So, I bought a 3D-scanner. I needed one that works without a PC, and the only ones currently on the market seem to be the Revopoint Miraco Pro and the Shining3D Einstar Vega.
There have been mixed reviews about the Miraco, and Revopoint apparently had a history of abandoning older models. Shining3D also makes professional-level scanners that cost as much as a car, so I banked on them putting some of that expertise into their consumer models and went with the Einstar.
Well, it works fantastic and so far does everything I bought it for...
BUT
This thing is so closed off it makes Apple seem like a posterboy of the open-source movement.
You cant even get any data off the device, unless you connect it to their proprietary "StarVision" PC-Software. It doesnt have a SD-Card and doesnt register as a mass storage device like most cameras do.
When you connect with StarVision to the Vega, it asks you on device to login to your Shining3D account (and to connect to your WIFI beforehand).
If you click "cancel", it simply disconnects from your PC.
So, without an account and WIFI, the Vega is just a brick.
At least all processing is offline, and it doesnt force my data into their cloud (so far).
Well, kind of. Its main use is to customize existing stuff, like printing pictures on a phone case, custom key caps, and such. I don't know what the ink is made of - I'm guessing a UV curable binder and pigments? Or liquid gold, judging from the price...