TC2 Announces Availability of Its Most Advanced 3D-4D Body Scanner

[TC]2 Announces Availability of Its Most Advanced 3D/4D Body Scanner

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New TC2-19 Offers Fastest and Most Accurate Measurements on the Market [source]

TC2 Announces Availability of Its Most Advanced 3D-4D Body ScannerCary, NC – April 30, 2015 – [TC]², the innovation leader for the fashion industry and 3D body scanning technology, announces general availability of the TC2-19, the most advanced 3D/4D body scanning and measurement technology available on the market.

The TC2-19 provides the option of using a touch screen inside the scanner booth which allows users to “self-scan” by following on-screen instructions. The “self-scan mode” is ideal for use with the iStyling™ Full Retail Solution that provides for greater fit accuracy, styling advice, and garment customization. The body scanner interfaces with multiple CAD technologies and avatar engines.

While capturing the accurate body measurements that [TC]² 3D body scanners are well-known for today, the TC2-19 offers a “quick scan” option (2 seconds), 360° 3D body scanning and rapid processing speeds (17 seconds). The newly developed 4D mode enables 3D movement visualization inside the scanner.

“The combination of speed, accuracy, and stability enabled by software and hardware advancements make this the most advanced 3D/4D body scanner ever built”, said Dr. Mike Fralix, CEO of [TC]². “We are excited that our existing retail customers and major brands now have a scalable solution that can easily and cost effectively roll out to multiple locations.”

The [TC]² body scanner captures thousands of body measurements used by the fashion, medical, and fitness industries to make custom garments, predict customer sizing, benchmark fitness goals, and augment surgical processes. The scanner fits in a space the size of the average retail dressing room and features a booth for privacy. The TC2-19 comes with a lifetime scanner software license and PC.

The TC2-19 can be viewed at the [TC]² National Apparel Technology Center in Cary, N.C.

About [TC]²:

[TC]², Textile / Clothing and Technology Corporation, is a leader in innovation and dedicated to the advancement of the fashion and sewn products industry. Its research, consulting services, and products help brands, retailers, and manufacturers provide increased value for their customers while improving their bottom line. [TC]²’s mission focuses on the development, promotion and implementation of new technologies and ideas that significantly impact the industry.

faro freestyle 3d handheld scanner

FARO® Launches Innovative, User-Friendly Handheld 3D Scanner to Meet Growing Demand for Portable Scanning

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LAKE MARY, Fla., Jan. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — FARO Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: FARO), the world’s most trusted source for 3D measurement, imaging, and realization technology, announces the release of the new FARO Freestyle3D Handheld Laser Scanner, an easy, intuitive device for use in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC), Law Enforcement, and other industries.

The FARO Freestyle3D is equipped with a Microsoft Surface™ tablet and offers unprecedented real-time visualization by allowing the user to view point cloud data as it is captured. The Freestyle3D scans to a distance of up to three (3) meters and captures up to 88K points per second with accuracy better than 1.5mm.  The patent-pending, self-compensating optical system also allows users to start scanning immediately with no warm up time required.

“The Freestyle3D is the latest addition to the FARO 3D laser scanning portfolio and represents another step on our journey to democratize 3D scanning,” stated Jay Freeland, FARO’s President and CEO.  “Following the successful adoption of our Focus scanners for long-range scanning, we’ve developed a scanner that provides customers with the same intuitive feel and ease-of-use in a handheld device.”
The portability of Freestyle3D enables users to maneuver and scan in tight and hard-to-reach areas such as car interiors, under tables and behind objects making it ideal for crime scene data collection or architectural preservation and restoration activities.  Memory-scan technology enables Freestyle3D users to pause scanning at any time and then resume data collection where they left off without the use of artificial targets.

Mr. Freeland added, “FARO’s customers continue to stress the importance of work-flow simplicity, portability, and affordability as key drivers to their continued use and adoption of 3D laser scanning.  We have responded by developing an easy-to-use, industrial grade, handheld laser scanning device that weighs less than 2 lbs.”

