Intel showed off a lot of 3D technology as CEs, including a convertible laptop-tablet with a built-in 3D scanner on the back, a pair of 3D glasses that worked with the screen, and a 3D printer. The whole 3D setup allows users to scan and create a complete 3D model of any object, use hand gestures to manipulate the 3D model, and then 3D print the finished product.

Intel showed off a vision of the near future tonight, and it included a whole lot of 3D technology. And a flying whale. First, there was a convertible laptop-tablet with a built-in 3D scanner on the back. The scanner is a multi-sensor array of cameras called the Intel RealSense 3D Camera, and it will be coming to computers by the end of this year, Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich promised. Why would you want a 3D camera on your tablet? Well, a lot of reasons. An Intel employee demonstrated one use: scanning 3D objects into virtual ones. The employee held the laptop and waved it at a small doll while the doll rotated on a platform. In less than a minute, he had created a complete 3D model of the doll on the computer.