3D Scanning

This week, I compared the capabilities of the Z-corp handheld scanner, the MINOLTA scanner, and 3D structured light techniques using a Canon 5D MkII and a desktop projector (big thanks to Dávid Lakatos for this tutorial). I tested face scanning with both the MINOLTA and structured light, and the structured light approach yielded much cleaner results. The laser in the MINOLTA had a terrific amount of trouble scanning dark areas - consequently my dark hair and beard required a tremendous amount of post-processing. I didn't want to place reflective dots all over my face, so I didn't try face scanning with the Z-corp unit...

MINOLTA

First, I tried to use the MINOLTA. It didn't like my beard. Also, when I tried to autofill the holes, it made a nice abstract art piece:

In the pursuit of FAB, I shaved my beard to get a better scan! Before and after trimming and cleaning (the scan, not the facial hair):

Cool surface map!

Finally, here is the GeoMagic file: GeoMagic Face Scan (.wrp)

Structured Light

I had a lot of fun using the structured light approach. Here are two views of a nice face-scan I got:

3D Printing

I decided to print a tiny 3D model of the cello I am going to build for my final project. I had to use one support for the side-pieces instead of two due to size constraints. Here is a 3D model of the tiny cello:

The legs of the tiny cello broke off the first time I attempted to articulate them, but here is a picture of the body:

The design files for the tiny cello are available - in .stl ascii, .stl binary and SolidWorks.

Tiny Cello: .STL file (ASCII) | .STL file (binary) | Solidworks assembly (.zip)