# My FREE Tool Turns 3D Scans into CAD feat. Elegoo M1 Ultra
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Original URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg
Author: CNC Kitchen
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Thanks to @ElegooOfficial for sponsoring this video. Check out the M1 Ultra https://geni.us/ElegooM1Ultra ScanRuler is FREE and OPEN SOURCE: https://scanruler.com I built ScanRuler, a completely free and open-source tool that turns 3D scans into something genuinely useful, from precise measurements and deviation analysis to wall-thickness inspection and reverse engineering. With the help of AI, it can even automatically turn a scanned part into a fully editable, parametric CAD model, repair broken features, or design entirely new parts! In this video, I put the new Elegoo M1 Ultra 3D scanner to the test and show how powerful 3D scanning has become when combined with the right software. 🛒 Products from the video (affiliate): Elegoo M1 Ultra 3D Scanner: https://geni.us/ElegooM1Ultra Website Article: https://www.cnckitchen.com/blog/scanruler-free-3d-scan-reverse-engineering ScanRuler - Free 3D Scan Evaluation: https://scanruler.com 🚀Sample Projects: Ballbar: https://scanruler.com/s/SampleProjects/BallBar?workspace=measure Wheel: https://scanruler.com/s/SampleProjects/Wheel?workspace=measure Deviation Analysis: https://scanruler.com/s/SampleProjects/SurfaceDeviation?workspace=deviation Wall Thickness Analysis: https://scanruler.com/s/SampleProjects/WallThickness?workspace=thickness Engine Housing Repair: https://scanruler.com/s/SampleProjects/engineHousing?workspace=mesh Fridge Bracket 1: https://scanruler.com/s/SampleProjects/fridgeBracket?workspace=reverse Fridge Bracket 2: https://scanruler.com/s/SampleProjects/fridgePart?workspace=reverse Egg Dispenser (Agentic CAD): https://scanruler.com/s/SampleProjects/EggDispenser?workspace=reverse 💚 Support me 🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cnckitchen Join as a YouTube member! Buy a Bambu Lab printer 🐼: https://geni.us/BambuP1S Buy a Prusa printer: https://geni.us/CNCKPrusa Shop at Matterhackers: http://www.matterhackers.com/?aff=7479 PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/CNCKitchen 🎙Check out my Podcast with Thomas Sanladerer: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzUgJrG-w_KQexroYkJR9XQ Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnc_kitchen Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnckitchenyt *Chapters* 00:00 Introduction 02:17 Elegoo M1 Ultra 03:02 Scanner Accuracy (3D Measure Workspace) 06:47 Example 2: Wheel (Markerless Cross Line Scanning) 08:38 Deviation Analysis on 3D Printed ABS 11:38 Wall Thickness Analysis on Vacuum Formed Part 13:40 CAD inside ScanRuler 14:18 Repair Engine Housing (Virtual Kintsugi) 16:24 Manual Reverse Engineering 18:00 ScanRuler MCP (AI Agent) 20:59 Automatic Part Repair 21:23 Automatic TPU Case Generation 21:53 Limitations 22:34 Automatic Scan Analysis 22:57 Agentic CAD Design 23:20 Verdict #ELEGOO #ElegooM1Ultra #3DScanner DISCLAIMER: Part of this video was sponsored by PCBWay. FTC Disclaimer: A percentage of sales is made through Affiliate links --- ## Transcript [0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=0s) I think my new free tool could change 3D scanning forever. You can give it the mesh from a 3D scan, [0:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=6s) and it can recreate a high-quality, parametric CAD model. And if the original part is broken, [0:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=12s) you can even ask it to fix it for you! But let’s start at the beginning. [0:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=16s) Let's be real: for many people who bought a 3D scanner, that gadget eventually became an [0:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=22s) expensive paperweight. And that wasn't necessarily the scanner's fault, but the software around it. [0:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=29s) 3D scanners have become really good and quite affordable compared to what they used to cost, [0:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=35s) but the software they typically come with only lets you capture a part—and not much [0:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=40s) more. You end up with a partially closed mesh of something you'd like to repair, [0:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=46s) but you're missing the tools to do it effectively. Conventional CAD software can load these meshes, [0:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=52s) and you can design around them like a blueprint, but that's tedious and often quite complex. There [0:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=58s) is specialized software for analyzing 3D scans and even assisted reverse engineering. But one [1:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=64s) tool is now behind a registration wall since Zeiss bought GOM, while the others are simply [1:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=70s) really expensive. That’s why I built ScanRuler, a free and opensource tool. No installation, [1:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=76s) no tracking, no cookie banners, and it runs locally on your machine! It's perfect for [1:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=81s) taking measurements directly on your scans, comparing them with reference geometry, [1:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=86s) and analyzing wall thickness. It even includes a full CAD suite designed specifically for reverse [1:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=93s) engineering 3D scans. And the craziest part? If you connect an AI agent, it can handle the [1:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=98s) entire reverse-engineering process for you and create a fully parametric CAD model! And did I [1:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=104s) mention it's free? Let's find out more! Guten Tag everybody, I'm Stefan, and welcome to CNC Kitchen. [1:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=113s) Even