ABOUT SCAN ARCHIVE

Real objects. Useful 3D reference data.

Scan Archive is a personal project built around a simple idea: useful 3D scans of real hardware should be easier to find, inspect, measure, and reuse.

The archive focuses on practical reference geometry for modding, repair, CAD work, clearance checking, reverse engineering, fit checks, and general technical curiosity.

WHY I MADE IT

Useful scans should not disappear onto a hard drive.

I kept running into the same problem: useful, dimensionally trustworthy 3D scans of real hardware are surprisingly difficult to find.

I was already scanning parts for my own projects - PC cases, PCBs, brackets, components, and other random objects - and most of that data would otherwise just sit on a drive after I was finished with it.

Scan Archive grew out of the idea that this data is more useful when other people can inspect it, measure it, download it, and build on top of it.

ABOUT ME

Hi, I'm Jef.

I'm a service technician from Belgium and spend a slightly unreasonable amount of my free time taking hardware apart, building things, 3D scanning, doing CAD work, and disappearing down technical rabbit holes.

Scan Archive is one of those rabbit holes. I do the scanning, cleanup, dimensional spot checks, website development, and self-hosting myself.

This is a practical reference archive, not a certified metrology service. Where possible, important dimensions are checked against the physical object and documented alongside the scan.

What is archived?

A scan entry can contain several versions of the same object instead of reducing everything to one downloadable file.

Raw or master scan data
Cleaned scan data
Reduced or optimized meshes
Browser-ready 3D previews
Physical dimensional checks
Future CAD or STEP reference files

Interactive measurements

Browser previews can be inspected directly without installing CAD software.

The viewer supports point-to-point distance measurements as well as height and horizontal measurements using a saved reference plane.

Measurement capability depends on the quality, scale, and calibration of the individual model.

Dimensionally verified

Some scans are marked as dimensionally verified. This means selected dimensions from the scan were spot-checked against physical measurements at multiple locations.

Those checks are intended to give a practical indication of dimensional accuracy and catch obvious scaling or distortion problems.

Important:dimensional verification on this site is not certified metrology and should not be treated as a substitute for engineering inspection where guaranteed tolerances are required.

How are objects scanned?

Current scans are primarily captured with a Creality Raptor 3D scanner, with the workflow chosen according to the object and the amount of detail required.

Reflective tracking markers, including reusable magnetic marker mounts, can be used to improve tracking on difficult mechanical objects.

Scan data may then be cleaned, aligned, simplified for the web, and compared against physical dimensions before publication.

THE IDEA GOING FORWARD

Keep the useful source data.

I want Scan Archive to grow into a useful collection of real-world reference geometry rather than just a gallery of good-looking 3D models.

A lightweight web mesh is convenient for quickly inspecting an object, but it should not have to replace the original scan. Where practical, browser previews stay separate from downloadable source or master files.

The plan is to keep improving the scanning workflow, document dimensional checks, preserve useful source data, and revisit older scans when there is a good reason to make them better.

If something is worth scanning, there is a decent chance it will eventually end up here.

Browse the archive