I have a 12" standing figure that has been dressed from hat to boots. The figure was then coated with a liquid glue to create a rigid form. I need to scan the figure to an .stl file for 3D printing so I can see a 2" prototype of figures I will be using in a board game I've created. Ultimately I will need to scan 3 other figures and then try to solve mass producing them through mold production in large quantities. Any recommendations for a scanning company that will give me detailed output at a reasonable cost would be helpful.
yes/no All 3D scanners generate a point cloud. From there 123D creates a mesh. But, the mesh will be open. So like if you scan your models sitting on a table top, the table surface will be a mesh, and you'd be able to see the inside of your model from underneath. 123D catch does have some tools to help you make your model printable. I generally take the model into blender to make the model solid, and export in a format that we support.
If you are in the North America, there is a company called PCS Engineering in Maryland that can scan your figure and create an STL file for printing at whatever reduced size you need. Their website is http://pcsenginc.com/ In Europe, you can try Laserdyamics in Portugal. Website is http://www.laserdynamics.pt/