though this is a vibe-coded project, I know not everyone is stoked about it. It’s the [1:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=118s) world we live in now, and for me it’s simply a tool to build the tools I’ve always wanted [2:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=123s) and give them back to you completely free. I hope you can appreciate that. I've poured [2:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=129s) weeks of work into this, and it's only possible thanks to all your support and tips, as well as [2:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=135s) amazing sponsors like Elegoo. This is a perfect match, because Elegoo just launched the M1 Ultra, [2:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=142s) an all-in-one 3D scanner with three blue-laser scanning modes, structured-light scanning, [2:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=147s) and even wireless operation, starting at $1,599. I've used it extensively over the last few weeks [2:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=154s) to capture a ton of objects. Those scans didn't just help me develop ScanRuler; [2:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=160s) we'll also use them today to show how powerful the combination of the Elegoo M1 Ultra and ScanRuler [2:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=167s) can be. You can access all the projects shown in this video through the links in the description, [2:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=172s) so you can check out both the M1 Ultra's scan quality and how I processed the scans [2:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=177s) in ScanRuler. Find out more about the Elegoo M1 Ultra using the link below! [3:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=182s) So let’s go through everything that you can do with Scanruler and the right 3D scanner! [3:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=187s) The most important thing if you want to use a 3D scanner as a real workshop tool is accuracy. [3:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=193s) So before using the M1 Ultra for the first time, and at regular intervals afterward, [3:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=198s) you need to calibrate it. Elegoo includes a precision glass calibration plate stored in [3:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=204s) the scanner's beautiful, rugged case. You simply connect the scanner to your PC or [3:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=208s) Mac and open Elegoo Scan. This software is actually really good and if you ever used [3:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=214s) Creality Scan you might find a lot of similarities. It guides you through the [3:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=220s) calibration process as you scan the plate from different angles and distances. Once [3:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=225s) that's done, your scans should be accurate to within a few hundredths of a millimeter. [3:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=230s) Let's test that with my ball bars: precision spheres connected by a carbon-fiber rod. By [3:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=236s) knowing the diameter of the spheres and measuring the overall length, I can calculate the distance [4:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=242s) between their centers. So I scanned the ball bar several times, from different angles, using both [4:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=248s) cross-line and parallel-line laser modes. To find out how accurate and repeatable those scans are, [4:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=254s) let's switch over to ScanRuler at ScanRuler.com. I initially built it as a replacement for GOM [4:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=260s) Inspect, which hobbyists could use for free in the past. But for the past few years, [4:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=265s) after Zeiss bought GOM, accessing it has required registration with a company email address. [4:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=271s) ScanRuler has grown into much more than just a measuring tool, though, as you'll see in a bit! [4:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=276s) After exporting the scan from Elegoo Scan, you simply load the STL into ScanRuler. The first [4:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=282s) workspace is for 3D measurements. The idea is simple: fit geometric features to your scan, [4:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=288s) then use those features to take measurements. For the ball bar, I fitted spheres to the precision [4:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=294s) balls. You click on the surface, and the tool automatically finds and fits the sphere. Next, [5:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=300s) go to Dimensions, where you can take a variety of measurements. Just click the two spheres, [5:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=305s) and the tool gives you the center-to-center distance. I did this for all nine scans, [5:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=311s) and every result was within the scanner's specified accuracy, [5:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=315s) which at this size is 0.035 mm, or about 1.5 thou. My largest deviation was three hundredths of a [5:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=323s) millimeter over a total distance of 257 mm, which is pretty good for most applications! [5:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=330s) But you're not limited to measuring the distance between spheres. [5:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=333s) The 3D measurement workspace is super useful for things that are difficult to measure by hand, [5:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=340s) like draft angles or fillet radii. With a 3D scan, [5:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=344s) those