The Freestyle3D can be employed as a standalone device to scan areas of interest, or used in concert with FARO’s Focus X 130 / X 330 scanners.  Point cloud data from all of these devices can be seamlessly integrated and shared with all of FARO’s software visualization tools including FARO SCENE, WebShare Cloud, and FARO CAD Zone packages.

For more information about FARO’s 3D scanning solutions visit: www.faro.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks and uncertainties, such as statements about demand for and customer acceptance of FARO’s products, and FARO’s product development and product launches. Statements that are not historical facts or that describe the Company’s plans, objectives, projections, expectations, assumptions, strategies, or goals are forward-looking statements. In addition, words such as “is,”“will,” and similar expressions or discussions of FARO’s plans or other intentions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and otherfactors that may cause actual results, performances, or achievements to differ materially from future results, performances, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Consequently, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

  • development by others of new or improved products, processes or technologies that make the Company’s products less competitive or obsolete;
  • the Company’s inability to maintain its technological advantage by developing new products and enhancing its existing products;
  • declines or other adverse changes, or lack of improvement, in industries that the Company serves or the domestic and international economies in the regions of the world where the Company operates and other general economic, business, and financial conditions; and
  • other risks detailed in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 28, 2014.

Forward-looking statements in this release represent the Company’s judgment as of the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, unless otherwise required by law.

About FARO

FARO is the world’s most trusted source for 3D measurement technology. The Company develops and markets computer-aided measurement and imaging devices and software. Technology from FARO permits high-precision 3D measurement, imaging and comparison of parts and complex structures within production and quality assurance processes. The devices are used for inspecting components and assemblies, rapid prototyping, documenting large volume spaces or structures in 3D, surveying and construction, as well as for investigation and reconstruction of accident sites or crime scenes.

Approximately 15,000 customers are operating more than 30,000 installations of FARO’s systems, worldwide. The Company’s global headquarters is located in Lake Mary, FL; its European regional headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany; and its Asia/Pacific regional headquarters in Singapore. FARO has other offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom,France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Turkey, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, India, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, and Japan.

More information is available at http://www.faro.com

SOURCE FARO Technologies, Inc.

3D scan and print of President Obama

Smithsonian Displays 3D Portrait of President Obama

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The first presidential portraits created from 3-D scan data are now on display in the Smithsonian Castle. The portraits of President Barack Obama were created based on data collected by a Smithsonian-led team of 3-D digital imaging specialists and include a digital and 3-D printed bust and life mask. A new video released today by the White House details the behind-the-scenes process of scanning, creating and printing the historic portraits. The portraits will be on view in the Commons gallery of the Castle starting today, Dec. 2, through Dec. 31. The portraits were previously displayed at the White House Maker Faire June 18.

3D Print of President Obama

The Smithsonian-led team scanned the President earlier this year using two distinct 3-D documentation processes. Experts from the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies used their Light Stage face scanner to document the President’s face from ear to ear in high resolution. Next, a Smithsonian team used handheld 3-D scanners and traditional single-lens reflex cameras to record peripheral 3-D data to create an accurate bust.

The data captured was post-processed by 3-D graphics experts at the software company Autodesk to create final high-resolution models. The life mask and bust were then printed using 3D Systems’ Selective Laser Sintering printers.

The data and the printed models are part of the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. The Portrait Gallery’s collection has multiple images of every U.S. president, and these portraits will support the current and future collection of works the museum has to represent Obama.

The life-mask scan of Obama joins only three other presidential life masks in the Portrait Gallery’s collection: one of George Washington created by Jean-Antoine Houdon and two of Abraham Lincoln created by Leonard Wells Volk (1860) and Clark Mills (1865). The Washington and Lincoln life masks were created using traditional plaster-casting methods. The Lincoln life masks are currently available to explore and download on the Smithsonian’s X 3D website.

