lawrence
10-18-2011, 12:34 AM
Of course I continue to wonder to myself "what can I make this machine do"...
One of the things that I really like is the scanning probe, however, it does have limitations -
1- you have to affix the item
2- the probe touches the item and may scratch it (even with a cover)
3- there are size limitations
I have been looking into 3d scanners (just for kicks) and found myself playing around with some software called David 3d. This is a pretty powerful (and free) basic software that can capture 3d data with only a webcam and a line laser (like on a laser level) The quality of the camera and laser affect the performance significantly, and all I have is a very VERY cheap and fuzzy laser... but I managed to do a proof of concept anyway.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u313/ldr_klr/P10903771024x768.jpg
my first scan was of a small gourd/pumpkin
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u313/ldr_klr/P10903781024x768.jpg
and I have to say that I'm not terribly unhappy with the result
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u313/ldr_klr/pump.jpg
I obviously have some work to do in meshlab- but the initial results are encouraging. The biggest advantage I can see this having over the probe is that you can take multiple position scans and mesh them together in meshlab to create a watertight model which can be exported into an STL... think of the possibilities! (people must close their eyes to protect them from the laser, but you can still scan people...!) Also, there is no size limit, you just need to create a larger backdrop. People have scanned cars etc successfully.
Anyway, Here is a pretty neat video showing how it is done.
http://cnettv.cnet.com/systm-build-3d-scanner-from-25-laser-level/9742-1_53-50004100.html
If this interests anyone else I'll be more than happy to share my learning experiences as I go along. I can foresee some pretty cool carves coming out of this setup.
Lawrence
One of the things that I really like is the scanning probe, however, it does have limitations -
1- you have to affix the item
2- the probe touches the item and may scratch it (even with a cover)
3- there are size limitations
I have been looking into 3d scanners (just for kicks) and found myself playing around with some software called David 3d. This is a pretty powerful (and free) basic software that can capture 3d data with only a webcam and a line laser (like on a laser level) The quality of the camera and laser affect the performance significantly, and all I have is a very VERY cheap and fuzzy laser... but I managed to do a proof of concept anyway.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u313/ldr_klr/P10903771024x768.jpg
my first scan was of a small gourd/pumpkin
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u313/ldr_klr/P10903781024x768.jpg
and I have to say that I'm not terribly unhappy with the result
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u313/ldr_klr/pump.jpg
I obviously have some work to do in meshlab- but the initial results are encouraging. The biggest advantage I can see this having over the probe is that you can take multiple position scans and mesh them together in meshlab to create a watertight model which can be exported into an STL... think of the possibilities! (people must close their eyes to protect them from the laser, but you can still scan people...!) Also, there is no size limit, you just need to create a larger backdrop. People have scanned cars etc successfully.
Anyway, Here is a pretty neat video showing how it is done.
http://cnettv.cnet.com/systm-build-3d-scanner-from-25-laser-level/9742-1_53-50004100.html
If this interests anyone else I'll be more than happy to share my learning experiences as I go along. I can foresee some pretty cool carves coming out of this setup.
Lawrence