Too-cool technologies: Game Engine-quality Point Clouds and Digital Holography

By Lieca N. Hohner, Chief Editor SparLLC

Our industry never comes short in the innovation department. HKS Inc., headquartered in Dallas, Texas, proves this—it’s turned “regular” point clouds into game-engine quality. Here’s the story. And then read on for some amazing display solutions.
HKS, Inc.’s Pat Carmichael, manager of the Advanced Technology Group, began investigating point cloud scans as a way to achieve high-quality as-built information for the company’s architectural geometry applications used for schematic design (most often Revit). The team realized many benefits using laser scan data, including the ability to obtain data not manually possible, draw while acquiring field data, gain highly accurate data comparable to total station data, and to collect immense amounts of data in rapid time. Point clouds are the bread and butter of rapid model acquisition, Carmichael said in his presentation at SPAR 2009.
HKS scan data captured from subcontractors’ scanners are used in HKS’ home-grown product called BIMMIT, an evolving spin-off product from their real-time game-engine product ARCHengine that has been in development for more than 10 years and that which enhances Revit models. BIMMIT is usually coupled with HKS’ proprietary ARCHengine for real-time display of the resulting 3D BIMMIT/Revit models, which can be between 8 million to 30 million polygons depending on their use on a laptop or desktop.
To illustrate the awesomeness of this melding, consider the W hotel in Dallas. The final model of the pre-constructed hotel designed by HKS was used to show city officials how the hotel’s sight lines would affect the downtown skyline so valued by the city. It was also used to sell out the associated condos prior to construction, as developers could take prospective buyers virtually up to their windows to show the views from their units. This same concept was used for the Ritz-Carlton twin towers in downtown Dallas; the presentation helped to pre-sell approximately 85% of the Phase One units in about six months—even in this down market, Carmichael said.
HKS used aerial lidar from the city to set elevations, some of which are photographically textured. HKS also flies with a RED ONE digital camera, which shoots in 4K resolution, whereby they extract high-resolution textures rapidly for application with the aerial lidar geometry. Most of the building models come out of Revit.
With these incredible design tools, HKS also performed a design review on the seating in the new American Airlines sports arena. HKS showed staff, team owners and other investors how seats would articulate and rise for a hockey or basketball arena and specifically how they would affect viewlines. On the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, HKS took the collected field scan data, structural data and drawing data—and all site views from all 89,000 seats, scoreboards, etc., into ARCHengine. To check the models during construction, HKS used a total station to get information from point to point. In the desktop models of the ARCHengine tools, everything is georeferenced with lat/long/elev, which gives the team dimensional data.
“It’s a serious design tool,” Carmichael said. “It’s a serious communication tool to the clients/users/vendors, all the other suppliers, and a bunch of other people participating in the design process.”
Carmichael says the next version of ARCHengine version 3 will tie individual objects to a reporting structure, in line with 4D business strategies that tie in time, space calculations and scheduling. He said HKS Advanced Technology Group is also working with Intel on the high-end multi-processors to be able to react more quickly to a cluster of cores for simulations.
Those involved in sports stadium, government, military or GSA work will be interested in HKS’ Advanced Technology Group solutions.
To see an interactive map of the seats in the new Dallas Stadium with panoramic images generated from ARCHengine, click tohttp://www.dallascowboys.com/tickets/newstadiumInteractiveMaps.cfm

