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Laser scanning is a method of capturing the surface of an object, a non invasive way of digitising a 3
dimensional form without actually touching it.
There are manual ways of making a copy of an object which are physical in that they require contact
with the object. Traditionally this would be to make a cast from the original which, although is low tech, has limitations of scale and durability of the model. There is a manual digitising process which
employs the use of a grid and extrapolating points from the original form to create a point cloud. This has limitations in the quality of the data captured and time needed to capture it. this system is
OK for more engineered forms.
The laser capturing system uses a laser light and a receiver to record the deflected beam in three
dimensional space. The accuracy is generally very good but will vary according to the system you use, it does not require contact with the object, is fast and can also capture surface colour and texture.
The files are processed before export to reduce overlapping data.
The object of capturing data from a real 3D object is for development of ideas. This could include
creating an archive of articles in a museums art collection, developing a new product, modification and manipulation of forms for creative purposes.
Laser scanning however does not capture hair or eyes very well or even movement, ie breathing when
capturing a live model so the services of a sculptor may be necessary for that portrait commission!
FreeForm imports stl scan data in three different ways to optimise the data for development. It is a
very versatile system especially for figurative and organic forms.
3D scanners
Minolta
Polhemus
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