The video below shows an Artec Eva being used to capture a 3D portrait of President Barack Obama along with Mobile Light Stage – in essence, eight high-end DSLRs and 50 light sources mounted in a futuristic-looking quarter-circle of aluminum scaffolding. During a facial scan, the cameras capture 10 photographs each under different lighting conditions for a total of 80 photographs. All of this happened in a single second. Afterwards, sophisticated algorithms processed this data into high-resolution 3D models. The Light Stage captured the President’s facial features from ear to ear, similar to the 1860 Lincoln life mask.

About Smithsonian X 3D

The Smithsonian publicly launched its 3-D scanning and imaging program Smithsonian X 3D in 2013 to make museum collections and scientific specimens more widely available for use and study. The Smithsonian X 3D Collection features objects from the Smithsonian that highlight different applications of 3-D capture and printing, as well as digital delivery methods for 3-D data in research, education and conservation. Objects include the Wright Flyer, a model of the remnants of supernova Cassiopeia A, a fossil whale and a sixth-century Buddha statue. The public can explore all these objects online through a free custom-built, plug-in browser and download the data for their own use in modeling programs or to print using a 3-D printer.

zLense real-time 3D tracking

zLense Announces World’s First Real-Time 3D Depth Mapping Technology for Broadcast Cameras

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New virtual production platform dramatically lowers the cost of visual effects (VFX) for live and recorded TV, enabling visual environments previously unattainable in a live studio without any special studio set-up…

27 October 2014, London, UK – zLense, a specialist provider of virtual production platforms to the film, production, broadcast and gaming industries, today announced the launch of the world’s first depth-mapping camera solution that captures 3D data and scenery in real-time and adds a 3D layer, which is optimized for broadcasters and film productions, to the footage. The ground breaking industry-first technology processes space information, making  new and real three-dimensional compositing methods possible, enabling production teams to create stunning 3D effects and utilise state-of-the-art CGI in live TV or pre-recorded transmissions – with no special studio set up.

Utilising the solution, directors can produce unique simulated and augmented reality worlds, generating and combining dynamic virtual reality (VR) and augmented (AR) effects in live studio or outside broadcast transmissions. The unique depth-sensing technology allows for a full 360 degree freedom of camera movement and gives presenters and anchormen greater liberty of performance. Directors can combine dolly, jib arm and handheld shots as presenters move within, interact with and control the virtual environment and, in the near future, using only natural gestures and motions.

“We’re poised to shake up the Virtual Studio world by putting affordable high-quality real-time CGI into the hands of broadcasters,” said Bruno Gyorgy, President of zLense. “This unique world-leading technology changes the face of TV broadcasting as we know it, giving producers and programme directors access to CGI tools and techniques that transform the audience viewing experience.”

Doing away with the need for expensive match-moving work, the zLense Virtual Production platform dramatically speeds up the 3D compositing process, making it possible for directors to mix CGI and live action shots in real-time pre-visualization and take the production values of their studio and OB live transmissions to a new level. The solution is quick to install, requires just a single operator, and is operable in almost any studio lighting.

“With minimal expense and no special studio modifications, local and regional TV channels can use this technology to enhance their news and weather graphics programmes – unleashing live augmented reality, interactive simulations and visualisations that make the delivery of infographics exciting, enticing and totally immersive for viewers,” he continued.

The zLense Virtual Production platform combines depth-sensing technology and image-processing in a standalone camera rig that captures the 3D scene and camera movement. The ‘matte box’ sensor unit, which can be mounted on almost any camera rig, removes the need for external tracking devices or markers, while the platform’s built-in rendering engine cuts the cost and complexity of using visual effects in live and pre-recorded TV productions. The zLense Virtual Production platform can be used alongside other, pre-existing, rendering engines, VR systems and tracking technologies.

