2. Just how is a
3D scanner going to be useful to me?
That depends on what
you do exactly. The ZScanner 700 is extremely
versatile and is a valuable solution for many
applications. Some examples are:
-
Ergonomic Design
- Scan hand-crafted samples made from clay,
foam or other media and use them to build
complex organic shapes in CAD
-
Packaging Design
- Use existing product geometry and texture
data scanned from product samples to quickly
design packaging
-
Aftermarket
Parts – Scan existing parts and datums to
align your custom accessories, mating and
aftermarket parts.
-
Digital
Archiving - Save cost by capturing,
modeling, and archiving accurate 3D design
models of existing tooling, inventory, or
other parts and components that are
expensive to keep and warehouse.
-
Entertainment &
Media - Create digital media for computer
games and movies directly from artist’s
concept models.
-
Arts & Cultural
Heritage - Modeling of arts pieces,
documentation and research, virtual
restoration, architectural reconstruction,
museum shops, transportation packaging,
deformation measurement, etc.
-
Volume
Reproduction of Unique Parts - Scans parts
that would otherwise be very difficult to
model in CAD due to their complex geometry.
In this example, very accurate reproductions
of organs are produced for educational
purposes.
-
Medical &
Orthosis - Custom design braces and other
devices so they fit comfortably.
3. What is so
unique about the ZScanner 700? Can you give me
specific examples of why this approach is
better?
The ZScanner 700 has
several unique advantages over conventional 3D
scanning methods making the entire scanning
process relatively fast and easy. The primary
feature that differentiates the ZScanner 700 is
that there is no need for an external
positioning device, such as a CMM. The ZScanner
700 is self positioning allowing it to register
all scan data in real time. Also, the ZScanner
700 is a handheld unit allowing easy access to
all visible areas. The small unit, 980 grams
(2.1 lbs), can easily be maneuvered into tight
areas allowing the user to get many angles of
hard to view regions such as car interiors.
The third advantage
to the system is the ZScan™ software. The
software creates a polygon mesh of the surface
being scanned in real time, as the scanning
occurs. The user observes this in real time,
providing feedback and letting the operator know
which areas of the object have been scanned.
ZScan also allows the user to adjust the
resolution of the polygon mesh, both globally
and locally, without having to go back and
re-scan the object.
4. What do you
mean by ‘self positioning’?
Self
positioning means that the 3D scanner knows
where it is relative to the object being
scanned. This is done by placing reflective dots
(targets) onto the object prior to scanning. The
ZScan software recognizes the unique patterns of
the targets, so it always knows the orientation
of the 3D scanner relative to the scanned
object. A key advantage of self positioning is
the ability to move the part during the scan
process.
5. What do you
mean by "Real-Time Scanning"? Don't all 3D
Scanners scan in real time?Most
of the 3D scanners on the market today are
tripod mounted and record the surface data from
one view at a time. This means you set up your
object in one view and scan the surface, set up
another view and scan the surface, repeating
until all aspects of the object are scanned. The
point cloud data from those individual scans
must be registered together then turned into a
mesh surface afterwards. The ZScanner system
records all of the surface data, puts it
together and turns it into a mesh while you are
scanning the object. This saves you hours of
time piecing the scan data together and also
allows you to evaluate the quality and entirety
while scanning.
6. So I can move
object while scanning, not just between scans?
Exactly, the targets on the object let the
ZScanner 700 know where it is looking so you can
rotate the part
to get a better view or be more comfortable
while scanning.
7. Why do I have
to apply reflective targets to the part? Is this
hard to do?
It’s all part of the self positioning system.
Before scanning the object you place the targets
onto it, 20-35mm apart forming triangles. The
exact distance between each of the targets is
unique thus giving the
ZScan software unique references for each angle
the scanned object is viewed from. The targets
themselves are small stickers that can easily be
removed after the scanning is completed.
8. Do I need a mechanical arm or some other
external device to measure the position of the
scanner?
The beauty of the ZScanner system is that no
such device is needed. Mechanical arms are
typically needed to let the software know where
the scanner is looking. The arm or other CMM
device ultimately limits the range travel and
freedom because they are anchored. The
registration targets serve the same purpose and
allow much more freedom with the ZScanner
system.
9. Do the targets peal off easily when finished
scanning?
The targets easily come off any hard surface.
10. How does the
ZScanner 700 work?
The user picks up the ZScanner 700 handheld unit
and ‘paints’ the object with a projected laser
crosshair. The crosshair forms a profile on the
surface of the object, which is recorded by the
cameras by one or both of the cameras on the
ZScanner 700. At the same time the cameras are
viewing the positioning targets to let the
software know from what angle the scan is
occurring. The ZScan software generates a
polygon mesh of the surface based on the profile
and distances calculated through triangulation
while you are scanning. You can watch the
surface render on screen while scanning the
part.