Digital Imaging, Holographic Style

Zebra Imaging, Inc., provider of holographic display technologies, has taken visualization of LiDAR and laser scan data sets to a new level. Users in the geospatial, AEC, automotive, medical, oil & gas, military and other arenas can view a topographical data set in full parallax, full color and without any glasses or goggles. “Seeing LiDAR and laser scanned data volumetrically expands its utility and value,” said Michael Klug, Zebra’s CTO, at this year’s SPAR 2009. Government and commercial uses seem endless.
Zebra’s solution graduates a physical display to digital holography by reconstructing a 3D image in space using film-based displays and illumination. The 12-year-old company founded by graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab has cut its teeth by aiding the military and law enforcement with displays that assist planning and after-action efforts, situational awareness and training.
It’s pretty cool stuff—a far, FAR cry from the hologram stickers I collected as a little girl. Klug describes the process as being more like burning data to a disc rather than a printing process. From a pair of GeoTiffs (one being a DEM, the other a geotextured map), Zebra’s proprietary Imager burns the pattern into photopolymer film with intersecting laser beams and produces an A1-size (594 × 841 mm) monochrome hologram that can be produced in CAD, GIS, medical imaging, oil & gas, etc., formats in 1-millimeter hogel size—about a pixel. Process time is about three hours. An average A1-size monochrome (green) hologram costs about $2,500. Full color and replication is available, and Klug says high-speed development will be available by Q4. Klug claims Zebra’s solution is similar or lower cost compared to other market alternatives today, and that it is more transportable and usable with full solid parallax 3D.
Zebra has produced more than 6,000 LiDAR-based holographic displays for military use in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2006. The 2×2 ½-foot maps provide warfighters with a common communication tool to get a common operating picture of an area of interest without language or cultural obstacles. Klug said they’re easily transportable and durable and, later, shreddable.
Focus on AEC Market
In the last two years, the company has developed a new product line for the AEC realm. Attention focuses on geospatial context and all phases of design, BIM documentation, and communications and marketing.
Currently, Zebra is defining a styles guide and a CAD tool API plug-in-based interface available from a drop-down menu in Revit, 3DS Max and Google Sketchup (at first, then others). Klug says the creation of a wizard is a bit complicated for Zebra since they render with in-house tools to manage 64,000 to a quarter-million views of a scene within two hours. So, they’ve created a render-quality selection where the user can select a point cloud, a simple-shaded rendition of a data set, a textured data set or a photo-real selection (which customizes the job). Orders are returned in A-frame and horizontal format (each of which delivers different results) and include a lighting component.
The Creation of Dynamic Displays
In 2004, Zebra was sponsored by DARPA to create a program for dynamic 3D displays for interactive graphic-intensive applications.  The dynamic displays would be easy to view, have 360-degree visibility, be electronically updated in real-time, be modular and scalable to 6×6 feet, and offer horizontal, vertical and inclined orientations. To date, they’ve established a 1-meter diagonal prototype modular display of 8-inch square tiles with an image volume that occupies about 1 foot of space. It directly plugs into OpenGL-based applications and updates at 10 Hz. Pilot production and beta phase of this display is expected next year. Klug said any rendering feature a user can see on a 2D screen can be produced in the hologram, including translucency, transparency, reflection, etc.

Uses for these displays include, but don’t appear to be limited to, spatial, project and industrial process planning, land development, event security logistics, emergency management, heritage preservation, forensics presentation and construction progress monitoring.

Hexagon Metrology Unveils Leica T-Scan TS50A Laser Scanner

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI, Jun 18, 2009 – Hexagon Metrology, Inc. announces the new Leica T-Scan TS50-A hand-held laser scanner, which interfaces with the Leica Absolute Tracker. The new Leica T-Scan delivers improvements that result in a doubling of the data acquisition rate, a fifty percent improvement in scanned point density, and scanner accuracy improved by a third. Together, these changes deliver 6DoF laser scanning performance that makes contact-free measuring faster, more accurate, and more efficient.

The core of the product improvements lie with the unit’s laser and optics system, which result not only in greater scanner accuracy, but also improved data quality, with a reduction in system noise, and an improved ability to scan all types of surfaces, particularly ones that are shiny or dark, under all lighting conditions. The scanner is capable of self-adjustment to lighting conditions, independent of the operator. Combined with the Leica Absolute Tracker system, the new T-Scan has improved system specifications of up to 25%.

“The TS50A is the third generation T-Scan unit, and offers great improvements with absolutely no compromises,” said David Armstrong, product manager, portable products for Hexagon Metrology, Inc. “The increased sampling speed will be of particular interest for the T-Scan’s core applications of digitizing and inspecting very large objects, such as aircraft or portions of aircraft, and the large blades for wind turbines. With usable scanning volumes of 59 feet (medium range system) or 98 feet (long range system) from the base unit, it really is an unbeatable solution for large volume 3D scanning.”

Ergonomic handling, robust design for shop floor and even outdoor environments, and improved accuracy specifications make the T-Scan TS50 scanner an ideal solution for automotive, aerospace, wind power, shipbuilding, defense and heavy equipment applications. The T-Scan TS50a is available for immediate shipment with Leica Absolute Trackers.

About Leica Geosystems Metrology Products

Whether building the fastest car, the biggest plane, or the most precise tooling, you need exact measurements to improve quality and productivity. So when it has to be right, professionals trust Leica Geosystems Metrology to help collect, analyze, and present 3-dimensional (3D) data for industrial measurement. Leica Geosystems Metrology is best known for its broad array of control and industrial measurement products including laser trackers, Local Positioning Technology (LPT) based systems, hand-held scanners, 3D software and high-precision total stations. Those who use Leica Geosystems Metrology products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the world-class service and support that is second to none. Precision, reliability and service from Leica Geosystems Metrology.

About Hexagon Metrology

Hexagon Metrology serves the high precision measurement and inspection needs of worldwide manufacturers with its extensive line of metrology hardware, software, accessories, and customer services. The company’s name-brand portfolio of quality assurance products include Brown & Sharpe, CogniTens, Leica Geosystems, ROMER, Sheffield, PC-DMIS, DEA, Leitz, m&h, and TESA. Hexagon Metrology has an unrivaled installed base of more than 1.5 million handheld, stationary and portable measurement devices, and over 30,000 seats of PC-DMIS metrology software.

For more information, visit www.hexagonmetrology.us

Spar Point Research Announces Plans For SPAR 2010 (The Woodlands, TX)

Written by Vector1Media
Monday, 15 June 2009

Spar Point Research announced today preliminary plans for SPAR 2010, its seventh annual conference on advanced dimensional control work processes and 3D laser scanning technologies for design, construction and manufacturing.

SPAR 2010 will be held Feb. 8-10, 2010 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas. Further details will be announced soon.

The conference features presentations, workshops and technical seminars on the business and technology of capturing, managing and integrating 3D information. Spar presenters are some of the most experienced professionals from the world’s largest petroleum and petrochemical producers, manufacturing companies, civil and transportation infrastructure engineering firms, industrial metrologists, geotechnical and mining firms, land surveyors, and federal, state and local governments.
Spar Point welcomes presentation abstracts from process and power, civil infrastructure and transportation, and discrete manufacturing facility owners and contractors on their use of laser scanning and other dimensional control technologies to capture and document existing-conditions data for design, construction and operations. Presentations will ideally include metrics identifying the impact of 3D imaging technology on outcomes, such as maintaining or reducing critical path time, achieving cost savings, enabling safety and productivity gains, or other measures. Presentations that address the issues of best practices for contracting, professional development and liability management are also invited.

Proposals must be original and not previously presented at other conferences. Proposals can be forwarded toLinda.McLaughlin@sparllc.com. Questions should be directed to Spar Point’s CEO Tom Greaves atTom.Greaves@sparllc.com or 978-774-1102.

Quantapoint Announces Integration of Laser Scan Data Into Intergraph SmartPlant 3D(TM)

PITTSBURGH, PA — 06/15/09 — Quantapoint (http://www.quantapoint.com) — provider of laser scanning technology and services that help companies achieve Zero-Defect Projects™ — today announced that Quantapoint Laser Models™ may be accessed directly in Intergraph SmartPlant 3D using QuantaCAD 9.0. QuantaCAD enables 3D laser scan data to be accessed as high-definition Quantapoint Laser Models™ (not fuzzy “point clouds”) and photo-realistic Laser Images™ directly within design software.

QuantaCAD provides a number of useful capabilities to SmartPlant 3D users to enable them to compare and validate CAD models, visualize proposed modifications for design and constructability reviews, and identify and correct potential constructioninterferences. Some of the capabilities include:

-- Direct Integration: A separate "point server" is not required due to the smaller size of the Laser Models. -- State Manager: Store and recall the laser data state (loaded Laser Models, Laser Images and views) so users can quickly resume work instead of having to manually reload laser scan data. -- Tag Points: Create and edit tag points (specific 3D locations, such as tie points) directly in the laser data so users can access consistent design starting and ending points across the team. -- Clipping and Slicing: Clip laser data to temporarily hide view obstructions or slice it to create a section of laser data. -- Demolition: Demolish areas of the facility being removed in the laser data to remove it from view. -- Flexible Licensing: Quantapoint software are now integrated and may be licensed monthly for standalone or network usage, providing more flexibility based on project or program needs.

By using QuantaCAD to put reality on the desktop and in design software, clients have typically been able to reduce remodeling time by 85% (by using Laser Models instead of CAD remodeling or as a basis to remodel), decrease design time by 60% (by accessing more complete and clear Laser Models and Laser Images for design) and cut rework from design clashes by 85% (by correcting clashes between the Laser Models and the new CAD design). If you are interested in finding out more about accessing laser data in SmartPlant 3D using QuantaCAD 9.0 or would like a demonstration, visit www.quantapoint.com/qp/contact or e-mail info@quantapoint.com.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1002516

Additional information, please contact:

James McGill
VP of Marketing
Quantapoint, Inc.
Telephone: 412-653-0100, x-200
E-mail: jmcgill@quantapoint.com

ClearEdge3D releases EdgeWise – Automatic Extraction of CAD Models from Point Clouds

UPDATE: CLEAREDGE IS NOW OFFERING A 30-DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE ON EDGWISE SOFTWARE.

clearedge-logoAfter three (3) years of development, ClearEdge3D is excited to announce today, June 5, 2009, the general release of EdgeWiseTM.

EdgeWise is the only software application capable of automatically extracting clean, truly editable CAD models from ground-based laser scan data.  Using patent-pending computer vision algorithms, EdgeWise quickly and accurately extracts clean, rectilinear polygons (not just a simple mesh!) from surfaces within the point cloud.  This new technology dramatically cuts the time required to create accurate, as-built CAD models.  Additionally, it can automatically extract complex topographical surfaces (hills and valleys), while ignoring above-ground objects like cars, buildings, and vegetation.

Over the past six (6) months, we have partnered with scanning experts to beta-test EdgeWise, and here is what one of the early beta testers, Scott Cedarleaf with Provide Solutions, had to say:

“ClearEdge3D’s software immediately interested me.  When I saw what ClearEdge3D was capable of doing in seconds, it was unbelievable.  For our clients—no matter what the industry—it will cut down modeling time significantly.”

Prominent laser-scanning expert Tom Greaves, CEO of SPAR Point, stated the following regarding the EdgeWise technology:

“New tools to automate the post-processing of point cloud data into 3D deliverables unlock the economic value of laser scanning for building, infrastructure and industrial plant applications.  Our industry depends on the entrepreneurial enthusiasm and technical innovation of companies like ClearEdge3D.”

If you haven’t recently visited us at www.clearedge3d.com, make sure to check out the new information that includes pricing and purchase details.  We also will be hosting a series of webinar demonstrations in the coming weeks.  The schedule and registration links will be available on our website.

With the dramatic time savings from using EdgeWise, we expect most companies to realize their return on investment within a few weeks of use.  We are looking forward to helping you streamline your business by automating your modeling process!

Laser, GPS technology goes into yardage book

| thomas.maier@newsday.com

When players and caddies wonder just how far away the hole is from where they’re standing and what club they should use, one of them typically pulls out a yardage book.

