This article will assist you in selecting the optimal hardware for your 3D scanning and postprocessing needs. A list of general hardware and software requirements can be found further below.
For more information about a particular component (i.e. OS, CPU or RAM), scroll down to the corresponding section.
In order to gain a better understanding of how Artec Studio algorithms impact different PC components, please refer to this article.
Another good resource is the "Compatible hardware" section, where we regularly publish articles about performance benchmarks and various hardware recommendations.
1. General requirements
| OS |
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| USB |
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| CPU |
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| RAM |
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| Graphics/video cards |
(!) Important note added on 5.04.2021: |
Not supported:
- OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS, any 32-bit OS
- Graphics/video cards: AMD FirePro M6100 Fire GL V, Intel HD 4600
- CPUs: Intel Core i7 8550U, Intel Core i5 8350U, Intel Core i7-1065G7 with integrated graphics
Not recommended:
- NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire configurations
2. Detailed requirements
2.1. Operating system
- Windows 7, 8 or 10 (64-bit) operating systems are supported (exceptions - read below)
- Windows 10 is required for the Artec Micro scanner, which might not work properly on Win 7 / 8 / 8.1 operating systems due to driver incompatibility.
- Windows XP and Vista are not supported.
- Mac OS is not supported, however, Artec Studio can be installed on Apple machines using Boot Camp
- Artec Studio does not support Virtual Machines (Parallels, VMware, VirtualBox, HyperV etc).
- 32-bit operating systems are no longer supported starting from Artec Studio 9.2.
- More information about the compatibility of discontinued Artec scanners with Windows 8 and 10 is available in this article.
2.2. USB
Artec Micro:
- One USB 3.0 or 3.1 port (type A) is required for the Artec Micro scanner.
The Micro scanner will not work with a USB 2.0 port.
Artec Ray:
- One USB 2.0, 3.0, or 3.1 port (type A) is needed for the Artec Ray.
- The Ray can also be controlled wirelessly via the Artec Remote app (available for iOS and Android). In this case, you will need a MicroSD card slot or adapter on your PC in order to transfer the data.
Artec Eva, Eva Lite, Spider, and Space Spider scanners
- One USB 2.0 port is required for an Artec Eva, Eva Lite, Spider, or Space Spider scanner.
These scanners are also compatible with USB 3.0. - When connecting more than one scanner to a single computer, using a powerful desktop PC is highly recommended. Furthermore, an independent USB 2.0 host controller and/or PCI Express USB 2.0 card per scanner is required. Each scanner should be plugged into a separate USB controller.
- USB 3.1 chipsets might have compatibility issues, especially in portable devices (i.e. laptops, tablets, hybrids). Be sure to consult the following articles: USB 3.1 issues and Kanex adapter before making any hardware purchasing decisions.
You can verify which USB controller is installed in your laptop or PC by checking the Universal Serial Bus controllers section in Windows Device Manager.
Laptops with multiple USB controllers
Pictured above is a laptop equipped with two separate USB controllers (USB 3.0 and USB 3.1). Additionally, there are two USB 3.0 root hubs.
If your PC has at least one USB 3.0 controller available, you need to find out which USB port this 3.0 controller is linked to. Connecting your scanner to this specific USB 3.0 port will resolve the issues and no further action will be necessary.
Laptops with USB 3.1 controllers only
Pictured above is a laptop equipped with a USB 3.1 controller only. No USB 3.0 controller is available. The USB 3.0 root hubs (ports) do not count, since all USB traffic is still being routed through the main USB 3.1 host controller. In case your machine is equipped with a USB 3.1 controller only (or multiple USB 3.1 controllers), you can increase your Eva/Spider scanner's performance by using the Kanex adapter.
Please make sure that you have a Thunderbolt 3 port available to use the Kanex adapter.
2.3. CPU
Intel processors:
- Minimum requirement: Intel Core i5-76xx and later.
- Recommended: Intel Core i7 processors (Nehalem microarchitecture and later)
- Highly recommended: Intel i9 CPUs
- Intel Xeon CPUs are expected to work in most cases, as long as they rank fairly high on the CPU benchmark test scale.
AMD processors:
Important note: all AMD CPUs listed below were tested with Artec Studio 15.1 only, and are not guaranteed to work with older Artec Studio versions.
- AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12-Core
- AMD Ryzen 5800x
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX
CPU benchmark tests for all CPUs can be found here. CPUs ranked higher on the list have better performance.
(!) Please note there is a known issue - Artec Studio crashes importing Artec Leo scans on the desktops/laptops with the following CPUs - resolved in Artec Studio 16
11th generation Intel Core i5, i7, i9 - 11XXX
Mobile 10th generation i3, i5, i7- 10XXGX
2.4. RAM
Artec Leo and Artec Eva scanners: the amount of required RAM depends on the scanning mode
- SD mode (the only available mode in Artec Studio 15.0 and older):
Artec Eva: minimum 12GB of RAM
Artec Leo: minimum 32 GB of RAM
- HD mode (only available in Artec Studio 15.1 and newer):
Artec Eva: minimum 32 GB of RAM
Artec Leo: minimum 32 GB of RAM (64+ GB highly recommended for optimal performance) - Artec Spider or Space Spider scanners require a minimum of 18 GB RAM.
- Artec Micro scanners require a minimum of 32 GB RAM.
- Artec Ray scanners require a minimum of 32 GB RAM, but 64+ GB is highly recommended when working with large projects.
- The general rule is that for reasonably fast post-processing, your RAM capacity should be three times the size of your Artec Studio project.
2.5. Graphics/video cards
- SD mode (also applicable to normal scanning and post-processing in Artec Studio versions 15.0 and earlier):
An NVIDIA or AMD GPU with a minimum of 2 GB VRAM is required. - HD mode (applicable to Artec Studio versions 15.1 and higher, when using an Artec Eva or Leo scanner in HD capture mode):
For optimal HD reconstruction performance, an NVIDIA GPU with a CUDA compute capability of at least 6.1 and 8+ GB VRAM is highly recommended.
The minimum requirements for the HD mode to function are the following:
Modern NVIDIA GPU with at least 2 GB VRAM - for Artec Eva
Modern NVIDIA GPU with at least 4 GB VRAM - for Artec Leo
The table below is structured into three groups, based on the HD reconstruction speed/performance of each GPU:
Slow: 1.5 - 2.5 FPS
Normal: 2.5 - 4.5 FPS
Fast: 4.5 FPS and higher(The FPS reconstruction rate is a measure of how many raw frames the algorithm can process per second, and can be calculated by dividing the number of frames by the time elapsed during HD reconstruction).
- Link to the main article about graphics: Choosing a suitable graphics card for 3D scanning and post-processing
- Additionally, consult these articles for more information:
NVIDIA drivers versions, verified by Artec3D
AMD drivers version, verified by Artec3D
Optimizing the performance of NVIDIA Quadro
Intel + NVIDIA configuration - Highly recommended: this link, which provides benchmarks of high-performance video cards.
In case you experience any issues with your Artec 3D scanner or require technical assistance with your device or Artec Studio, in the first instance please contact your local Artec dealer/distributor directly. You can also contact the Artec Support Team by clicking on "Submit a request" button on the bottom right part of the screen or by emailing support@artec3d.com