3d Scanners at the Siggraph Show

I just came back from the Siggraph expo and convention in LA last week
(this is the big show of the year for computer graphics types), where there
were a number of 3-d scanning systems being demonstrated. Being curious
about this, and also sensitive to cost factors, I made a point of comparing
systems, features, and prices, so while it's all fairly fresh in my mind I
thought I'd share my impressions of what I saw.

All these scanners came with their own software, and most worked on the
NT platform, if not in Windows 98. (nothing claimed to work on a Mac) Some,
like the larger Cyberware system (www.cyberware.com) had multi-imager
setups, which, while convenient for getting a whole body in one shot, were
also correspondingly costly; in this case over $300k. Cyberware, one of the
first companies to offer a 3d scanner of any sort, was also showing a small
unit with a built-in turntable suitable for scanning small objects, under a
foot tall. They wanted around $30k for this, which like all the other more
affordable single-imager devices, figured out how to "stitch" together a
series of scans into a single mesh, if you needed data from the back side
of a head, for instance. (None of these optical capture systems are good
with dark hair, by the way- it was suggested to use white hairspray or a
cap to ensure a coherent mesh.)

The choices at the show boiled down to three types of systems: laser
scanners, like the Cyberware product; touch-probes, like the Microscribe
digitizing arm; and various "structured light" systems, that worked by
projecting a grid-like light structure onto the object in a strobe-like
flash, then calculating from the distortions to the structure what the
distance to various points on the surface must be. This method is quicker
than laser-scanning, which generally must capture a beam slowly traveling
over a target object, and has the advantage of capturing photographic
("texture") data as well and fitting it to the mesh. But Camsys
(www.shadowbox3d.com) was showing their ShadowBox line of automatic 3d
scanners;which use natural light, a videocamera, and a turntable to create
textured scans from multiple views- what seemed like a photogrammetric
approach. These sell for between $5k-$25k- depending on their size, I
suppose.

As well as Cyberware, Minolta (www.minolta3d.com) had a laser-scanner they
were demonstrating, the Vivid 700, (called the VI-700 in Europe) which they
were selling for $30k (until Sept.30 -I guess that was their show special).
This was a "portable" suitcase-sized box which mounts on a tripod.
Digibotics (www.digibotics.com) had a larger device, basically a booth with
a turntable, capable of a whole-body scan (at least of a smallish person)
for $50k. Cyrax, (www.cyra.com) was showing off a semi-portable unit which
resembled a large old-fashioned view camera, capable of recording distant
objects using a point-by-point laser capture method. These cost well over
$100k, but were the only ones claiming the ability to scan things like
large buildings or the interiors of caverns. There was a British firm.
Wicks and Wilson Ltd., (wwl.co.uk) which had booth-type devices aimed at
scanning human heads, torsos, and full bodies, although only the latter
promised a full 360 degree view. They were selling (or preparing to sell-
I'm not sure these were actually in production yet) their headscanner for
somewhere around $15k-20k, (depending on what I'm not sure). The other
laser-scanner of interest was a hand-held device, the FastSCAN from
Polhemus, (www.polhemus.com) which had the advantage of being able to
capture details from odd angles, and to move around an object, stitching
the image together automatically. These cost about $30k.

There were two touch-probe systems being demonstrated at the show; the
Microscribe articulated digitizing arm from Immersion Corp
(www.immerse.com) which allows the operator to pick points in space by
hand, (on sale at the show for $2.5k, a $500 reduction off the normal
price); and the Roland DGA Corp Picza (www.rolanddga.com), which works by
feeling its way over the upward-facing surfaces of a small object with a
needle-like probe. Although this was the least expensive scanning product I
saw, at $1195 ($1895 with its companion "Modela" mini-mill) it was also the
most limited in the type of parts it could scan, with a work envelope
limited to about 4" x 6"x 1.5".

The most impressive of the structured light systems I saw demonstrated was
the 3DM200 from 3dMetrics (www.3dmetrics.com), which was capturing heads
with good detail for $20k. They had larger systems which they said could
capture 30 frames per second, for full 3d motion capture, but I didn't see
these in action, and they were in the $400k+ range. There were other
systems based on the same basic technology which were geared mostly to
digitizing smaller objects, the size of toys. The one I liked best was the
3Scan from Geometrix (www.geometrixinc.com), which had just added the
ability to use a line of light generated by a laser-pointer to fill in
details not caught by their structured light, which would seem to provide
the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, they were having some difficulty
demonstrating this at the show, due to ambient light conditions. These
machines cost $7.5k, and are evidently best suited to studio use; they
wouldn't be suitable for location work. But Metacreations
(www.metacreations.com) was demonstrating a prototype "Metaflash" hand-held
self-contained digital camera, capable of capturing snapshots and 3d meshes
simultaneously, and integrating multiple views for an integrated rotatable
textured object, but the meshes it captured seemed low in resolution. These
were due out in October, and were slated to cost less than $5k. Although
this will not be offered at a mass-market price-point, it does point to the
day when fully rotatable textured 3-d images will replace flat photographs
as the medium of choice in many applications, such as portraiture,
industrial documentation, and web advertising.

I don't have any relationship with any of these companies at this point, so
I can't offer any discounts on their products, but if you get in touch with
any of these companies go ahead and tell them I sent you- it couldn't
hurt...]

Andrew Werby



Andrew Werby - United Artworks
Sculpture, Jewelry, and Other Art Stuff
http://unitedartworks.com