×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

(OP)
I am researching different methods of digitizing, i will be going from a 3/8 clay model of a car to a mathematical 3D computer model.

Can anybody with experience in this process recommend a method? Laser, white light, ect...... Also can you explain why?

Can somebody recommend a machine to purchase or a consulting firm that will do the job for us? We are located in Greenville, SC.

Thanks,
Joe

RE: 3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

JArcuri,

We had a company called Advanced Vehicle Engineer (AVE) help us with sort of thing. They use a white light camera set-up. We had them scan full size body sides.

I know they have scanned whole cars for some NASCAR teams as well as for the Big 3. I also know they have done this exact thing before.

They are on the web at www.ave-engineering.com . The downside is that they located in Auburn Hills, Michigan

There is another company that I have talk to but not work with personaly is Optimal, which has also done this type of work before but their equipment is not portable as AVE's, I think. They are also located in the Metro Detroit Area. See www.optimalinc.com

RE: 3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

Advance Design Concepts (ADC,www.adcinc1.com/) does both white light and laser scanning.  I'll highly recomend them, but I'm biased, I know several of the employees.  They are located in Pewaukee, WI.  

RE: 3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

www.3dscanco.com  in Atlanta does good work.

Getting someone else to do the scanning is more cost effective if you are not going to be scanning on a monthly basis. There is a steep learning curve and the equipment and software is expensive (>$40,000).

A couple of questions you will need to answer are.
What resolution do you need?
What accuracy do you need?
Is the model symmetric? Can you only scan half?
Do you want the point cloud or a surface model?
Does it need to be class A? What are you doing with the data?
What is your budget and schedule?

RE: 3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

I'd watch symmetry if I were you. We scanned one third of a three spoke wheel and spent more time cleaning the results up to make it fit than if we'd scanned the whole thing.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: 3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

If you are looking for a less expensive more rudimentary method look into Faro http://www.faro.com/

They have several options available, including scanning equipment and digitizers.

Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches.

RE: 3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

I've used the Faro-arm (Gold) for several applications. Actually, I wore the golf-shirt they gave me yesterday. Great tool for the price.

Now they have a laser / hard probe combo. http://www.faro.com/products/ScanArm.asp

regards,

Hydroformer

RE: 3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

I agree with the sentiment of buying the Service in, unless you're going to be doing an awful lot of it.

I have experience of running an office that purchased a Gold Faro Arm + Laser Scanning Camera. After regular use for about a year (with all the correct training) we were not up to the standard of the company that sold us the system.

Since then I have had experience of GOM scanning. This was about 5 years after the Laser scanning which may be a factor, but the quality and registration of the final scans was much better. Leading to less scan manipulation required and less complaints from the Surface Lines Group.

I would also suggest, if possible, to have the same company responsibe for scanning as for surfacing. Otherwise one will be blaming the other for poor results.

RE: 3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

Everything is a compromise.

With a scanner on an arm like a Faro you don’t have to register the scans unless you have to move the arm. However, the accuracy of the scan data depends on the arm. It is often nosier because of this. To operate it you have to work two things at once the arm and the scanner. It can get to things that you could not with a camera style scanner but it can be more cumbersome. Some of the arms include in the ability to do touch data at the same time as laser.

A scanner without the arm needs multiple shots and registration of data but often has less noise. It can also be easier to operate because you only have to operate the scanner.

What is best depends on you.

RE: 3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

You need to speak with a service bureau that has an industrial quality scanner i.e. www.xyzrgb.com, Metris, Atos, Steinbichler etc.

There is no one scanner that does everything so speak with the experts. The worlds most accurate 3D scanner resides at XYZ RGB> and is based on the National Research Council of Canada's technology.... they also do service work so give them a call

- Scanor

RE: 3D-Scanning / Digitizing advice needed??????

Holy crap ScanOr, now THAT is scanning !!

regards,

Hydroformer

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources