nodeLab
Digital Fabrication Resources: UW Madison Art Department

3D Scanning

 strong use cases:

  • creating an exact digital scale replica of an object or artwork
  • reverse engineering a pre-existing object by using the scan as a reference model in a digital 3D design program
  • generating a scan of a clay model that is more organic than you would be able to design in a digital 3D design program
  • creating geometry for fabrication, or as an asset for an animation or gaming application

 not useful if:

  • the efficient geometry of a NURBS model as generated in Rhino, would be simpler/ faster to design
  • your scanned mesh model would require significant editing, especially in a NURBS-based program like Rhino

 scanning considerations:

  • transparent and reflective surfaces do not scan well; coat with spray paint or a temporary scanning spray to improve scan quality; the most affordable scanning spray is athlete’s foot spray from a drug store
  • scanners have a difficult capturing objects that have significant negative space; if you can, disassemble components and scan them separately to reduce negative space

Desktop Scanner: Einscan-SP

  • non-portable scanner for smaller-scale models – models 6″ or less in every dimension work best

Hand Held Scanner: Einstar 3D Scanner

  • portable but must be tethered to a pc laptop; for scanning larger objects, people, and architecture or other permanently sited reference forms

MeshToNURB Tutorial

  • How to convert meshes you have scanned or sourced from a file repository to nurbs so they can be edited in Rhino