The Technology Of 3d Scanners

By Author: Fabiola Groshan
Total Articles: 2678
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3D scanners are high tech devices that collect data from the real world environment about an object in order to then build a digital model. Some scanners collect not only information on shape, but also on color and other appearance features. The three dimensional models that are constructed can be used in a very wide range of applications, from video games and movies to industrial design and engineering. There are many types of scanners, such as 3D laser scanners and 3D white light scanners, which have a higher accuracy level, and many types of technologies that make possible the construction of such devices, all of them having their own advantages and disadvantage, as well as limitations. The limitations mostly refer to the optical technologies which generally have difficulties when it comes to scanning mirroring objects, or shiny or transparent ones.

While there are, as mentioned before, a series of technologies the lie at the basis of 3D scanners, they can be conveniently divided into two major categories: contact scanners and non contact scanners, which can, in their turn, be sectioned in active or passive scanners. ...
... The contact scanners examine the object physically, requiring that the item is placed on a precision plate, or at least in contact with one.

The plate has a flat surface, which is polished to a certain maximum roughness of surface and when the object can not be stably placed on the plate, a fixture is used in order to hold it firmly. The mechanism of 3D scanners may take three particular forms, the first of which refers to a carriage system that makes use of perpendicular rigid arms and has each of the axes glide onward the track. Another mechanism is made up of an articulated arm which has angular sensors of high precision. It is generally used for gaps and openings with a small interior. The third mechanism refers to a combination of the two and it is used for large objects that have overlapping surfaces and interior cavities.

3D laser scanners are also of many types and involve several technologies. An example would be the time-of-flight scanner, which is part of the active category and makes use of laser light in order to examine a certain object. The technology that lies at the basis of this type of 3D laser scanners is the concept of time-of-flight laser rangefinder, which refers to finding the distance of a particular surface by measuring how much time would take a pulse of light to do the round trip. The pulse of light is emitted of course by a laser. It has a quite high level of accuracy, although 3D white light scanners have even higher levels, due to multiple readings. Other active scanners are the triangulation 3D laser scanners, which make use of a camera, while passive scanners include stereoscopic or photometric systems.

All things considered, 3D scanners are a great tool for the technological industry, their functionality well serving the fields of orthotics and prosthetics, prototyping, industrial design and reverse engineering, as well as inspection of cultural artifacts. They are also widely used in entertainment, in the fields of film production and video games. They can be of many types and use a wide range of technologies, the best option depending on the object that needs to be scanned and the environment that it is in.

For more resources about 3D scanners or about 3D laser scanners, please review this link http://3dscanners.com.au.