David 3D scanner

Here's how you can get to make some .obj files out of real life objects.

What you need:

-An 8$ Laser Edge form any Hardware Store;
-The David scanner program, from
David 3D Scanner
-.Net Framework add-on from Microsoft, if you don't have it installed already;
.Net Framework
-A webcam;
-Some printed patterns
-And stuff you'll find around you house, like Styrofoam boards, and UHU Por to glue it, for
example.
If you don't like to change the Edge's batteries all the time, better add a Tranformer with 3V
output, a common Mono plug, and some soldering work, too.
Note:
For an easy scan, and good results, you better have an Airbrush around, to cover the
objects with a wash-away layer of white paint, common Gouache will do fine.

Baby powder is said to give good results on stuff you don't want to paint.

Step 1: Download

Right, you better start with the program, download it from http://www.cs.tubs.de/rob/david.htm , click on the links on the intro, comes with a complete manual, just double-click on the program, or click Help anytime.´

And, if you're not into recieving Window's updates by
the Net, download the .Net Framework add-on from
Microsoft, first.

Comments

[nazneensyed]

i want a matlab code 4 David 3D laser scanner please..

[Edgar]

Who am I, Santa Claus?

[Learndy]

Just downloaded the software and installed on my EeePC (Windows 7) with integrated camera. After starting the program I don't see any possibility to choose the camera. I also see no camera image / preview. Any hints?

--
MODIS image of the day
www.airspace-v.com/ggadgets/modis.htm

[Edgar]

Windows 7? Never went beyond XP, who needs flying windows on 3D?...
Must be the integrated camera part, try it with some plug-in webcam, if it still won't work, send a message to the Guys at David, they are nice fellows, and will find a way.

[Learndy]

Uuuuhhh... This is a somewhat embarassing... I found out how to choose the camera. I'll start calibration soom. Anyway, thank you very much!

--
MODIS image of the day
www.airspace-v.com/ggadgets/modis.htm

[Edgar]

Ok :)

[Edgar]

Ive just seen faceworkx.
Good for HEAD modeling.
Get the 5 or 7 points aligned, hum, where do you do that on a object?

[nateroc]

Dude, get faceworx or similar programs, much much better job

[khalidkhattak]

(removed by author or community request)

[Edgar]

Ahhh... That one's long gone.
Not much space, had to take it apart.
But now there are this one, and many other scanners, too.

[longhairedartist]

The link was dead for me. Where can we get dave's program?

[Edgar]

http://www.david-laserscanner.com/

The Instructions (angles, how-tos) are on that page.

[amitsharma2904]

 HI Everybody,

Edgar started it wonderfully plz tell me the angle between the light brush & camera.
 

[Edgar]

On the David example, or on the Instructable?

[zack247]

perhaps its a combination of the camera and the paint. maybe the paint didn't go on in very even layers, and that is why you got a bad scan.

[Edgar]

Yet  Another Scanner:

www.instructables.com/id/Structured-Light-3D-Scanning/

[windrago]

the link is broken - can you post another location?

[Edgar]

Sorry for that, even though it's not my fault, here's the main Link, I guess it won't change:

http://www.david-laserscanner.com/

[windrago]

 indeed it's not your fault! And thanks for the new link!

[Edgar]

No problem :)

[doctorphibes]

Darn nice try

[handcarver]

I hand carve Piano Legs, and Piano parts. They are highly detailed parts. Is anyone willing to build a scanner for me and provide the software this web-site seems to suggest? I would be mounting the scanner on my small cnc router 30"x42"x6". I need to be able to pull up an image in bobcad v22, or autocad with the intention of milling or copy carving. thanks. [e-mail]

[Edgar]

Forgot this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Em4brVxZHE

[Edgar]

As I live in Europe, I'm not much help.

But any Carpenter can make a right-angle corner box, and that, and printing the black dot designs they offer too, then gluing them to the "box" is all that is to it.

Buy yourself a Lindy Webcam, they're great, as they can film in poor light conditions!

The guys offer the software for download, and there's a Pro Version too:
http://www.david-laserscanner.com/

Talking about CNC, this Site is a must:Robot Shop

Robot shop

There are other related Instructables at the right side you can see.

