3D Scanning Demonstration by Anyvate

5th Aug 2023

The Presentation

On Sunday Hitchin Hackspace hosted Leon Xavier from Anyvate who gave a presentation on 3D Scanning technology, processes and techniques. From DIY Xbox Kinetc scanning, through iPad LIDAR to his Creaform Metrascan Professional system.

On the right are the seated audience of Hitchin Hackspace members watching as Leon Xavier, on the left, explains how to scan an object. He is scanning a full size Dalek prop using a hand held scanning head unit. The unit is like an open sphere made of triangular sections linked with thin metal tubes. A bit smaller than a football. Each node where the triangles meet has a flat disk with reflective spots around the circumference and a spot in the centre of the flat top. This contains the laser scanner head. The reflective spots are monitored by a dual camera head to track the hand unit in 3d space. The hand unit is used to "paint" the scan target with the scanning laser pattern to read the object in to the computer.
3D Laser Scanning a Dalek
Leon Xavier from Anyvate explains how laser scanning can be used to capture the shape of three dimensional objects. He is sat on a desk to his right are two laptops and a screen on which is presentation slides are being displayed.
Leon Xavier presents his 3D Scanning Demonstration

iPad Scanning

Using a member’s 3D printed glazed clay pot as a target Leon demonstrated the iPad LIDAR scanner to generate a digital mesh of the pot. The results were really impressive.

Leon is stood by a table and is holding an iPad. He is using the LIDAR capture capability of the iPad to capture a 3D printed ceramic pot in front of him on the table. The pot is a complex shape it looks like a multi stranded twisted woven rope. It is about 100mm in diameter and is about 300mm tall. The pot is covered by an iridescent purple glaze with a clear glaze over the top. The purple glaze coverage isn't total. It runs in to the grooves and ripples of the printed pot surface. The clear glaze topcoat revealed the unglazed clay and purple glaze giving colourful shades finish.
Using iPad LIDAR to scan a 3D printed clay pot
A large monitor is sat on a table. It fills the image. The screen shows the content of the iPad screen. It shows the captured scanned data with the captured photo image data mapped over the 3D scanned data. Some small discontinuities in the model can be seen which can be fixed in post processing.
Screen showing the level of detail captured by the iPad
A large monitor is sat on a table. It fills the image. The screen shows the content of the iPad screen. It shows the raw captured scanned data point cloud.
Screen showing the raw point cloud data for the iPad scan.

Scanning a big screw

Next a 3D printed screw model was scanned to demonstrate how deep features needed to be handled and how software, like Meshlab, can be used to stitch together separate scans of the same object to create a complete model.

In the foreground a hand holds a large 3D printed model of a hex socket cap head screw. The screw is held by its head which is about 100mm in dia and about 75mm tall. The lower half of the head has a knurled finish. The thread is about 150mm tall and 50mm dia and has a coarse thread. In the background a large monitor shows the scanned model data. The head of the screw and splotches of the thread are blue. The thread of the screw and splotches on the head are gold. The blue and gold are from two merged scans to create a single finished mesh.
Scanning results for a 3D printed screw.

Scanning a Dalek

Leon finished the demo session by scanning Derek, the Dalek we are restoring, using his Creaform Metrascan system.
This showed the amazing level of detail, precision and accuracy it can capture across an array of challenging surfaces and textures.

Leon is stood between the Dalek and a desk with a large monitor displaying the scanning software. Leon is holding the spherical scanning head and is pointing it at the Dalek's plunger.
Leon scans the Dalek’s plunger
Leon is stood to the left hand side of the Dalek which fills the right third of the image from top to bottom. He is pointing with his right hand to one of the hemispheres on the skirt to indicate the issues that the silver metallic flake paint and high gloss topcoat can cause when scanning. The stainless steel highly polished "gazing globe" spheres, used for the plunger and gun arm pivots on the Dalek are also a challenge to scan. In his left hand he is holding the scanning head.
Different surface textures and finishes can be harder to capture

The Creaform Metrascan is an incredible piece of kit. A tracking head locates the scanning head in space while you scan. It can be used to scan anything from the inside of a Transit van to something as small as a 30mm cube. Down to a resolution of 50um and accuracy of 40um.

