Before You Begin
The Importance of Lighting
Scanning should be done in well-lit conditions. Diffuse, white
light from fluorescent tubes, incandescent or halogen bulbs,
or a natural light source is best. Be aware that incandescent
bulbs can add a yellowish tone to your final scan texture.
Lighting situations to avoid include:
● Spotlights or shining light directly on the object can
cause hot spots in some areas and shadows in others,
making it difficult for your scanner to see the lasers.
● Uneven lighting can cause uneven textures, especially
when aligning scans together.
● Bright direct sunlight can overpower and wash out
the scanning lasers, leaving fewer points recorded by
the scanner.
● No lights at all will cause missing and inaccurate data,
and textures will appear black.
● Variable lighting (lighting that fluctuates between
bright and dark during the scan) will affect the color
information that is gathered, making the textures look
striped.
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Problem Materials and Surfaces
There are some materials that laser scanners have trouble
scanning. Because the scanner works by capturing the data
that is made by the laser hitting the surface of the object, any
material that makes the lasers difficult to see will not scan
well.
Here are some materials you cannot scan without prepping
first:
● Objects with surfaces that are too shiny (i.e. metal,
jewels, mirrors etc.) will reflect or bounce the laser
away from the object. This can cause noisy looking
scans.
● Objects that are clear or translucent (i.e. glass, clear
plastic, flower petals, jello etc.) will let the laser light
pass right through the surface of the object. This can
cause scans that appear to have two layers.
● Objects that are too dark and absorb too much light
(i.e. black velvet, fur) will also absorb the laser light
causing an inaccurate scan. This can cause your scan
to appear empty.