3d imaging

[donkey]

hey guys, I have been reading about 3d scanners and printers. I understand the printing can take days to occur. that is fine for me.
the question I have is can anyone tell me how long it will take to scan an object? I was thinking of using a few cameras to speed the process.
also is there a 3d scanner that does not use a laser or at least a laser safe for human eyes?
I thought about a new scheme involving a family moulding, scan the family then print in 3d... alot better then family pictures lol

 

[CocaCola]

The DIY 3D printing stuff is really far inferior to the big $ machines you can hire out...

I have used and will continue to use Shapeways.com for most of my printing... IMO they have great prices and they do quick turns... You get high quality prints, not spaghetti noodle looking models...

As for scanning there are lots of options, and some of the DIY stuff is really amazing...

Look at this system and look at the real scans users have achieved in the gallery...

http://www.david-laserscanner.com/

This system uses a simple laser pointer or a projector light... And some of the scans are amazing, not as good as pro stuff but still IMO plenty good for many DIY projects...

Personally I have not invested in my own 3D scanning equipment because I find it easy enough to simply model my stuff in Solidworks from scratch faster...

Roland also makes some piezo needle desktop scanners that are slow but produce good results for a desktop unit if the model you are scanning is suitable, and it is also a CNC milling machine...

 

[donkey]

i see alot of these devices. but a few things things kind of get to me. for true 3d you will need to take a few shots. at best 3 but the more shots the better res.
2nd is if I want true 3d I have to take these shots and then mix them together to get the right 3d image.
3rd and this is just me but the laser means its not suitable for use on humans (eyes especially).

I was thinking of seeing if I could use a flash or 6 (at 60 degrees around the target) instead of a laser. then have cameras hooked up to the flash which will give the distance to object. the issue is it will have to use like motion capture and record as fast as light (thats only a few million decades away lol) to judge the distance in each shot then computing depth.
the 3d scanners out there are good for inanimate objects but what about taking shots of people?

 

[CocaCola]

i see alot of these devices. but a few things things kind of get to me. for true 3d you will need to take a few shots. at best 3 but the more shots the better res.
2nd is if I want true 3d I have to take these shots and then mix them together to get the right 3d image.
3rd and this is just me but the laser means its not suitable for use on humans (eyes especially).

That is not how the Dave 3D works, it's real 3D scanning using image processing from a moving video camera monitoring the shadows and what not to calculate depth and distance, read a little more about it, it's quite fascinating it builds the image the same way high end laser scanners do...

As for humans again read the site, they do humans especially with the projector light source...

 

[donkey]

is that the 1700 pound version? and the pretty pictures only show one side is taken, if for example you have a baby or small child. resetting the camera for the next shot would be difficult wouldn't it?

 

[Raven Luni]

I have an UP! 3d printer. Its ok for hobby stuff but not if youre working professionally.
I mainly use it to make cases for electronic projects (which I have to do in sections due to the 14cm size limit (which is actually closer to 10 if you want to avoid warping).

You can make structural and mechanical parts as long as the individual feature size is big enough (things like vertices for metal or wooden frames, large gears etc). The largest thing I've made with mine is a mechanism for an animatronic tail - basically a set of snap together universal joints. It worked very well. You can find some info and pics of it in the projects section here.

There are 2 main types of plastic that are used in 3d printing: ABS and PLA. I'd say ABS is the better one - higher melting point, high impact (same stuff they use for car bumpers). PLA is much more rigid, has a low melting point and seems to be favoured by the cheaper 3d printers.

For an idea of the kind of stuff people are making you'll want to check out thingiverse.com. Thats a collection of open source designs which people upload and has some really cool stuff. I've added a couple myself (under the name Wolfy)

Having said all that, I wanted to make my own 3d printer at one point (working on stuff that will lead to a number of CNC based projects) and I've concluded that I would actually be better off making a machine that drilled out a mould in something like MDF for casting - much wider material choice that way including various resins and even pewter (which has a similar melting point to ABS)

Anyway thats enough from me on the subject

 

[Raven Luni]

As for scanning, just had a look at that david thing. Dam those clever bastards for making it all free and open Its one of those things where you take 1 look at the basic concept, immediately understand it all in your mind and tihnk 'I could make something like that', but theyve gone and nobbled the competition before its even conceived

 

[CocaCola]

is that the 1700 pound version?

Both versions or you can simply download the software get a cheap laser pointer and a decent webcam and DIY... The packages they sell include high end equipment especially in the Camera regards, the 'pro' grade camera is a bulk of their package cost... But, if you look at the results done with a normal Logitech webcams and cheap Chinese laser pointers it's still darn impressive... You can be up and rolling for under $100 testing the concept with the Demo program and cheap hardware...

and the pretty pictures only show one side is taken, if for example you have a baby or small child. resetting the camera for the next shot would be difficult wouldn't it?

Those same issues are found with most 3D scanners except for the high end ones that rotate the object 360 degrees or use multiple scanners... This is where your 3D modeling skills in meshing the front and back scans together come into play, to get the full 360 degree model... I believe their software might even assist in this? It's been awhile since I looked the site over...

As for scanning, just had a look at that david thing. Dam those clever bastards for making it all free and open Its one of those things where you take 1 look at the basic concept, immediately understand it all in your mind and tihnk 'I could make something like that', but theyve gone and nobbled the competition before its even conceived

Yeah if you look at the alternatives the results they achieve for the cost is phenomenal for such a simple (initially simple) concept...

 

[donkey]

I wonder if placing 3 or 4 of these evenly around the object would work to speed up the process. the issue then is will the scanners on the opposite side be part of the scan? I guess with cad you could remove them if necessary anyway