Surface modelling captures colours and shapes

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Apr 23, 2008

DSM technology may replace laser scanning for customers who need a flexible solution that works both as a high-accuracy 3D measurement platform and an efficient photorealistic scanner.

Eos Systems has released PhotoModeler Scanner, which contains the capabilities PhotoModeler, plus a new technology called Dense Surface Modeling (DSM).

PhotoModeler Scanner provides all the tools to derive accurate measurements from photographs and create high-quality 3D models.

The software's DSM technology scans photo pairs to generate a massive number of measurement points, automatically creating a point cloud much like the output of laser scanning equipment.

Additional software tools built directly into PhotoModeler Scanner can easily translate the data into a mesh surface, which can be used in almost any kind of 3D CAD or design application.

Richard Wolf, Senior Engineer at a video game development studio "Dense Surface Modeling is one of the most exciting technologies to emerge from Eos Systems".

"It enables model composition and colour registration in ways that again fit adaptively into our process".

"As a beta tester, I have logged more than 300 hours on this product, which in my opinion has surpassed the state of the art".

"I can now do what was impossible six months ago".

PhotoModeler Scanner provides designers with precision colour overlays.

The DSM scan registers photographic colour information pixel by pixel onto the resulting three-dimensional model surface.

For quick viewing, colours display as a point cloud or can be fully rendered to create realistic solid models.

Using a camera as the sole source of data collection yields a better registration match between the 3D data and photographic colour data compared to laser scanners, which must rely on a secondary device for acquiring colour data.

DSM technology may replace laser scanning for customers who need a flexible solution that works both as a high-accuracy 3D measurement platform and an efficient photorealistic scanner.

PhotoModeler Scanner can quickly reproduce real-world objects as detailed 3D representations, for use in animation, reverse engineering, or the recording of scientific or legal evidence.

While laser-based 3D scans require bulky and fragile optical equipment, the capture of textured surfaces through photogrammetric DSM only requires two photographs taken from a regular camera.

This far simpler hardware requirement makes the process more portable, with no limitations on the size of photographic subject.

PhotoModeler Scanner brings together both vector measurement and point cloud data in the same software package.

This saves time by having both results already co-ordinated with each other.

"Typical scanning solutions that I have used retail for 10 to almost 100 times as much as PM Scanner and also require the models to be co-ordinated in a separate process", says Dan Mills, President of DCM Technical Services, a forensic evidence consultancy.

"I can collect as much data as possible for my clients with minimal time in the field".

"I then have all the pieces to analyse a forensic scene with as much or little detail as required".