measurements only take a few clicks. You can also export all your fitted features [5:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=350s) as STEP geometry with a single click, if you want to use them as references in CAD. [5:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=356s) One reason semi-professional 3D scanners have become so good is the use of line lasers. These [6:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=363s) thin projected lines allow very precise scanning, and because they're so bright, you can often scan [6:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=369s) shiny metal or black parts without scanning spray. They even work in almost any lighting condition, [6:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=376s) including outdoors! But the scanners I've used in the past had one inconvenience: [6:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=381s) they always needed scanning markers. These are small reflective dots you stick onto the part [6:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=387s) so the scanner can track its position in space. For smaller parts, that's not a huge problem, [6:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=393s) because you can simply put the markers on the scanning table. For larger parts, though, [6:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=397s) it means tediously sticking markers all over the object. So when I discovered that the M1 [6:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=402s) Ultra could also do markerless laser-line scanning, I had to try it right away! [6:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=407s) My brother was just changing his tires, so I grabbed one and set everything up for scanning [6:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=412s) in the garage. In the past, that could be pretty painful because these scanners often [6:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=417s) draw more power than a USB port can supply. I'd always have to find a nearby power outlet. The [7:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=424s) M1 Ultra is battery-powered and even comes with a spare battery, which makes it much [7:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=429s) more convenient to use. For the wheel, I chose cross-line laser mode because it captures large [7:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=434s) areas quickly and is great for bigger parts. To my surprise, tracking worked almost flawlessly, [7:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=441s) even when I manually moved the wheel around to reach both sides. My goal was to capture the [7:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=447s) wheel hub from both sides, and that worked great despite the different surface textures and colors. [7:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=452s) Back in ScanRuler, I first aligned the part. I also noticed that my brother's car seems to [7:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=458s) have a camber issue—and that these ten-year-old tires should probably be replaced next year. It's [7:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=463s) crazy how much you can see in a 3D scan! I then created a section and noticed that Volkswagen [7:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=469s) seems to use bolts with spherical seats rather than simple tapered ones. By fitting spheres here, [7:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=475s) I could estimate that the spherical seat has a diameter of around 26 mm. The numbers vary [8:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=482s) a little because this was a fairly rough scan focused on the hub, not on that specific detail. [8:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=488s) By fitting planes to the wheel flange and the inner and outer faces of the rim, [8:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=492s) we can measure the width and offset, or ET. To measure the pitch-circle diameter, I created a [8:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=498s) section through the bolt holes and analyzed it in the 2D workspace. There, I could measure the hole [8:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=503s) diameters, fit a circle through their centers, and determine the pitch-circle diameter. It was [8:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=509s) basically spot-on compared to the specification! I love how easy this whole process has become. [8:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=515s) When you manufacture a part, its dimensions will never match your CAD design perfectly. That's why [8:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=521s) we have tolerances. For simple parts, conventional measurements are usually straightforward. But [8:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=527s) especially with 3D prints that can warp, it's often hard to tell how far a part deviates [8:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=532s) from its ideal shape. And that's exactly the kind of analysis a 3D scanner is great for. [8:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=539s) Let's look at an example. Have you ever wondered whether printing ABS in a heated [9:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=543s) chamber actually reduces warping compared to printing without one? I printed the [9:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=548s) exact same rugged case twice: once with the printer door open and the heater off, [9:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=552s) and once with the chamber heated to 65°C throughout the print. At first glance, [9:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=558s) there wasn't a huge difference. So I scanned both parts with the M1 Ultra in cross-line laser mode, [9:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=564s) which worked flawlessly without any surface preparation—even on the black, glossy plastic. [9:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=570s) To capture the