11. What type of
data does the system output?
The ZScan software exports .stl files.
12. The ZScanner 700 has a laser, how safe is
it?
The ZScanner 700 has a Class 2 laser, similar to
some laser pointers and barcode scanners. Class
2 lasers are limited to a maximum output power
of 1 milliwatt and the beam must have a
wavelength
between 400 and 700 nm. A person receiving an
eye exposure from a Class 2 laser beam, either
accidentally or as a result of someone else's
deliberate action (misuse) will be protected
from injury by their
own natural aversion response. This is a natural
involuntary response that causes the individual
to blink and avert their head thereby
terminating the eye exposure. Repeated,
deliberate exposure to the laser beam may not be
safe.
13. How long does
it take to set up?
The system is designed to go. Once you place the
registration targets onto the object being
scanned you simply start up your computer, plug
the ZScanner 700 into the firewire port, launch
the ZScan software and start scanning. No
tripods to set up, no photographs to take.
14. What does the
ZScanner 700 system consist of?
The system consists of the 3D scanner, ZScan
software, custom stand, firewire cable,
reflective targets,
calibration plate and customized carrying case.
15. What are the
CPU system requirements?
Purchasing the available laptop with the system
is highly recommended. The laptop, with
Pentium®4 processor and hyperthreading, has been
proven to work with the ZScanner 700. All
scanners require the recent, high performance
computers due the large quantities of data being
captured and processed. If you
insist on using your own computing solution the
equivalent of a high end 3D CAD station should
be used.
16. How accurate
is the ZScanner 700?
ZScanner 700 offers very good accuracy ±0.05mm
and detects changes is surface height down to
0.1mm. The true accuracy achieved is up to
0.050mm on a sphere and plane assembly of 150mm.
The assembly is controlled by CMM, and the
scanned data are compared with the CMM value.
There is a formula that provides numbers
depending on the size of the part. For a 1m
part, the accuracy will be in a range of 0.2mm.
17. You mention speed and ease of use, how
does the workflow differ from other scanners?
ZCorp conducted a
heads up comparison with several tripod mounted
systems using a few parts. One of the parts was
a bicycle helmet, chosen because the deep draws
make it a challenging part for any scanning
system. Scanning the items are very time
consuming using the tripod mounted system.
Finding the angles to allow the system to see
each and every surface of the geometry took time
and planning. After scanning was completed the
data was registered together by selecting three
approximately common points on adjacent scans.
The software then performed a best fit between
them. After putting all the pieces of the puzzle
together it was realized that there was still
missing data, even after 54 individual scans.
The missing areas were scanned and registered.
The ZScanner 700 process was far simpler and
faster. Any area of the part scanned shows up in
a rendering on screen while continuously
scanning. This ensured there was no missing
data. Best of all, the scan data requires no
registration because it happened while the scan
was occurring, using the reflective targets as
reference points.
18. Are there any size limitations for the
object being scanned?
There is no limitation to the size of the
object. The only limitations are due to the file
size of the captured data. You could scan an
entire automobile in one session, however the
file size would limit your ability manipulate
the data in any form. In the case of an
automobile 6-8 sessions would be appropriate
keeping each file under 300Mb at the highest
resolution.
19. How does the
ZScanner 700 interface with the PC?
The ZScanner 700 receives power and transmits
data through a firewire cable.
20. How well does the unit scan shiny surfaces?
As with any laser based scanning system you will
need to apply powder, wax, or paint to very
shiny or transparent surfaces. There are times
when shiny surfaces can be scanned without
adding the powder. We can do this because the
intensity of the laser can be adjusted to
compensate for different colors or texture of
the surface. This is a simple process where the
scanner is pointed at the object and the laser
intensity cycles through several intensities.
21. How well does the scanner work in
different lighting conditions? For example,
ambient light, fluorescent light or low light
conditions?
As mentioned above the intensity of the laser
can be adjusted; low, ambient and fluorescent
light do not pose any issues. The only
limitation may be under bright sun light.
22. What are point clouds and how do I
convert the scanned data to a mesh?
When you scan using
other scanning technologies point clouds are
converted to mesh data using one of several
available third party applications. The ZScan
software does this while you scan and data can
be exported directly to .STL.
23. Do I require any additional software? How
do I get the output into a CAD package?
Almost all data from 3D scanners, touch probes
and CMM’s requires some form of post processing.
Most data capture devices export multiple point
clouds, which need to be properly positioned,
meshed, repaired and surfaced. Though data
exported from the ZScan software is already
meshed, a third party software is valuable for
fine tuning and then converting to IGUS for
import into MCAD packages.
24. Are there any limitations to the system?
As with almost all scanning systems, reflective
and clear objects are difficult to scan. In
these situations the object is coated with a
removable, thin white powder.
