmag.eu/3d-configurator, consulted 30 August 2026.
- The 45 percent lower price per product comes from our own configurator production for a bathroom supplier, after automating the placement step.
- The technical properties of photogrammetry and Gaussian splatting are generally applicable and not supplier specific.
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