Leon scans Derek the Dalek

A short 20second video shows Leon stood to the right of the Dalek “painting” the skirt and hemispheres of the Dalek with the handheld scanning unit. He slowly wafts the scanning head back and forth. The red crosshatch grid of the lasers can be seen moving across the surface of the Dalek. His movements are very similar to those of a spray painter painting a car body shell. Leon isn’t looking at where his hand is moving. He is looking at a monitor which is out of shot. The camera then pans left to a monitor on which you can see the scanned data appearing and the model building. It moves and rotates in relation to the movements of the scanning head and controls on it which Leon controls as he scans.

The dual camera tracking head is a large cylindrical beam mounted on a robust camera tripod about 6ft up. In the center is a sleeve that the tripod mount is on. It has coloured indicator lights bars that show the status of various aspects of the scanning operation status. At both ends of the beam, which is about 1.5m long, are "eye" pods each pod houses a digital camera with a ring of IR led illuminators around the perimeter of the camera lens aperture. In a large Pelicase transport box beneath the tripod is the handheld scanning unit. The unit is like an open sphere made of triangular sections linked with thin metal tubes. A bit smaller than a football. Each node where the triangles meet has a flat disk with reflective spots around the circumference and a spot in the centre of the flat top. This contains the laser scanner head. The reflective spots are monitored by a dual camera head to track the hand unit in 3d space.
Creaform Metrascan Laser Scanning head on its Tripod and the hand scanning unit below it in the open Pelicase

This session was the first of two sessions. The second is a few weeks later and will enable members to bring in objects they would like to get scanned, with the full capacity of the Creaform Metrascan scanner, for free. They will receive a mesh file for their item in return.

The monitor on a desk shows a view of the Dalek scan in progress. A section of the side of the Dalek skirt with hemispheres can be seen.
The data capture of the Dalek data in progress.

The monitor on a desk shows a view of the Dalek scan in progress. A section of the side of the Dalek skirt with hemispheres can be seen.

Anyvate offer professional high precision 3D scanning and workflows to individuals and Hackspaces at an affordable cost. If you are interested in Leon providing a demo session for your group or organisation give Anyvate a shout via their website www.anyvate.com.

Getting to look at the results

A week or so later Leon sent the in the scanned data of the whole Dalek. It is quite the data file, an STL of some 440MB. Here are some screen grabs of that data set:

General Views

Full view of the Dalek raw scanned STL file data. A general ISO view.- The Dalek is a single grey colour shaded object. The scanned data is incomplete. There are black areas scattered around the model where there are holes in the data.
Derek the Data Dalek – Isometric view
Full view of the Dalek raw scanned STL file data. A front elevation view. Head on facing the Dalek. The Dalek is a single grey colour shaded object. The scanned data is incomplete. There are black areas scattered around the model where there are holes in the data.
Derek the Data Dalek – Front face view
Full view of the Dalek raw scanned STL file data. A rear elevation view. The back face of the Dalek. The Dalek is a single grey colour shaded object. The scanned data is incomplete. There are black areas scattered around the model where there are holes in the data.
Derek the Data Dalek – Rear face view
Full view of the Dalek raw scanned STL file data. A left hand side elevation view. The left side of the Dalek. The Dalek is a single grey colour shaded object. The scanned data is incomplete. There are black areas scattered around the model where there are holes in the data.
Derek the Data Dalek – Lefthand side view
Full view of the Dalek raw scanned STL file data. A right hand side elevation view. The right side of the Dalek. The Dalek is a single grey colour shaded object. The scanned data is incomplete. There are black areas scattered around the model where there are holes in the data.
Derek the Data Dalek – Righthand side view
Full view of the Dalek raw scanned STL file data. A top elevation view. View directly down on the top of the Dalek. The Dalek is facing to the right of the image. The Dalek is a single grey colour shaded object. The scanned data is incomplete. There are black areas scattered around the model where there are holes in the data.
Derek the Data Dalek – Top down view
Full view of the Dalek raw scanned STL file data. A bottom elevation view. View directly up at the underside of the Dalek. The Dalek is facing to the right of the image. The Dalek is a single grey colour shaded object. The scanned data is incomplete. There are black areas scattered around the model where there are holes in the data.
Derek the Data Dalek – Underside view

Detail Views

Next zoomed in a bit closer. You may notice that the gun is missing the detail of the rods, collars and spacing hexagons you can see in the picture of Derek above. as these are all clear acrylic it makes it really hard for the laser reflections to be picked up. This is one of the shortcomings, although a minor one when you consider wat is going on with other very reflective surfaces like the gazing globes, the aluminium and the metal flake paint used on the body and hemis.