The VFX real-time capabilities enabled by the zLense Virtual Production platform include:

  • Volumetric effects
  • Additional motion and depth blur
  • Shadows and reflections to create convincing state-of-the-art visual appearances
  • Dynamic relighting
  • Realistic 3D distortions
  • Creation of a fully interactive virtual environment with interactive physical particle simulation
  • Wide shot and in-depth compositions with full body figures
  • Real-time Z-map and 3D models of the picture

For more information on the zLense features and functionalities, please visit: zlense.com/features

About Zinemath
Zinemath, a leader in developing the re-invention of how professional moving images are going to be processed in the future, is the producer of zLense, a revolutionary real-time depth sensing and modelling platform that adds third dimensional information to the filming process.  zLense is the first depth mapping camera accessory optimized for broadcasters and cinema previsualization. With an R&D center in Budapest, Zinemath, part of the Luxemburg-based Docler Group, is spreading this new vision to all industries in the film, television and mobile technology sectors.

For more information please visit: www.zlense.com

Shapify Booth Full Body 3D Scanner

Artec Announces the World’s First 3D Full Body Scanner – Shapify Booth

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A twelve second body scan and shoppers pick up their 3D printed figurine next time they visit the supermarket

P-3D SELFIE_ITV2000_Vimeo from Granada Reports on Vimeo.

This week Asda and Artec Group are happy to announce their partnership as Asda becomes the first supermarket to bring a new cutting edge 3D printing technology to shoppers in the UK with the installation of Artec Shapify Booth — the world’s first high speed 3D full body scanner in its Trafford Park store. The scanning booth will allow thousands of customers to create a 3D miniature replica of themselves.

Artec Shapify Booth

The Artec scanning booth, equipped with wide-view, high-resolution 3D scanners and a rotation rig, takes just 12 seconds to scan a person. The Artec algorithms automatically fuse 700 captured surfaces into a detailed printable file. This digital model is then sent to the Asda 3D printing centre to be made into an 8″ mini-statue in full colour which can be collected from the store just one week later. Asda’s unique 3D printing technologies allows the processing of a huge volume of high quality figurines at a time, while the prints costs just £60.

Asda first introduced 3D scanning and 3D printing customer’s figurines six months ago, using Artec handheld scanners. Driven by the immediate success of the venture and Asda’s vision to offer 3D technology to the public, Artec Group tailored its professional scanning equipment to spec and created the Shapify Booth, a high speed full body scanner that Asda is now making available to all.
Making 3D prints of all the family, customers can also come along to be scanned in their sports kit, wedding outfits, graduation robes or fancy dress, taking something totally new and personalised back home with them after their weekly shop.

If the trial of the Shapify technology at Trafford Park is successful the new booths will be rolled out to more stores in the Autumn.

Phil Stout, Asda Innovation Manager – Asda is fast becoming, not just a retailer but, a technology company and this innovation is another example of how we’re leading the way on in store consumer facing technology. We’ve been working with Artec technology for a while now and we’re delighted to be the first company in the world able to offer our customers this unique service.

Artyom Yukhin, Artec Group President and CEO – Over the last 5 years Artec has been providing 3D technologies to professionals in industries from space and automotive to medical and movie special effects, but we have always been looking for the chance to do something for the public. Asda’s backing and second to none customer understanding allowed us to create high speed scanners which are fun and easy for people to use.

About Asda Stores Ltd.

Founded in the 1960s in Yorkshire, Asda is one of Britain’s leading retailers. It has more than 180,000 dedicated Asda colleagues serving customers from 551 stores, including 32 Supercentres, 311 Superstores, 29 Asda Living stores, 179 Supermarkets, 25 depots and seven recycling centres across the UK. Its main office is in Leeds, Yorkshire and its George clothing division is in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. More than 18 million people shop at Asda stores every week and 98 per cent of UK homes are served by www.asda.com. Asda joined Walmart, the world’s number one retailer, in 1999.

About Artec Group

Artec Group is a manufacturer and developer of professional 3D hardware and software, headquartered in Luxembourg. Artec Group is a global market leader in 3D scanning solutions used by thousands of people all over the world.
Shapify, the technology for creating 3D printed figurines, was conceived and launched by Artec Group in 2013:www.shapify.me
For more information about Artec Group, visit www.artec-group.com.

