Mantis Vision F6 SMART Echo - Chapter 3 3 D Scanning Technology Overview; Understanding 3 D Scanning Technology

3D Scanning Technology Overview
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F6 SMART™ – Volumetric Handheld Camera – User Guide
Chapter 3 3D Scanning Technology
Overview
3D Scanning Technology
Three-Dimensional (3D) scanners are devices which analyze real-world objects (or
environments) to collect data on their shape and appearance (e.g. color, texture, etc.).
The collected data can be used for:
● Construction of digital 3D models, 3D
graphics and 3D CAD.
● Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR
and AR) experience for the
entertainment industry and computer
games.
● Detailed models of organs in medical
applications.
● Highly detailed modeling of chemical
compounds.
● Reverse engineering and prototyping.
● Demonstration of proposed buildings
and landscapes in architectonic
applications.
● Designs of new devices, vehicles and
structures for the engineering
community.
● 3D geological models for the earth
science community.
● Quality control and inspection.
● Digitization of cultural artifacts.
as well as other applications.
3D scanners perform much like cameras; they have a cone-like field of view, and can only
collect information about unhidden surfaces. Cameras record color data of the surfaces
within its field of view while 3D scanners collects distance information about surfaces
within its field of view. The image generated by the 3D scanners labels the distance to a
surface at each point which enables the identification of 3D position for each point in the
image.
In most cases a single scan cannot produce a complete model of the subject. Multiple
scans are usually required, from many different directions, to obtain information about
all sides of the subject. These scans are brought into a common reference system, a
process usually called “alignment” or “registration”, and then merged together to create
a complete 3D model.
The whole process, from the single range map to the complete model, is known as the 3D
scanning pipeline.
There are several technologies for digitally acquiring the shape of a 3D object. These are
divided into two (2) types: