Optical Digitizing is a technology that captures the digital shape of physical objects through the use of ordinary halogen white light.
How Optical Digitizing Works
A sinusoidal (the graph of the sine function in trigonometry) fringe pattern is projected on the 3D surface of an object. This fringe pattern is distorted by surface relief. During the data acquisition phase, the projected fringe pattern is shifted to several precise positions and corresponding images are captured. The 3D coordinate of every point is contained in the acquired raw data. A algorithm is used to generate 3D geometric data.
 |
 | |
 |
||
 |
|
 |
|
optical digitizing - fringe pattern, pre processed image, depth map and 3D wireframe |
Optical Digitizers
Similar in operation to a photographic camera, the user composes the desired acquisition in a preview window before pressing a button to 'grab' the data. This normally takes less than a second! Systems are available that can process a range of volumes, to allow for different sized objects and scenes. Accuracy of data is high, and the speed of the process makes it ideal for animate subjects such as Humans. The white Halogen light used has numerous advantages, including the fact it is harmless so can be easily used in medical scenarios and can capture the full 24 million colour palette. Most Optical Digitizers use the same sensor to record texture and 3D measurement data, preventing inaccuracies in alignment and even allowing intricate formations such as hair to be successfully processed.
The results can be transmitted through firewire straight into your desktop or laptop for use in the provided software.The extended range of these systems make them ideal for projects that involve larger volumes and space.
Multi-Head Digitizing
An inherent advantage of optical digitizers is the option for scalable systems. Units can be 'daisy chained' together, to produce a systems that can cover 360 degrees in a single capture, and with a minimal amount of configuration a single, clean mesh will be produced with no overlap. Ideal for full human bodies.
Once the data is captured, the relative software can merge, decimate, morph, re target and even export data to your favorite 3D software like 3D Studio Max, Softimage, Kaydara, Maya, Lightwave, OBJ, STL, VRML and other popular formats.
|
| |
 |
||
|
|
|
|
360 Degree Full Body Multi-Head Configuration |
|
| |
 |
||
|
|
|
|
Front/Back Full Body Multi-Head Configuration |
|
Optical Digitizing |
| ||||
 |
Less Expensive |
 |
More Expensive | ||
|
|
Can Scan hair and other low contrast areas |
|
Certain materials can not be scanned | ||
|
|
Lightweight and Portable |
|
Laser scanning technique can suffer from speckle | ||
|
|
Scalable |
|
Ability to cover large surface area | ||
|
|
Lower accuracy |
|
High accuracy | ||
|
|
System limited to specific focal length |
|
Interchangeable lenses | ||
|
|