Contacts:
Artec Group : press@artec-group.com

FARO SCENE Cloud to Cloud Registration

FARO SCENE 5.3 Laser Scanning Software Provides Scan Registration without Targets

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[source]

FARO® Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: FARO), the world’s most trusted source for 3D measurement, imaging, and realization technology, announced the release of their newest version of laser scanning software, SCENE 5.3, and scan data hosting-service, SCENE WebShare Cloud 1.5.

FARO’s SCENE 5.3 software, for use with the Laser Scanner Focus3D X Series, delivers scan registration by eliminating artificial targets, such as spheres and checkerboards. Users can choose from two available registration methods: Top View Based or Cloud to Cloud. Top View Based registration allows for targetless positioning of scans. In interiors and in built-up areas without reliable GPS positioning of the individual scans, targetless positioning represents a highly efficient and largely automated method of scanning. The second method, Cloud to Cloud registration, opens up new opportunities for the user to position scans quickly and accurately, even under difficult conditions. In exterior locations with good positioning of the scans by means of the integrated GPS receiver of the Laser Scanner Focus3D X Series, Cloud to Cloud is the method of choice for targetless registration.

In addition, the software also offers various new processes that enable the user to flexibly respond to a wide variety of project requirements. For instance, Correspondence Split View matches similar areas in neighbouring scans to resolve any missing positioning information, and Layout Image Overlay allows users to place scan data in a geographical context using image files, CAD drawings, or maps.

Oliver Bürkler, Senior Product Manager for 3D Documentation Software, remarked, “SCENE 5.3 is the ideal tool for processing laser scanning projects. FARO’s cloud-based hosting solution, SCENE WebShare Cloud, allows scan projects to be published and shared worldwide via the Internet. The collective upgrades to FARO’s laser scanning software solution, SCENE 5.3 and WebShare Cloud 1.5, make even complex 3D documentation projects faster, more efficient, and more effective. “

About FARO
FARO is the world’s most trusted source for 3D measurement, imaging and realization technology. The Company develops and markets computer-aided measurement and imaging devices and software. Technology from FARO permits high-precision 3D measurement, imaging and comparison of parts and complex structures within production and quality assurance processes. The devices are used for inspecting components and assemblies, production planning, documenting large volume spaces or structures in 3D, surveying and construction, as well as for investigation and reconstruction of accident sites or crime scenes.

Worldwide, approximately 15,000 customers are operating more than 30,000 installations of FARO’s systems. The Company’s global headquarters is located in Lake Mary, FL., its European head office in Stuttgart, Germany and its Asia/Pacific head office in Singapore. FARO has branches in Brazil, Mexico, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Netherlands, Turkey, India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea and Japan.

Click here for more information or to download a 30-day evaluation version.

Google's Project Tango 3D Capture Device

Mantis Vision’s MV4D Tapped As Core 3D Capture Tech Behind Google’s Project Tango Tablets

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Mantis Vision, a developer of some of the world’s most advanced 3D enabling technologies, today confirmed that its MV4D technology platform will serve as the core 3D engine behind Google’s Project Tango. Mantis Vision provides the 3D sensing platform, consisting of flash projector hardware components and Mantis Vision’s core MV4D technology which includes structured light-based depth sensing algorithms.

Project Tango Mantis Vision-Tablet_whiteGoogle’s new seven-inch tablet is the first mobile device released that will access the MV4D platform to easily capture, enrich and deliver quality 3D data at scale allowing Google developers to quickly build consumer and professional applications on top of the MV4D platform.

“3D represents a major paradigm shift for mobile. We haven’t seen a change this significant since the introduction of the camera-phone. MV4D allows developers to deliver 3D-enabled mobile devices and capabilities to the world,” said Amihai Loven, CEO, Mantis Vision. “This partnership with Google offers Mantis Vision the flexibility to expand quickly and strategically. It will fuel adoption and engagement directly with consumer audiences worldwide. Together, we are bringing 3D to the masses.”

MV4D is Mantis Vision’s highly-scalable 3D capture and processing platform that allows developers to integrate Mantis’ technology into new and existing applications with ease, to drive user-generated 3D content creation throughout the mobile ecosystem. MV4D’s combination of field-proven 3D imaging hardware and software and a soon-to-be released software development kit (SDK) will ultimately serve as the backbone of 3D-enabled mobile and tablet devices.

“We are excited about working with partners, such as Mantis Vision, as we push forward the hardware and software technologies for 3D sensing and motion tracking on mobile devices,” said Johnny Lee, Technical Product Lead at Google.

Since its inception, Mantis Vision has been dedicated to bringing professional-grade 3D technology to the masses. The company’s technology will be a key component of both professional and consumer level devices and applications across a wide customer base of leading mobile technology companies, application developers and device manufacturers. Because the MV4D platform and SDK is fully scalable, it is already being planned for use in more powerful, diverse range of products in the future.

Learn more about the project here

3D-Scanned Olympians Wear Uniforms Suited for Superheroe

Olympic athletes will wear state-of-the-art, 3D-scanned, custom-fitted uniforms

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[Source: Mashable]

As if we needed another reason to worship athletes, select Olympic hockey players will wear state-of-the-art, 3D-scanned uniforms custom-fitted to their body parts. That’s right, like superheroes.

Hockey equipment manufacturer Bauer officially unveiled the new line of high-tech hockey equipment, called “OD1N,” in December. CEO Kevin Davis has touted the gear as the “concept car” of hockey equipment. Pouring a cool million dollars into outfitting six elite hockey players, Bauer used a tech-friendly combination of composite materials, compression-molded foam and 3D optical scanning to personalize the equipment, while lightening the skates, protective gear and goalie pads by one-third.

Hockey enthusiasts will see the line in action on the ice when it debuts at the Sochi Winter Games in February. The equipment will be worn by the NHL‘s Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks/Team Canada), Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks/Team USA), Nicklas Backstrom (Washington Capitals/Team Sweden) and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers/Team Sweden). Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers/Team Canada) and Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals/Team Russia) round out the group of six players who worked with Bauer to test the equipment.

Lundqvist has been practicing and playing with the Od1n goal pads since November, while Toews, Kane and Backstrom are sporting elements of the protective body suit.

Bauer OD1N Equipment

 

Bauer’s new line of hockey equipment comprises skates, goal pads and protective base-layer suits molded to each player’s form.

IMAGE: BAUER

The equipment’s weight reduction should provide a significant on-ice advantage. The skates alone, with their lighter, carbon-composite blade holders, amount to roughly 1,000 fewer pounds of lifted weight during a regulation game, according to Bauer. Lundqvist will lift 180 fewer pounds with the Od1n goalie pads, which replace traditional layers of synthetic leather with compression-molded foam that can be modified depending on the goaltender’s style of play.

“The benefit is not only in the quickness to the puck but in their ultimate endurance and stamina going into the third period,”

“The benefit is not only in the quickness to the puck but in their ultimate endurance and stamina going into the third period,” says Craig Desjardins, Bauer’s general manager of player equipment and project leader for Od1n. “For [Lundqvist], that was the difference between getting a block or getting scored on.”

Like many a concept car, Bauer also drew on new technologies via its designs. Using 3D optical scanning borrowed from the automotive industry, it manufactured protective base-layer suits molded to each player’s physique. The scans generated computerized models, from which Bauer designed custom equipment.

“Being able to customize, for example, a shin guard or elbow pad based on the individual geometry of a player, we’ve taken the guesswork out completely,” says Desjardins. “It’s going to better protect you if it stays in place.”

 

 

It’s all very spiffy, but in automotive terms, a concept car showcases radical new developments in technology and design that make it prohibitively expensive for consumers. The cars don’t often make it to mass production. The cost of Bauer’s own “concept car” design, with its attendant technological advancements, places the equipment well out of reach of all but the most elite hockey players.

