Elegoo M1 Ultra 3D scanner at $2999 captures objects up to 4 m

Elegoo, known for its Centauri, Saturn and Jupiter 3D printer lines, has started selling its own 3D scanner. The M1 Ultra costs $2999. The company claims five scanning modes, a blue laser and outdoor operation in ambient light of up to 110,000 lux. For now it is the only model in the 3D scanner section of the company's site.

The key figure in the specifications is the size range. According to Elegoo, the M1 Ultra captures objects from 5³ to 4000³ mm³, that is, from a part the size of a fingernail to an item with an edge of about four metres. For a studio that means a single device can cover both the scanning of small props and the capture of large objects, which would otherwise require a separate solution.

“New: the M1 Ultra is here. Scan smarter.”

That is how Elegoo announced the scanner on its website.

What the numbers say

• Volumetric accuracy — up to 0.02 mm plus 0.06 mm for every metre. The error grows with object size: for an item 1 m long that calculation gives about 0.08 mm, and for a four-metre one about 0.26 mm.
• Speed in blue laser mode — up to 2,040,000 points per second.
• Capture rate — up to 100 frames per second.
• Outdoor use — laser scanning in ambient light of up to 110,000 lux.
• Five scanning modes. Their names and purpose are not given in the specification summary on the product page.

In practice it might look like this. A 3D modeller who needs an accurate copy of a mechanical part to refine in CAD or to print a replacement captures it to hundredths of a millimetre. An environment artist can scan a stone sculpture or a section of a facade right on location, without moving the object into controlled light. For an industrial designer, the “scan — edit — print” chain can close inside a single manufacturer's ecosystem.

Elegoo separately sells reflective markers for the M1 Ultra, 3 mm in diameter, 800 pieces per set. Markers like these are usually stuck onto the object so the scanner does not lose tracking on smooth, uniform surfaces. If you capture large objects regularly, it is worth budgeting for them.

Where and how to buy it

The scanner is sold through the official Elegoo store. In the US, shipping is only possible to the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia, taking 3–7 business days. For orders to EU countries and the UK the company covers customs duties, though with a number of exceptions by country and region. Orders to continental Europe ship from a warehouse in the EU: to Germany in 2–5 business days, to Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and several other countries in 3–7, to Spain, Portugal and Finland in 5–9, to Norway and Switzerland in 7–15. Regular orders, apart from pre-orders, are usually passed to the warehouse 8 hours after being placed.

The scanner's release coincided with the Black Friday sale, where Elegoo promises discounts of up to 54%. Whether the discount applies to the M1 Ultra is not stated on the product page: it lists the price as $2999.

What is still missing for a purchase decision

The published specifications are enough to understand the class of the device, but not enough to plan a pipeline. The summary on the product page does not explain the scanning modes, nor does it say whether the M1 Ultra captures colour and texture, in which formats the result is exported, or which software handles the processing. For an artist who needs a finished textured model for a game or a visualisation, those are the key questions: without colour capture the scan works only as geometry, and the textures will have to be made separately — through photogrammetry or by hand.

Elegoo is probably counting above all on its own audience: users of the company's printers get the scanner from the same store and with the same logistics. At a price of around $3000, the M1 Ultra appears to be positioned above hobbyist scanners but noticeably below metrology equipment. How far the claimed accuracy holds up on real objects, especially outdoors and at large sizes, will only be possible to judge from independent tests.

What would you scan with the M1 Ultra first?

• Mechanical parts
• Small props