complete part, I took two scans: one from the top and one from the bottom. Both [9:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=575s) scans only took a few minutes. Then I merged them in Elegoo Scan to create a complete model, [9:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=581s) generated the final mesh, and exported it for deviation analysis in ScanRuler. [9:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=586s) The deviation workspace needs two things: a 3D scan and reference geometry—in this case, [9:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=592s) the model I used for printing. The scan doesn't have a defined orientation, so we first need to [9:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=598s) align it with the reference. The auto-align feature handles that, much like the alignment [10:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=602s) of two separate scans. Once the two models overlap, ScanRuler displays a deviation map. [10:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=609s) Red means the scan lies outside the reference surface; blue means it's inside. At first, [10:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=615s) both prints—the one made in the 65°C chamber and the one printed cold—look pretty similar, [10:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=621s) with an average deviation of around 0.3 mm. But when I activate the animation feature, [10:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=627s) one of my favorite parts of ScanRuler because it makes the differences so easy to understand, we [10:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=633s) can clearly see what's going on. The part printed in the cold environment warps significantly, [10:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=639s) especially in the large flat regions, which bow inward. The hot-printed part, on the other hand, [10:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=644s) stays mostly flat but shrinks as a whole as it cools down. And that's something we can correct [10:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=652s) by measuring one of the major dimensions and comparing it with the original STL. I adjusted [10:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=658s) the scaling factor in the slicer, printed the part again, and rescanned it. Now it almost [11:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=663s) perfectly matches the reference geometry! The main deviations left are the corners lifting, [11:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=668s) which can be a problem when the plastic doesn't cool quickly enough. We could even go so far and [11:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=675s) I might implement that soon, that we basically apply the inverse of the warped shape to teh [11:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=680s) stl that we print, so when it warps during printing it warps to the perfect shape - a [11:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=686s) method called pre-defomation. This is one reason I love having a 3D scanner in the workshop: [11:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=692s) it helps me understand what's happening to my prints in a much more visual way! [11:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=697s) Let's take a quick look at another handy workspace before we finally get to reverse engineering! The [11:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=703s) third workspace is for wall-thickness analysis. On simple parts, you can obviously use calipers. But [11:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=709s) on larger or more complex parts, you might not be able to reach every area, and the wall thickness [11:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=714s) can vary significantly. Vacuum-formed parts are a great example: the more the material stretches in [12:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=721s) certain areas, the thinner it gets. So I scanned the vacuum-formed hood of my INDX. This time, [12:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=728s) I placed markers all over the part, because markerless tracking can be unreliable on flat, [12:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=733s) featureless surfaces, and markers are still the most reliable option. I also placed some [12:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=738s) 3D-printed targets with markers around the hood on my desk. Then I scanned everything [12:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=743s) in cross-line laser mode, making sure to capture both sides of the panels, [12:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=748s) especially around the bends. Once the scan was processed and meshed, I went back into ScanRuler. [12:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=753s) Here, I noticed that all the surface normals were somehow flipped. Luckily, that's easy to fix in [12:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=758s) the mesh workspace, where you can also close holes and smooth the part. You can even edit your scan [12:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=763s) and perform Boolean operations using features you fitted earlier—for example, to recreate holes that [12:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=769s) weren't scanned to their full depth. But back to the hood. After correcting the surface normals, [12:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=774s) I returned to the wall-thickness workspace. With one click, I got a beautiful color map showing how [12:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=779s) the thickness varies across the entire part. It's thickest near the edges, where the sheet [13:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=785s) was probably clamped, and I suspect the original stock was 3 mm thick. The top of the hood is [13:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=791s) already more than a millimeter thinner because of the stretching, and it's not even