Much like BMW’s shape-shifting sedan, the idea is to ogle Od1n, not to own it — although, Bauer will likely outfit a few more NHL bodies in the future.

Its creators are optimistic that certain elements will make their way to mass production, however.

“We’re trying to invent the future of hockey equipment, to show the industry and consumers where it could go, where it will go,” says Desjardins. “In the next few years, we’ll be able to take that technology down into multiple price points.”

So if, a few years from Sochi, your neighborhood is teeming with hockey prodigies, you’ll know why.

3D Systems Logo

3D Systems buys company behind Star Wars, Hobbit and Harry Potter models

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3D Systems Acquires Gentle Giant Studios

  • Accesses decades of licensed content from industry’s greatest brands
  • Expands leadership capabilities and know-how in retail merchandising
Release Date:
Friday, January 3, 2014 – 08:36

ROCK HILL, South Carolina – January 3, 2014 – 3D Systems  (NYSE:DDD) announced today the acquisition of Gentle Giant Studios, the leading provider of 3D modeling for the entertainment and toy industry. For over two decades, Gentle Giant Studios has led the development of state-of-the-art content using 3D scanning and modeling to develop and manufacture licensed 3D printed characters, toys and collectibles from a variety of franchise properties with global brand recognition, including Marvel, Disney, AMC’s The Walking Dead, Avatar, Harry Potter and Star Wars.

3DS plans to immediately leverage Gentle Giant Studios technology and vast library of digital content into its consumer platform and extend its existing brand relationships to further the reach of 3D scanning, modeling and printing for entertainment, toys, collectibles, action figures in conjunction with numerous blockbuster films and evergreen licensed properties.

“Gentle Giant Studios catapults 3DS’s consumer platform forward with highly curated, licensed characters, content publishing know-how and first-mover experience for the benefit of leading toy companies, movie studios and their merchandising divisions,” said Avi Reichental, President and CEO, 3D Systems.

Learn more about how 3DS is manufacturing the future today at www.3dsystems.com.

About 3D Systems Corporation

3D Systems is a leading provider of 3D printing centric design-to-manufacturing solutions including 3D printers, print materials and cloud sourced on-demand custom parts for professionals and consumers alike in materials including plastics, metals, ceramics and edibles. The company also provides integrated 3D scan-based design, freeform modeling and inspection tools. Its products and services replace and complement traditional methods and reduce the time and cost of designing new products by printing real parts directly from digital input. These solutions are used to rapidly design, create, communicate, prototype or produce real parts, empowering customers to manufacture the future.

 

Leadership Through Innovation and Technology

  • 3DS invented 3D printing with its Stereolithography (SLA) printer and was the first to commercialize it in 1989.
  • 3DS invented Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printing and was the first to commercialize it in 1992.
  • 3DS invented the Color-Jet-Printing (CJP) class of 3D printers and was the first to commercialize 3D powder-based systems in 1994.
  • 3DS invented Multi-Jet-Printing (MJP) printers and was the first to commercialize it in 1996.

Today its comprehensive range of 3D printers is the industry’s benchmark for production-grade manufacturing in aerospace, automotive, patient specific medical device and a variety of consumer, electronic and fashion accessories.

More information on the company is available at www.3DSystems.com.

About Gentle Giant Studios

Gentle Giant Studios is the leading provider of 3D digital data and is the first company to utilize digital data and 3D printing technology for the consumer products and entertainment industries. Creating beloved 3D characters from a variety of franchise properties with worldwide name recognition, including Star Wars, Marvel, Avatar, Harry Potter, AMC’s The Walking Dead, and The Hobbit. Gentle Giant produces a wide range of products that are manufactured using the highest quality utilizing the most advanced 3D scan to print techniques and a team of incredibly talented artisans that digitally captures the likenesses of actors, props, and scenery to accurately model and recreate these images for fans and collectors everywhere. Gentle Giant Studios also provides prototyping and product development services for consumer products, fine art, theme parks, and provides on set digitizing services for major motion pictures.

