Three-dimensional techniques for capturing and building virtual models of complex objects for use in scientific and industrial applications, data archiving, and the entertainment industry

The past 10 years have seen remarkable improvements in the capture of 3-dimesional data. Both scanning speeds and accuracy have increased by a magnitude. Software and increasingly more powerful computers allow larger data bases and faster post processing. CT, laser and optical scanners are finding increased use in the medical, manufacturing, scientific and entertainment industries. CT (Computerized Tomography) is generally used to capture internal as well as external surfaces. Medical (hospital) scanners are the most common and can be of service in industrial applications. But true industrial scanners service a much wider range of sizes and materials. Laser and optical scanners are line-of-sight, and are available in portable and permanent CMM mounting arrangements. Scanners are available to capture a wide range of objects; from entire buildings to fingernail sized parts. Solid objects requiring multiple scans, must register each scan to another for part completion. The collected data is exported as a "point cloud". The data can be used to digitally inspect complex parts, surface them for tooling and reverse engineering, or export surfaces to animation software.