uniform. [13:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=796s) The thinnest areas are around the large lower bends, where the material is less than half its [13:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=801s) original thickness. During manufacturing, these are probably the areas most likely to fail because [13:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=807s) the material has been stretched so much. This information can be incredibly valuable for process [13:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=813s) development or quality control, and you can get it with an affordable 3D scanner and a free tool! [13:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=820s) Now let's get to the part you've probably all been waiting for: reverse engineering! [13:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=825s) The reverse-engineering workspace is a complete CAD system. And if you just want to design [13:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=830s) something from scratch, you can do that here too, without a 3D scan. The nice thing about [13:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=836s) building this myself is that I could add features I've always wanted in conventional CAD software, [14:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=842s) especially for 3D printing. One example is the thread tool. It includes a 45° thread [14:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=848s) profile that's easier to 3D print, and with one click you can add chamfers to [14:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=852s) both ends or give the thread a small offset so printed threads don't bind. [14:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=857s) Reverse engineering is powerful, even for simple repairs like recreating [14:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=861s) this piece that broke off my Vespa's engine housing. I don’t have teh original anymore, [14:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=867s) so we have to design it ourselves. First, let's make a quick scan. Here I'm using the M1 Ultra's [14:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=873s) wireless mode. You still need a PC or Mac, but you don't need a cable between it and the scanner. [14:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=879s) Just switch the little knob on top to activate Wi-Fi mode and connect your computer directly to [14:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=885s) the scanner. As long as you're within Wi-Fi range, you can scan wirelessly, which is especially [14:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=890s) useful for larger components. The screen on the M1 Ultra mirrors your computer's display, [14:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=895s) so you can always see what you're scanning and whether you're at the right distance. [15:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=900s) The downside is that scanning is a little slower because of the reduced bandwidth, and markerless [15:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=906s) laser-line scanning isn't available in this mode. That's why I put markers on the engine [15:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=910s) housing. After only about a minute of scanning in parallel laser mode, I had a beautiful—or maybe [15:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=916s) sad—3D model of my broken engine housing, including the fracture surface itself. [15:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=922s) So let's repair it. First, I fitted a plane to the rim of the housing as a reference for a sketch. [15:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=927s) Then I switched to the reverse-engineering workspace, created the sketch, and drew the [15:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=932s) missing wall with a little overlap. Next, I exited sketch mode and extruded it into the housing. But [15:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=939s) of course, that doesn't give me a perfectly fitting replacement piece yet. So I switched [15:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=944s) to the mesh workspace, where there's a tool called Trim to Scan. I actually call this virtual [15:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=950s) kintsugi! Kintsugi is the traditional Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics, but we're doing it [15:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=957s) with a 3D scanner and ScanRuler! When I enter this mode and select the wall I just created, [16:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=962s) the tool typically finds the fracture surface automatically. I can also choose whether to [16:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=966s) leave a small gap for glue or extra tolerance. Then I select “Trim to the Break,” and the tool [16:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=971s) extends the fracture surface and trims my overlapping wall to match it. The result is [16:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=976s) a perfectly fitting part I can 3D print and glue straight into place! Pretty impressive, isn't it? [16:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=983s) But let's return to the reverse-engineering workspace. What we just did was useful, but [16:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=988s) it wasn't really reverse engineering. Normally, reverse engineering means taking a highly detailed [16:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=994s) 3D-scan mesh and recreating the CAD model that could have been used to manufacture the original [16:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1000s) part. And that's exactly what I built this workspace for. Let's start with a part from our [16:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1005s) fridge that recently broke. First, I scanned it with the M1 Ultra in parallel-line mode. Compared [16:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1012s) to cross-line mode, you scan closer to the part, but