The bright orange booklet prepared for this year’s U.S. Open contains some high-tech improvements in its exact measurements of every spot along the 7,400-yard course. It’s a must-read for anyone who challenges the beastly Black Course at Bethpage State Park.

“Whether you’re making a putt, a drive, or using an iron, it’s all about distance,” explained George Lucas, the former caddie for Arnold Palmer. Lucas compiled the first yardage book in 1976. “When you have a yardage book, you can make the best determination of distance.”

This year’s yardage book for the Open used laser scanning to create images of the putting greens and some GPS technology to make its measurements more accurate than ever, said Bryan Wilson, an official with Houston-based Stracka Design Co., which recently teamed up with Lucas. The company has prepared yardage books for some 600 courses worldwide, and offers them each year for every course played on the PGA Tour.

The book on Bethpage Black, for example, warns players to look out on hole No. 15 – one of the course’s most challenging – for a birdhouse to the left followed later by a small tree, with the exact yardage to the hole from each point along the way. And with laser scanning, players and their caddies can study the contours, dips and bumps on each putting green.

The degree of difficulty at Bethpage makes the book particularly important, Lucas said. “It may be the hardest golf course ever made,” he explained. “It doesn’t need the weather to be tough. There are no tricks. It’s just one tough course.”

3D Laser Mapping/Riegl Brings World’s Fastest, Lightest Laser Scanner to the UK

Nottingham, UK – 3D Laser Mapping has announced the UK launch of the world’s fastest and lightest mobile laser scanner. Designed to instantly 3D map buildings, infrastructure and highways to 5mm accuracy within half a kilometre, the Riegl VZ-400 represents a new generation of laser scanner technology. Weighing just 10kg and carried in a handy rugged briefcase, the added portability, accuracy and speed is set to revolutionise 3D field mapping.

Part of the Riegl V-Line range the VZ-400 utilises unique echo digitisation to achieve superior performance and accuracies of measurement, even under adverse weather conditions. The evaluation of multiple targets combined with a reliable, robust and lightweight construction makes the VZ-400 ideally suited to civil engineering, city modelling and architectural projects.

The Riegl VZ-400 is part of the newly released V-Line Range. The first to offer Online Waveform Analysis and Echo Digitisation the Riegl V-Line Laser Scanners enable measurement of multiple targets, with improved accuracy for distance measurements, combined with very high measurement and scanning rates and output of a quality indicator for each measurement.

“The results from these field trials prove the performance and capability of the VZ-400 laser scanner,” commented Dr Graham Hunter, Managing Director of 3D Laser Mapping. “Even under the harshest operating conditions the VZ-400 captures very high accuracy measurements, at speed and with a level of quality no seen before.”

Riegl has over thirty years experience in the research, development and production of laser rangefinders, distancemeters and scanners. Primarily a technology company Riegl specialise in producing technically innovative solutions for specific applications working in partnership with organisations such as 3D Laser Mapping to produce powerful turnkey solutions for multiple fields of application.

A Riegl Premier Distributor, 3D Laser Mapping is a global developer of laser scanning solutions for sectors such as mapping, mining and manufacturing. 3D Laser Mapping specialises in integrating laser scanning hardware with their own software and peripherals to create solutions at the cutting edge of technology.

Autodesk to Incorporate Point Cloud Capability in Future Releases of AutoCAD

This is old news, but it is worth posting here for users thinking about purchasing point cloud software in the near future.

Ottawa, Canada, Tuesday, September 23, 2008 — Autodesk, Inc. has signed an agreement with Ambercore Software to license its point cloud technology and incorporate

it into future releases of Autodesk software. Point clouds are extremely large data files usually created through the use of laser scanning, high definition surveying, or LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). They provide a more accurate representation of existing conditions whether of a terrain surface or urban center, a roadway or bridge, or the interior/exterior of a building.

The Ambercore Software point cloud technology will enable customers to read, store, index, and quickly retrieve the extremely large data sets associated with laser scanning and LIDAR. As a result they will be able to visualize and analyze data in 3D and better build high-precision 3D models. Examples of customer benefits include:

• Local government, utility and telecommunications customers will be able to maximize the return on their investment in large-scale LIDAR mapping and infrastructure projects.

• AEC customers will experience the power of Building Information Modeling (BIM) earlier in the project lifecycle. By providing the capability to incorporate highly accurate LIDAR data into the design process, we will provide a foundation for creating more accurate designs faster. This will be particularly beneficial to our civil engineering customers involved in road and highway design.

“The point cloud technology from Ambercore Software will allow Autodesk customers to easily incorporate extremely large and highly accurate LIDAR data into the design and infrastructure management process,” said Lisa Campbell, vice president, Autodesk Geospatial. “The incorporation of this technology into Autodesk’s portfolio of Geospatial and Building Information Modeling software means that our customers will be able to start with a digital model earlier in the design process or expand the precision and detail of existing infrastructure databases. As a result they will be able to create more accurate design and mapping information and use that information to visualize, simulate, and analyze projects before they are built.”

“Ambercore’s point cloud software has been engineered to efficiently manipulate extremely large spatial data,” said Martin Sendyk, President and CEO of Ambercore Software. “With the increasing proliferation of 3D sensing equipment and resultant point cloud data, the ability to extract intelligence from massive 3D data sets is more important than ever. We are very excited to be solving this challenge with an innovative company like Autodesk.”

About BIM
BIM is an integrated process built on coordinated, reliable information about a project from design through construction and into operations. By adopting BIM, architects, engineers, contractors and owners can easily create coordinated digital design information and documentation; use that information to more accurately visualize, simulate and analyze performance, appearance and cost; and reliably deliver the project faster, more economically and with reduced environmental impact

About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit http://www.autodesk.com.

About Ambercore
Ambercore provides enterprise-scale software and service solutions for Energy, Mining and natural resource sectors. With its powerful spatial modeling and simulation software, Ambercore helps clients make important business decisions by collecting, integrating and analyzing 2D and 3D spatial information. Ambercore’s Terrapoint Division has provided LiDAR and other digital mapping services for a diverse clientele in over forty countries for the past twenty years. Terrapoint’s primary focus is to find solutions that fit client needs, and to continue a reputation for meeting and exceeding client demands in the delivery of digital elevation and image data. Service and product offerings include complete airborne LiDAR, and digital imaging for engineering, survey and mapping applications. Ambercore’s TITAN® Division develops leading edge mobile LiDAR systems for ground based high accuracy applications. Best of breed solutions comprised of software, hardware and services have been deployed internationally with tier-one clients. Ambercore is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada with offices in Houston, Calgary, South Africa and Europe. For more information please see www.ambercore.com

Ambercore, Terrapoint, and TITAN are registered trademarks or trademarks of Ambercore Software Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates, in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Ambercore reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

Autodesk and AutoCAD are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates, in the USA and/or other countries.

Press Information:
Samantha Mabey, Ambercore Software
Tel.: 613-216-0082
E-mail (press only): press@ambercore.com
General Information: contact.us@ambercore.com
Please visit our website at www.ambercore.com

Great New Interface for Complex 3D Modeling

ILoveSketch from Seok-Hyung Bae on Vimeo.

ILoveSketch, a 3D curve sketching system that captures some of the affordances of pen and paper for professional designers, allowing them to iterate directly on concept 3D curve models. The system coherently integrates existing techniques of sketch-based interaction with a number of novel and enhanced features. Novel contributions of the system include automatic view rotation to improve curve sketchability, an axis widget for sketch surface selection, and implicitly inferred changes between sketching techniques. We also improve on a number of existing ideas such as a virtual sketchbook, simplified 2D and 3D view navigation, multi-stroke NURBS curve creation, and a cohesive gesture vocabulary.

