There are multiple types of 3D scanners, employing a number of different scanning technologies, but each of those technologies has limitations. Shiny surfaces and black surfaces are notoriously difficult to scan, and it's often a challenge to capture the entire surfaces of complex objects. A scanner is a very visual tool; it can only scan what it can "see." But a group of researchershave developed a new method of 3D scanning that captures the full shape of an object, using water. Called "dip transform," the technique involves dipping an object into fluid and measuring the fluid displacement to reconstruct the object in 3D. Read more at 3DPrint.com: http://3dprint.com/182940/3d-scanning-dip-transform/