# The development of a low-cost photometric-stereo-based material scanner

## TL;DR

This paper introduces an affordable, open-source system for quickly scanning material textures using photometric stereo, suitable for digital prototyping and augmented reality.

## Contribution

A low-cost, open-source photometric stereo system for material scanning with efficient workflow and compatibility with real-time rendering.

## Key findings

- The system captures material data up to A4 size within 15 seconds using consumer-grade equipment.
- Albedo and normal maps produced are perceptually consistent and suitable for real-time rendering.
- The system offers a customizable and affordable solution for material digitization.

## Abstract

Capturing accurate texture maps from physical materials remains a challenge in digital prototyping and projection-based spatial augmented reality (P-SAR). This paper presents an open-source material scanning system based on photometric stereo, designed for affordability, simplicity, and efficient operation. The system combines a consumer-grade digital camera, multifaceted reflector (MR16) LED lighting, and Arduino-controlled automation to acquire material data up to A4 size within 15 s. Accurate colour reproduction is achieved through a hybrid calibration workflow that integrates camera profiling with a 3D lookup table. The resulting images are processed in a streamlined Substance 3D Designer pipeline to generate albedo and normal maps compatible with physically based rendering (PBR). To evaluate performance under realistic conditions, two fabric samples were scanned and qualitatively compared with professionally digitised references. Albedo maps were assessed based on dominant colour accuracy using CIEDE2000 (ΔE00), while normal maps were evaluated through visual rendering comparisons and directional distribution analysis. Scanning and processing times were also measured to verify workflow efficiency. Results demonstrate that the proposed system produces perceptually consistent textures suitable for real-time rendering applications while offering a low-cost and customisable solution for material digitisation.