you can capture finer details. Again, [16:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1018s) I needed to scan from two directions to capture every surface, but that only took a few minutes [17:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1023s) on the scanning table. After merging and exporting the scan, you can see just how much detail the [17:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1029s) laser scanner captured. The first step in reverse engineering is to align the part, because it's [17:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1035s) usually scanned in an arbitrary orientation. The easiest method is the auto-align tool, which [17:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1040s) detects the major surfaces and, in my experience, gets the orientation right about 95% of the time. [17:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1047s) Then I created a section to guide the design. From there, it's much like any other CAD tool. Here I [17:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1051s) created a sketch on the section, drew two rectangles, extruded them to the part's [17:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1055s) dimensions, added a few fillets, and hollowed it out. There are also handy tools that let [17:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1062s) you snap surfaces to the scan or suggest fillet radii based on the mesh underneath. [17:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1068s) You get a full feature timeline, parametric dimensions, and even calculations inside [17:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1073s) dimension fields—everything you'd expect from CAD software, but optimized for reverse engineering. [18:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1080s) That's all nice, but with more complex parts, this process can quickly become tedious. [18:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1085s) So one day I asked myself: if Claude can help build ScanRuler, couldn't it also use the tools [18:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1092s) inside ScanRuler to reverse engineer parts by itself? That's when I implemented an MCP server, [18:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1099s) which acts as an interface between an AI agent and the software. It works [18:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1104s) with a wide range of LLMs, including local ones. The setup is documented on GitHub, [18:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1109s) but the easiest way is to activate the server in ScanRuler's settings and then ask Claude or Codex [18:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1114s) to connect to it. And in no time, the agent can then operate ScanRuler's tools for you. [18:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1120s) My approach is very different to most what has been on the market before. You [18:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1124s) were always able to convert a mesh into a BREP in CAD but that meant often converting [18:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1130s) every triangle to a brep element. That might give you an editable mesh but not something [18:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1136s) to really work with. Using my approach your AI Agent will have the tools with ScanRUler [19:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1143s) to understand the intend of a part trying to filter out the individual design elements of [19:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1148s) a component from a noisy scan to give you clean CAD geometry which is honestly a game changer! [19:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1157s) Here's how I typically use it. I create a folder on my PC and copy the 3D scan into it. Then I ask [19:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1164s) my AI agent to reverse engineer the part. So far, I've had the best results with Opus 5.5. I also [19:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1171s) include a short description of the part and what's important to me. Generally, the more context you [19:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1177s) provide, the better the result. ScanRuler includes guides to help the agent reverse [19:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1182s) engineer parts efficiently. It typically examines the scan, aligns it, fits geometric features, [19:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1188s) and creates sections. From there, it develops a plan for building the model. For simpler designs, [19:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1194s) a run can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, and you can follow the process [19:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1199s) in the ScanRuler window. When it's finished, the agent runs a deviation analysis and may flag any [20:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1205s) problems. But most importantly, you get a fully editable CAD model of your part. You can export [20:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1212s) it as a STEP file to continue working in another CAD tool, or refine it directly in ScanRuler. [20:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1218s) But one of the most powerful features might be something you don't notice right away: [20:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1223s) the notes tool. It lets you attach notes directly to your part and communicate with the agent. So [20:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1229s) if you don't like how it created a feature, just add a note and ask it to change it. You [20:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1234s) can do this before, during, or after a run. For example, my fridge bracket has a broken [20:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1240s) connection on the inside that I want the agent to repair. So I simply add a note asking it to [20:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1246s) recreate that