Z the IVth posted:

Saw the banner and my interest was piqued. I sculpt and sell miniatures (28mm to starships) as a hobby, and lately I've been thinking of ways to improve the detail on my models. One way of course would be to sculpt them in CAD and get them prototyped, but I have zero experience in CAD, and I don't think that would work very well anyway as I am a very tactile person and like to feel the things I am making (I cuddle my starships in bed for inspiration - don't ask)

In any case, I thought it would probably be feasible for me to make a physical master, scan this into a 3D model, and then proceed to add the fine details there. The main question at this point is whether I would be better off sending my stuff to a company for scanning, or attempting to construct my own scanning rig.

I've read about the DavidScanner in the OP, and that doesn't seem particularly suited for the type of work I am looking for (poor resolution). However browsing around I've seen some scanning rigs which have been built with DSLR cameras (Specifically the PicoScanner, which looks like a DSLR + gorilla grip + light attachment: Link), and as an owner of an Canon EOS550, I was wondering if there are any instructions on replicating that. To further clarify, I also have no programming or electronic experience, so some kind of software solution with plug and play parts is probably the most feasible option for me if it exists.

I am keen to learn CAD, but not so much so electronics and programming, so if a jury-rigged 3D-scanner is going to involve soldering PCBs and writing code it's out.

On a related note, are there any hobby-priced wax printers? From what I've seen, 3D printing the type of stuff I'm planning to do will almost certainly require a wax printer (Ninja Magic does it for miniatures) as the Shapeways stuff is truly horrid.

A sample of the stuff I do: http://z4miniatures.blogspot.com