CowTech Ciclop 3D - How the 3 D Scanner Works

CowTech Ciclop 3D Scanning Guide
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them properly. If your problem persists, see our troubleshooting guide at the end of this document for
more help.
How the 3D Scanner Works
The CowTech Ciclop can generate scans with or without a texture. A scan with texture will be colored like
the object is, while a scan without texture will be the object’s geometry only. The Ciclop utilizes a camera,
two lasers, and a spinning table to make scans.
When an object is placed on the spinning table, the lasers flash on and “paint” the object with vertical red
lines. The camera takes an image and records the areas that show up as red on the object. If the scan is
recording textures, the camera also records the colors visible at these areas. This happens just after the
lasers flash off. The table then rotates at a very small angle (usually a fraction of a degree) and the
process repeats until the table makes a full revolution.
The output of the scan is known as a “point cloud” and is saved as a .ply file. A point cloud is simply a
collection of coordinates that represent points in 3D space. Calibrating the scanner ensures that Horus
knows how much the table spins and the locations of the camera / lasers with respect to the object. It
uses this information to coherently assemble these points in 3D space so that they resemble the scanned
object. Smaller angles of rotation will take longer but result in higher resolution scans.
The quality of your scans will vary widely based on three important factors:
Object – colors, finish, and features of the scanned object
Lighting – ambient lighting in the room
Calibration – brightness, contrast, saturation, and exposure of the camera
The remainder of this guide will walk you through our process for generating scans step by step.