connecting bridge. About a minute later, I have not only a reverse-engineered CAD [20:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1251s) model but one where Claude has also repaired the broken feature, ready for 3D printing! [20:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1256s) And this doesn't just work with the simplest parts. I have another fridge holder that broke, [21:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1261s) and I promised my aunt a year ago that I'd fix it. But I never got around to reverse engineering [21:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1267s) it to make a replacement. Now I can simply ask Claude to reverse engineer the part and fix the [21:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1273s) broken section at the top. The more information I give it, the better it performs. Pointing out [21:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1278s) exactly where the fracture surfaces are helps it create a much better replacement part. [21:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1283s) And the possibilities don't stop there! For example, I had ScanRuler and Claude reverse [21:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1288s) engineer my bike computer. The agent struggled a little with the geometry along the way, [21:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1294s) and it took some back-and-forth to get this result. But from there, [21:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1298s) I simply asked it to design a 3D-printable protective sleeve that I could make from TPU, [21:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1304s) including the necessary cutouts. And this is what I got! Somehow, [21:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1307s) it figured out how to do it with the tools available, and the printed sleeve fits perfectly! [21:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1313s) I also want to be completely open about the limitations: the tool isn't perfect. With [21:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1318s) more complex parts, freeform surfaces, or very rough castings, the results often aren't great. [22:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1324s) That's partly due to ScanRuler's limitations and partly due to the AI agent itself. I've [22:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1330s) had the best results with Opus 5.5 so far. Less capable models sometimes do a terrible job. I also [22:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1337s) tried a few local models, but with my limited hardware, the results were pretty poor. Still, [22:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1342s) I expect things to improve—and hopefully get cheaper—over time. I'd also love to hear your [22:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1348s) feedback. Since ScanRuler is open source, you're welcome to contribute to the project yourself! [22:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1354s) Every ScanRuler workspace can be controlled by an agent. So AI isn't limited to reverse engineering; [22:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1360s) you can also use it for a complete 3D-scan analysis. Remember the ball bars from the [22:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1365s) beginning? I simply put all the scans into a folder and asked Claude to analyze them and create [22:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1370s) a full report. That's pretty neat, and it saves me from having to do all that repetitive work myself. [22:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1377s) There are so many more things you can do with this tool, and I'd love to see what you come [23:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1381s) up with. Just to be clear, connecting an agent is completely optional and you can use the complete [23:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1387s) tool obviously without it for every task as well. It's only a demonstration how this novel approach [23:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1393s) could potentially automate many tasks that you previously didn’t have the time or the skill for. [23:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1400s) I hope I've shown you how software like ScanRuler [23:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1403s) is making 3D scanning more and more powerful. It's turning something that [23:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1407s) used to be a nice tech demo—or required expensive professional software—into a [23:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1412s) practical way to solve real problems in your workshop, hobby, or small business. [23:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1418s) I've also had a really good time with the Elegoo M1 Ultra. Its three laser [23:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1422s) modes make it versatile for a wide range of applications, [23:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1426s) and it lets you scan parts that previously needed painstaking preparation with scanning spray. The [23:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1432s) structured light mode is a great addition if you especially want to scan people or large [23:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1437s) objects! The swappable batteries and wireless operation also make it really convenient, [24:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1443s) especially away from your desk. At $1,599 during the early-bird sale, it's definitely not the [24:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1449s) cheapest scanner on the market. But compared with alternatives from Creality, Revopoint, or Einstar, [24:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1455s) I think the M1 Ultra offers a lot for the money. You'll find a link with more information and where [24:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBi616y1mg&t=1460s) to get the M1 Ultra in the description. Thanks again to Elegoo for sponsoring this video!