Blender 3D as a model viewer for 3D scans

Scans and reconstructions are increasingly being requested by museums and research institutes, usually for specific projects or exhibitions. However, after this primary use, the data is mostly forgotten or even accidentally deleted. This is mainly due to the unfamiliar handling of 3D data and lack of accessibility. To overcome these hurdles, I would like to suggest Blender 3D as a model viewer for 3D scans in the following article.

3D scans and other digital data

Creating digital copies of objects using modern 3D scanning techniques is now quick and easy. Unfortunately, using the resulting data is not.

Point clouds, 3D meshes, textures, logs, render images, animations, and interactive models are created, and all of them come in many different 3D formats. Of course, Windows can now open 3D models natively, but whether they are displayed as desired is questionable.

The data I have generated in recent years has always consisted of a complete package of model data, textures, point clouds, render images, and a comprehensive PDF log for using the data. Unfortunately, it turned out that the most frequently used data are the distortion-free render images and the log itself. This is because my customers were reluctant to work with the actual 3D data.

3D-Viewer

Microsoft’s 3D Builder and 3D Viewer sometimes display models without textures or only in a shaded view that is difficult to recognize.

Agisoft offers a free viewer that can open both 3D data (OBJ, 3ds, fbx…) and raster and vector data for GIS systems. However, its main focus is on landscape models rather than individual mobile objects.

Meshlab is a powerful 3D viewer and editor with many editing modes that can use almost all 3D data, but is difficult to use due to its outdated user interface. There are also few options for generating 3D render images from within the program.

Most CAD programs used by archaeologists can import 3D data, but they usually display it poorly. There are also import limits on the number of polygons that this data can contain. And most 3D scans exceed these limits.

In addition to these tools, there are a large number of 3D viewers and editors that use their own formats. Although these may well be good software solutions, these models and data can only be used as long as licenses exist or the software is maintained by the manufacturer. They are therefore suitable for short-term use, but cannot be a permanent solution.

Blender 3D as Alternative ?!

Blender 3D is open source software that has been available since 1995 and has been continuously developed ever since. Since 2002, the program has been completely open source under the GNU General Public License, and its source code is freely available to anyone for any purpose.

With a program size of around 400 MB, Blender is relatively small but contains a wide range of features. It is a 3D editor, render engine, image editing program, animation tool, simulation kit, sound, script, and video editor all in one, and can be expanded with a variety of plug-ins and quickly customized thanks to its modular view.

Thanks to its huge community, every function of the program is comprehensively documented. A constantly growing number of free and commercial workshops in many languages are available online to help users familiarize themselves with the individual functions.

Practical advantages

First and foremost, Blender is designed to support 3D data and make it more accessible. The idea is that after creating one or more models in a project, a Blend file should be saved in addition to the standard data.

This file should contain a finished 3D scan, together with a brief description of the model, metadata, and details about the data acquisition as a text file. This can provide context and help on how to use the file directly on the start screen after opening the file.

In Blender itself, measurements of the object can be taken, sections created, and new renderings generated at any time. At the same time, the object can be viewed both as a photorealistic, textured object and as a uniformly Matcap-shaded surface model.

Marking different structures using the annotation tool is also quick and easy.

Determining volumes using the 3D Print Toolbox add-on integrated into Blender 3D is somewhat more complex.

To compare objects, the models stored in the Blend files can be quickly and easily attached or linked to other files. This allows Blender to serve as a virtual lab bench for directly comparing different similar shapes.

With the release of version 4.5 in July 2025, the user interface was changed from OpenGL to Vulkan. This has greatly improved loading times and processing speed, even for meshes with several million polygons.

Outlook

New add-ons, scripts, and user views can be easily created directly in Blender. This allows processes to be automated and the UI to be made more user-friendly. As a result, Blender can become an ever-growing toolbox for researchers, curators, and exhibition designers.

If new features are needed or stumbling blocks in use are identified, these can be adapted directly. This open access to all aspects of a 3D editor is currently unique worldwide.

Thanks to the open source license, all these adjustments can be freely shared or even commercialized.

The biggest advantage lies in the software’s large community, which provides a wealth of guides, tutorial videos, and workshops in every language. And it continues to grow.

Concluding remarks

The open-source software Blender3D has been a constantly growing 3D toolbox for almost 30 years, and due to the structure of its license, it can never become closed software again.

The program offers a fast, uncomplicated, and easily customizable tool for viewing and processing 3D scans. In the future, it may become an important interface for researchers to use digital data.

Since there are no license fees, installation limits, or restrictions on use, it is recommended to store standalone versions (portable versions) directly for each project carried out.