The Mid Section

An isometric view of the shoulders and the gun box with the plunger and gun also with the inner gun petals showing. You may notice that the gun is missing the detail of the rods, collars and spacing hexagons. This image includes the bottom ring of the neck bin. The full shoulders with the plunger and gun, the top band with a row of equally spaced vertical slats and mesh behind them. The lower band and then the angled slopes of the skirt with hemispheres attached.
Front Isometric shoulders detail view
An right hand side view of the shoulders and the gun box with the plunger. The Dalek is facing to the right. This image includes the bottom two rings of the neck bin. The full shoulders with the plunger and gun, the top band with a row of equally spaced vertical slats and mesh behind them. The lower band and then the angled slopes of the skirt with hemispheres attached.
Right Shoulders side view
The front of the shoulders and the gun box with the plunger and gun also with the inner gun petals showing. Zoomed in a bit closer. You may notice that the gun is missing the detail of the rods, collars and spacing hexagons.
Front shoulders view

In the next two pictures you can see that the mesh detail is picked up and details of the screw heads holding the slats in place. You can see some small round artefacts on the lower band. These are stickers applied to the lower band and are registration / datum position indicators (you can seem them in the video) that get scanned by the main tracking head. Once these are registered in the software it allows you to rotate the Dalek on its wheeled base to make it easier to scan all sides. The tracking head needs to be able to see the hand unit to successfully scan. This means you cannot scan the back of the Dalek if the hand unit disappears from view. The dots make it possible to move your target and pick up where the Dalek has been moved to.

The front of the left hand side shoulders at the front of the gun box and gun with the inner gun petals showing. Zoomed in a bit closer. You may notice that the gun is missing the detail of the rods, collars and spacing hexagons.
Left side gun detail side view

The Neck and Dome

Some close ups of the neck and dome. As the neck rings aren’t fixed in place yet there is masking tape to show where they should go. You can see in the scans the masking tape and some detail of the neck bin mesh. You can also see on the bottom right edge of the dome that the scanner has picked up on the damage to the fibreglass of the dome. The striations across the dome on the left are artefacts of the scanned data where not enough data has been captured yet.

Close up of the neck and dome. As the neck rings aren't fixed in place there is masking tape applied to the neck section to show where the rings should go. You can see in the scans the masking tape and some detail of the neck bin mesh. This is a view of the left side of the top of the shoulders with the slats and shoulder mesh. Then the neck bin, neck rings and vertical struts with the head/dome on top. The eye stalk points to the left and the head lights are mounted on the dome.
Left side Dome, Neck bin and Shoulders detail view
Close up of the neck and dome. This is a view of the left side of the top of the neck bin and vertical struts with the head/dome on top. The eye stalk points to the left and the head lights are mounted on the dome. On the bottom edge of the dome to the right there are some depressions and marks. These are from damage in the surface of the fibreglass dome. There are apparent striations in the dome surface to the left of the dome. These are artefacts of the scanning laser lines having not built up a full scan of the surface.
Left Dome side view

On the front facing view of the dome another patch of damaged fibreglass can be picked out just above the change in dome profile and to the right of the eyestalk.

Close up of the neck and dome. This is a view of the front of the top of the neck bin and vertical struts with the head/dome on top. The eye stalk points towards the viewer and the head lights are mounted on the dome. On the front of the dome just to the right of the eye stalk there is a depression. This are from damage in the surface of the fibreglass dome. There are apparent striations in the dome surface to the right of the dome. These are artefacts of the scanning laser lines having not built up a full scan of the surface.
Front Dome detail view

Close up of Datums

A picture of the lower metal band just below the gun ball joint / gun box. You can see some small round artefacts. These are stickers applied to the lower band and are registration / datum position indicators (you can seem them in the video) that get scanned by the main tracking head.
Close up of lower band showing datum spots

Leon very generously scanned Derek and provided the STL file for free. The scan data isn’t as complete as it could be. We ran out of time! The data you see here is probably the result of a couple of hours of scanning and then several more to post process the data in to an STL file. Additionally the data is just a mesh. Not a solid model. As part of his business Leon can take the scanned mesh and turn it in to real CAD solid model data. However that can be many hours work and doesn’t come cheap.

One last point is that this is only the outside surfaces. With more time it is possible to scan the inside. It would be more complicated and you have to be able to get the hand unit inside.

The next step plan is to load in the CAD models from the measurements taken of Derek when we first started and see how far off the model is from actual Derek Dalek Data.

Hitchin Hackspace would like say a very big Thank you to Leon and Anyvate for taking time to come to the space and show us this amazing technology.

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