Hexagon Metrology Launches PC-DMIS Reshaper

Note: Hexagon Metrology is owned by Hexagon AB Group which also ownes Leica Geosystems. It will be interesting to see if any of this functionality will end up in Cyclone.

North Kingstown, RI – June 2, 2009 – Wilcox Associates, a Hexagon Metrology company, announces the immediate availability of PC-DMIS Reshaper software as a standlone application. PC-DMIS Reshaper is a comprehensive 3D point-cloud processing program that can be used to collect or import large quantities of 3-dimensional point data for manipulation and processing for downstream processes such as CAD modeling, Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) or rapid prototyping.

PC-DMIS Reshaper operates as a fully functional application in an online or offline mode. Data collection can be accomplished “live” via a direct connection to a digitizing device, such as a ROMER portable measuring arm with a laser scanner, or offline via file import from more than a dozen 3D data file formats, including STEP, IGES, ASCII, DXF, DMIS, ISO and RAW.

Point clouds, which can be imported with no file size or point quantity limitations, can be cleaned, merged, and edited from the streamlined user interface, and then rapidly converted into a polygon mesh model. The conversion from cloud to mesh is extremely rapid, utilizing proprietary alogorithms for polygon organization that results in highly accurate, yet lightweight file size models. Further manipulation of mesh models, including hole filling, deformation, and smoothing is rapidly accomplished with point-and click simplicity. Final export of meshes is possible to a dozen file fomats.

“PC-DMIS Reshaper is an excellent package for the user who wants to do a relatively discrete set of tasks, namely collection and cleanup of point clouds, and quickly getting them into a format that can be taken to the next stage in the development process. It has a short learning curve and is very intuitive to use,” said Ken Woodbine, President of Wilcox Associates, Inc. “At the moment, PC-DMIS Reshaper is a standalone module, but in time, we will be incorporating elements of the technology into the core PC-DMIS product suite.

A basic set of point cloud to CAD comparison dimensional inspection is also possible with PC-DMIS Reshaper. A point cloud can be aligned to an IGES or STEP CAD model, and deviations from nominal shown in a colored graphical “weathermap” format. This function is ideal for users who wish to compare a physical object, such as a mold cavity, to its virtual CAD counterpart. Deviations indicate areas of variation to the original model.

PC-DMIS Reshaper software benefits functional areas such as product development, rapid prototyping and reverse engineering, plus industries that create or use molds and dies, or produce parts with complex surfaces. Even heritage preservation can benefit from using PC-DMIS Reshaper software to collect 3D models of priceless artifacts for archival or copy purposes.

Wilcox Associates (PC-DMIS)

Wilcox Associates is a Hexagon Metrology company. Founded in 1990, Wilcox Associates, Inc. is the developer of PC-DMIS, the world’s leading CMM software, and Enterprise Metrology Solutions (EMS), a tightly integrated suite of software products focused on the collection, evaluation, management and presentation of manufacturing data. These products allow manufacturers to quickly capture dimensional data, analyze it and act on it to reduce scrap, improve throughput and reduce costs.Wilcox Associates, Inc. employs over 100 talented software engineers located worldwide working in a collaborative environment. They are dedicated to bringing our customers the best metrology software technology possible. More information can be found at www.PC-DMIS.com

Hexagon Metrology

Hexagon Metrology is part of the Hexagon AB Group and includes leading metrology brands such as Brown & Sharpe, CE Johansson, CimCore, CogniTens, DEA, Leica Geosystems (Metrology Division), Leitz, m&h, PC-DMIS, QUINDOS, ROMER, Sheffield and TESA. Hexagon Metrology brands represent an unrivaled global installed base of millions of CMMs, portable measuring systems and handheld instruments, and tens of thousands of metrology software licenses. Hexagon Metrology empowers its customers to fully control manufacturing processes that rely on dimensional precision, ensuring that products manufactured precisely conform to the original product design. The company offering of machines, systems and software is complemented by a wide range of product support, aftermarket and value-added services. More information can be found at www.HexagonMetrology.us