[Edgar]

Seems a very good System, easier, less messy, but how do you make a complete scan? Is there something for you to assemble the various views? If so, it would be the best solution, no lasers, etc. It's a good Instructable, too! : )

[el_filosofo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Em4brVxZHE
take a look to my new video :)

hope you liked

[el_filosofo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ych8pgTfD1A

my homemade 3d scanner...
take a look

[Edgar]

Seems the best, so far, as far simplicity and performance are concerned. With a rotation and/or XYZ view, I'd call it an all time best!

[vrogy]

Can you make scans from multiple angles and combine them?

[Edgar]

They said that the next version of DAVID would do that, go and see...

[BruceR]

So assuming you get it working correctly. what 3d program are you going to use it with. ... A quick bit of research tells me that Sketchup does not import .obj files. But I found a number of converters. e.g. Biturn. I'll be watching this one for developments.

[Edgar]

BruceR, there's Wings 3D, a feeware program that comes with a learn-it-all Tutorial, Doghouse, awkward name and subject, but it teaches you everything. Also, there's Calligari's trueSpace3.2, guess what, freeware, and a heck of a good 3d program, too.

[nimitz]

Truespace is not free unfortunately:

http://www.caligari.com/products/truespace/ts3/

But as you pointed out Wings 3D is freeware and so is Blender:

http://www.blender.org/

Though Blender has a hell of a learning curve on it. (For the truly masochistic I suggest BRLcad.)

Also if you dig around you can find older copies of software as freeware such as Bryce 5.5:

http://www.download.com/Bryce/3000-6677_4-10696717.html

[Edgar]

Truespace, the latest, 5 or 6, I don't recall, is not free, but Truespace 3 is!
Just click the link, and you get to download it!
Yup, Blender may be very good, or so they say, but it is a bitch to learn!

But I'll download Brice, now, thanks!

P.S. ...And Ubuntu Linux is the greatest thing!

[nimitz]

My apologies. It does say you can download it for free. However it also asks you for personal information to get to the download page. I'm not a fan of that due to having to fight spam on a regular basis. I'm pretty wary of info "harvesting" pages these days...

[Edgar]

Done no harm to me, and as I'll purchase the latest version, eventually, I've stuck to it.
About 3 emails a month, doesn't hurt!

Not free software, but Open Source Hardware(!), this is good news to pratically everyone:

http://buglabs.net/

A consumer electronics machine you can make about anything out of!

Read about it in the bottom part of

http://build.your.own.prototypes.googlepages.com/Dontwanttobuildbutratherwanttoassemb.htm

[murrayone]

I've been experimenting with it a lot. Biturn works perfectly for converting, I convert to 3DS to insert in TurboCAD, which will convert to many other MCAD formats like stl, dxf, IGES and others. So far my scans have been very noisy, which I think is due to (1) my camera's lens, which I haven't paid a lot of attention to, but I can see that parts of the target are blurred while others are sharp, so that's a depth-of-field issue. (2)My laser line is the veritable $8 one, and it's not too good. Kind've hard to play it over the objects while keeping it at the right angle so its the same width all over, and being registered by the program (there are prompts that tell you if the program doesn't see it to the left or right, or if the angle you're holding it at is wrong) I'm experimenting with a "line painter" (a rotating beam like builders use for site levels) to see if reducing "speckle" helps. (3) lighting. The system has problems if there's too much contrast, so a dark object on the white background isn't distinguished too well. The help pages recommend that once the camera calibration is done, you can cover the target corner with darker sheets to fix the problem. Considering how much the system costs, and the brilliant way it self-calibrates with the targets, I can only say "Thanks" to the writers and to the Institute.

[Edgar]

As far as a wimpy laser's concerned, those of you with an old CDwriter can see other instructable about using it, seems to be strong enough to burn plastic!

[murrayone]

or given that David can use red or green lasers, there're those diode pumped green laser pointers being sold now. They're rated at 30+mW as opposed to the <5mW of the red lasers. I wonder if ditching the red one in the line maker and fitting the green one would make any discernable instantaneous difference?

[Edgar]

Not that I know of, there's even the possibility ofusing white light, by turning the color option off.

I just saw splinescan, and maybe that's better...

I'm investigating.