More information on the company is available on www.gentlegiantltd.com, and www.gentlegiantstudios.com.

Autodesk ReCap: Making Reality Capture Easy and Affordable

Autodesk Aims to Streamline Use of Point Cloud Data

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A key addition to the complete 2014 portfolio of Suites is Autodesk® ReCap™ product, a family of powerful and easy-to-use software and services on the desktop and in the cloud to create intelligent 3D data from captured photos and laser scans in a streamlined workflow.  Autodesk ReCap is the first industry solution to bring together laser scanning and photogrammetry into one streamlined process. In addition, no other solution on the market provides the visualization quality and scalability to handle extremely large data sets.

The Autodesk ReCap product line comprises two main offerings – Autodesk ReCap Studio and Autodesk ReCap Photo. Autodesk ReCap Studio makes it easy to clean, organize and visualize massive datasets captured from reality. Autodesk ReCap Photo helps users create high-resolution textured 3D models from photos using the power of cloud computing. Rather than beginning with a blank screen, Autodesk ReCap now enables any designer, architect or engineer to add, modify, validate and document their design process in context from existing environments.

For example, a civil engineer can bypass an existing bridge or expand the road underneath digitally and test feasibility. At construction phase, builders can run clash detection to understand if utilities will be in the way. Urban planners can get answers to specific design questions about large areas, such as how much building roof surface is covered by shadow or vegetation.

ReCap Studio is a data preparation environment that runs on the desktop.  Users can import captured data directly into Autodesk design solutions, such as AutoCAD®, Autodesk® Revit®, Autodesk Inventor®, etc., to conduct QA and verification of data. The data can come from non-intelligent, black and white sparse point clouds to intelligent, visually high appealing content. ReCap Studio will ship in Autodesk product and suite installers or be available for free on the Autodesk Exchange Apps store.

ReCap Studio 2

ReCap Photo is an Autodesk 360 service designed to create high resolution 3D data from photos to enable users to visualize and share 3D data. By leveraging the power of the cloud to process and store massive data files, users can upload images on Autodesk 360 and instantly create a 3D mesh model. ReCap Photo is available with Standard Suites entitlement and higher.

ReCap Photo 2

Key features of Autodesk ReCap include:

  • Visualize and edit massive datasets:  On the desktop, ReCap users can view and edit billions of points to prepare them for use in Autodesk portfolio products to enable realistic in context design work
  • Professional-Grade Photo to 3D Features: ReCap unlocks the power of ubiquitous cameras to capture high-quality 3D models, bringing reality capture within reach of anyone with a camera.  ReCap supports objects of any size and range, full resolution for high-density meshes, survey points and multiple file exports.
  • Photo and Laser: ReCap incorporates the best of both photo and laser data capture so that customers can use photos to fill in holes or augment laser scan data. Users can both increase photos scene accuracy with laser points and add photo-realistic detail to laser scans. Create point clouds from photos, align scans and photos and convert professional grade photo to 3D models.

Autodesk continues to invest in developing sophisticated, easy-to-use reality capture technologies. The company has made several key acquisitions including Alice Labs and Allpoint Systems as well as applied its own research and development resources to accelerate the mainstream adoption of these technologies. As customers are looking for ways to easily and accurately capture the world around them, Autodesk ReCap streamlines Reality Capture workflows, making working with Reality Capture data easy, quick and cost effective.

Autodesk is the only company who has combined laser scanning data and photogrammetry into one product family to address and streamline the entire workflow.  Whereas traditional point clouds appear as dots, Autodesk technology can now visualize truly massive point clouds as realistic surfaces. Unique to Autodesk is that users can interact with these huge data sets doing CAD-like operations such as selection, tagging, moving, measuring, clash detection, and object extraction, all with native points. Laser scanning and photogrammetry are historically very expensive and data intensive. Autodesk’s goal is to democratize the process of reality capture so that anyone can capture the world around them to create high quality 3D models.