Use a free download to turn a laser level and a netcam into a highly accurate 3D scanner... all you need is a corner and a printer to make it all work!
Building a 3D Scanner from a netcam and a line level laser sounds like a nice hack... but it's actually a highly functional and precise tool for bringing the real world into your favorite modeling tools. (We're talking 5 thousandths of an inch accuracy is possible if you spend a bit more on your netcam and laser!)
Ben Eadie has helped design, build and film three world record holding Human Powered Vehicles. He lives in 3D mechanical CAD programs, and one of his favorite tools for getting objects into his fave modeling tool, SolidWorks, is his home built laser scanner.
He shows us how to build one on this episode of Systm.
The key? A nifty chunk of software called DAVID Laserscanner, the basic version is free, a few minutes with printer, and a corner that has a 90° angle.
Nothing is cooler than taking stuff you already have and cobbling into a very functional tool.
Thanks to Ben for joining us on this episode!
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Posted by philbert on 10/23/2008 at 12:10:43 am in Systm
Loved the episode, I've been looking into the David Laser Scanner for a while. Of courses once the scan is done the mesh is so high-poly it's not really workable. One option is retopolgy. I highly recommend checking out 3D Coat for this purpose (and it's myriad of other amazing tools like the Volumetric Sculpting which is mind blowing to use). I haven't used any of the other tools out there for retopo, but people are saying 3DC is the best they've used and I know I like it. *link*
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Posted by MisterNetHead on 10/22/2008 at 12:34:57 pm in Systm
Very very cool episode. I immediately went out to Home Depot and bought a laser level for 20 bucks and just used my Xbox Live Vision camera. I got it set up in my bathroom (for light reasons) and so naturally the first thing I scanned was my toothbrush. It didn't come out very good, but I'm getting better.
The funny part is, I have no reason to do the scanning, its just really fun.
So here's my third attemt at a scan:
Video: *link*
Photos: *link*
A few helpful notes, the darker the room is, obviously, the better your scan will come out. Unless you buy a nice green line laser, a cheapy red laser level is going to have a hard time with dark objects, so the brighter the object is, the better. You can see this on the V mask I scanned. The facial hair is mostly missing from the scan because it's black. I've found if you take your time, moving the laser with your hands works just fine, although I'm sure you'd get improved results from an automated system. A final note on the stand you use to prop the item up, the thinner (and in my case, darker) it is, the better. Since your laser is coming from above you need a very thin stand to be able to scan the bottom parts of the object without it hitting the stand.
Happy scanning!
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Posted by fishtoprecords on 10/17/2008 at 09:28:00 pm in Systm
Cool show. Loved it.
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Posted by WeeWilly on 10/17/2008 at 12:31:57 pm in Systm
"Very cool!
I might have to try this out.. although not trusting my hands I'd probably try the servo mounts or some other kind of steadying option.
I wonder if locking down both the camera AND the laser line, then reflecting the line with a mirror at a micro-fine speed would help? Less moving parts, at least. You can't lock the camera and laser together then scan down the object, because with this software you'd end up with a single line on camera that would warp all over as you moved across the object. Also, I guess you have to have the laser mounted so that as the line passes across a curved object, the line bends around the object. It seems that if you were scanning, say, a spray paint can from straight on, it would look like a flat rectangle. So you need sort of a perspective angle on the laser line. Or maybe just having the laser and the camera at a different height would fix that.
What about reflective objects? The Albino Tux was a good color for that duty, but would you need to keep a can of satin white spray paint handy for other things?
A million questions.... I gotta go find a laser level. :)"
I would like to build one too. How can we compare notes. cplrich@cox.net I could use this in our science academies.
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Posted by behnt on 10/16/2008 at 09:52:29 am in Systm
But, I was really wondering, if there was a real easy way
to 'stitch' together a color layer with the object,
i.e. the skin tone, paint scheme...
onto the model after it has been scanned?
In the software there is a way to grab a texture form the web cam to get the skin tone and then you can do this for each scan and it will stich them together
Ben
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Posted by Stinkeyebandit on 10/15/2008 at 07:25:31 am in Systm
"
Yeah is was a great episode , but it was nothing new to me . I originally saw this on "The Lab With Leo" as a little diy project but it was nice to see the linux penguin in 3D space . I very much enjoy lasers and uses for lasers :-)
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Posted by Stinkeyebandit on 10/15/2008 at 07:20:17 am in Systm
"very very cool, hell now i want to do that
one question though, the young lady they were scanning "i can't remember her name for the life of me" were is the finished product"
The girl that was at the end of the show is Camilla Stenmark , she is swedish and used to be an intern for Rev3 but i believe she is working there now . P.s her twitter handle is twitter.com/CamillaStenmark
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Posted by AlaskaLoneWolf on 10/15/2008 at 07:09:06 am in Systm
WOW!!! I loved this episode. Arguably my all-time favorite.
Computer modeling has been one of my things for a while,
being an avid Autodesk user since release 10.
(I still sometimes use release 12)
But, I was really wondering, if there was a real easy way
to 'stitch' together a color layer with the object,
i.e. the skin tone, paint scheme...
onto the model after it has been scanned?
And I was thinking about using this digital camera that I just
bought and a laser from the cool site I ran across, and I'm
wondering if it will work.
*link*
*link*
*link*
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Posted by computoman on 10/14/2008 at 07:57:59 pm in Systm
"
Still cool!
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Posted by zipper on 10/14/2008 at 06:03:12 pm in Systm
Great episode, I can see a mad scramble for laser levels at the hardware store.
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