Over the years as Australia’s only independent 3D Scanning Service Provider, Managing Director Shane Rolton has been asked numerous times what do you look for in a 3D Scanning Solution.
There have been huge advancements in the world of 3D scanning over the last 20 years since the first 3D laser scanner arrived in Australia. The technology is becoming more affordable, the software to process the data is becoming more advanced, and the capability of workstations means that larger and larger datasets can be
processed.
- In 1999, when the first laser scanner arrived, a point cloud of 50,000 points was considered huge and struggled to be opened on the then-latest P4 Pentium Workstations with 256Mb Ram! Today, with workstations having 128 Gb Ram, running 64-bit applications, datasets in the 300 Million point count range are able to open and to be processed into a useable format.
With greater choice in the marketplace as there are white light scanners, laser heads for arms, handheld laser systems, single view scanners, and hemispherical long-distance scanners. What should an engineer, inspector or business owner be looking for in a 3D scanning solution?
It comes down to 6 issues:
- Raw Resolution capability of the scanner (this determines the level of detail possible to replicate)
- The noise level of the scanner (this affects the quality of detail)
- The Mesh quality able to be generated from the point cloud!
- The Mesh quality able to be generated from the point cloud!
- The MESH Quality able to be generated from the point cloud!!
All subsequent modelling or inspection applications carried out on scan data rely on one thing – the quality of the mesh! And the quality of the mesh is determined by the accuracy of the scanner, the resolution of the scanner, and the noise level of the scanner. A scanned data set is just a means to an end, be it a comparison of what was made to the CAD design, or the generation of a cad model from the existing item. This means that the 3D scanner and its software are simply tools to make the process easier or even achievable.
Once the suitability of the Mesh Quality has been determined then the issues of portability, weight, colour, and aesthetic qualities can be considered, but unless the scanning solution generates the highest quality mesh there is little point in it being the easiest to fly home with!
It’s all about the right tool for the job!
About the author
Shane Rolton BE Mech and owner of Wysiwyg 3D Pty Ltd, based in Sydney, has over 20 years experience applying 3D scanning solutions to measurement and modelling problems.
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