While out at SolidWorks World recently, I got the chance to get up close and personal with a new device from Next Engine. I first saw this, under NDA, a few months ago and have barely been able to contain myself.

Essentially, it's a very small, hi-res 3D capture system. Its uses a multi-stripe triangulation system and dual 3.0 megapixel camera to capture both 3D forms and the associated texture maps. The device was launched at SolidWorks because there's a co-development project under for the 2007 release that'll see full support add for both the device and the data it produces… There's an associated turntable to automate much of the process and even from the briefest of glimpses, registration of data sets seems pretty easy.

What's perhaps most shocking is that it costs just $2,495. With the release of SolidWorks 2007, this device is going to be very popular indeed..