HP today unveiled Sprout Pro by HP, which consolidates the PC, document camera, 2D and 3D scanners, and more into an all-in-one solution designed for business and education. "Sprout Pro adds tools for creative professionals, students and instructors to the ground breaking Sprout platform," said Louis Kim, global head and general manager of Immersive Computing, HP Inc. "Instant 2D/3D scanning, augmented reality and an immersive dual screen is now boosted by pro-class applications and security -- accelerating workflows and safeguarding data. Sprout Pro is another milestone in expanding HP's vision of Blended Reality."

Of course, the Sprout Pro all-in-one desktop retains its two most distinctive features: a touch-sensitive mat that sits on the desk in front of the PC and an arm that extends from above the monitor.

The mat is a large canvas on which real objects can be scanned by a 3D camera in the arm. The arm also contains a projector that displays images on the mat.

Real objects like a coffee cup can be scanned into Sprout, after which a 3D representation of them is displayed on the screen. The 3D models can be turned, reshaped, colored or cropped via hand on the Touch Mat.

The images generated via Sprout Pro can be exported to Autodesk’s Meshmixer or Microsoft’s 3D Builder software in preparation for 3D printing. The images can be used for computer-aided design, or exported to OBJ files for use in games or VR worlds.

The Touch Mat could also replace a physical keyboard.

Sprout Pro also comes with several software and hardware enhancements:

• The Sprout Companion for Skype for Business enables remote sharing and collaboration including the ability to share a Sprout 2D capture during a Skype meeting, as well as annotate on the Skype whiteboard using the Sprout pen and mat.
• HP External Display Mixer allows users to share what's on the Sprout dual screen, video from the webcam, or the downward facing camera -- or all at the same time.
• HP Scan provides document scanning and optical character recognition with features like custom resolution, exposures, color or grayscale and scan destinations.
• HP Magnifier replaces a document camera and allows users to share live physical objects or documents with an audience, including zooming and capture.
• Microsoft Windows 10 Professional
• Trusted Platform Module for security

Sprout Pro has Intel's latest Core i7 processor code-named Skylake, Nvidia GeForce GT 945A graphics processor, 1TB of storage and 8GB of DDR4 memory (upgradeable to 16GB), 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. It also has two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI 1.4 slot and an Ethernet port.

The Sprout Ecosystem also continues to grow with new 3D-oriented applications from Autodesk-Tinkercad, Sculpt+ and Print Studio that deliver tools tuned for Sprout. Tinkercad is an easy-to-use tool for creating digital designs. Sculpt+ users create or sculpt anything -- creatures, spaceships, vehicles, props and more directly on your device in full 3D before using the 3D print environment of Print Studio.

Sprout Pro is planned for availability in February and priced at $2199. Sprout Companion for Skype for Business, HP External Display Mixer, HP Scan and HP Magnifier are included at no additional charge.