How to Print a Brain

When the creators of the "Your Brain" exhibit at The Franklin Institute tried to make a 3D print of a brain model they were turned away by every 3D printing company they approached. The companies all said the intricate 3D model would be impossible to print.

Then they came to Direct Dimensions.

Having been in business for twenty years, we are always excited to solve "impossible" problems. As experts of 3D model creation we went back to the beginning and approached the problem from a data perspective.

According to Direct Dimensions' Art Director, Harry Abramson: "Fortunately Dr. Voss provided an amazing data set for us to start with. In order to print this at large scale, each of the thousands of strand models would have to be fused to create a single brain model that could then be sliced into printable parts that fit in the build envelope. The whole model would then need engineering and design modifications to ensure that it could be assembled precisely and support itself on its custom mount.

To collaborate on the printing we contacted our friends at American Precision Prototyping. “We went over the size constraints of the build envelope, the volume of the object and our lead time, and very quickly I had a price and APP's guarantee that they could build the brain as long as we could prepare the files,” said Abramson. “What we lacked in budget, we made up with having a long lead time, so the project was a go!” 

The final, giant brain print is the centerpiece of the exhibit.

From APP's story on the project: "It has really become one of the iconic pieces of the exhibit. Its sheer aesthetic beauty takes your breath away and transforms the exhibit space," said Dr. Das. "The fact that it comes from real data adds a level of authenticity to the science that we are presenting. But even if you don't quite understand what it shows, it captures a sense of delicate complexity that evokes a sense of wonder about the brain."

You can read more about this incredible example of 3D printing on the Weill Cornell site or on American Precision Prototyping's page.

Holiday Newsletter

Direct Dimensions' end of the year gift to you is a newsletter full of fascinating stories (and one recommendation for a newsletter you should be reading).

Reconstructing Caligula: DDI's expert modelers helped a team of international experts collaborate on the reconstruction of an important Roman sculpture by creating an exact digital recreation.

9/11 Memorial of Maryland: We scanned and modeled steel beam artifacts from the WTC North Tower to aid in the design of the recently unveiled 9/11 Memorial of Maryland

Documenting Two Historical Naval Vessels: We demonstrated the power of the Surphaser HSX and FARO Photon 3D laser scanners at the famous USS Constellation and USS Torsk.

Have you subscribed to LiDAR News yet? Direct Dimensions CEO Michael Raphael and many other industry experts provide regular articles to this newsletter and blog. We recommend checking out this excellent 3D industry resource.

Case Study: Scanning the Wright Brothers Propeller

Direct Dimensions’ 3D Laser Scanner Helps Recreate the Wright Brother’s First Flight



In 1903 at Kitty Hawk, the Wright Brothers took the first sustained heavier-than-air flight by a human. Ninety-five years later Direct Dimensions had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to laser scan one of the two original propellers from that airplane.

Direct Dimensions had been approached by the Wright Experience, a Virginia company that rebuilds historical airplanes, about recreating the Wright Brother’s first plane for the upcoming centennial celebration. This project would require a reproduction of these propellers, now famous cultural artifacts in two different museums.

The Wright Experience team needed accurate dimensions from one of the original propellers as originally designed by the Wright Brothers. Direct Dimensions was brought in to “reverse engineer” the complex airfoil shape in order to make an accurate digital 3D CAD model. From this data, the original propeller design could be analyzed “virtually” with advanced software to understand its performance, and then also be used to manufacture accurate replicas.



Well in advance of the upcoming December 2003 centennial anniversary celebration of this first flight, DDI engineers, along with our partners at the U.S. Army at Aberdeen Proving Ground, traveled to a major restoration facility for the U.S. Park Service in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. We brought along what were then the latest 3D scanning technologies - a Silver FARO Arm paired with a Kreon laser line scanner.

This combination of 3D technology and reverse engineering experience proved ideal for this very exciting project. The non-contact laser scanner captured the intricate detail and complex shape of the hand carved wood propeller and then our engineers processed this data into the final digital model.



We’re not sure who was more excited about the project: our engineering team for getting to see the original Wright Bros. propeller, or the Park Service conservation team for getting to see our fancy 3D laser scanner!



There are several reasons why this project was so intriguing for our staff at Direct Dimensions. For one, some of our engineers have an aerospace background and we work regularly on modern airplanes, helicopters, satellites, and missiles - all of which were derived from the Wright Bros. work. It is also interesting since the FaroArm was originally conceived for the measurement of a modern airplane component, called a thrust reverser. The project was also very appealing because Direct Dimensions performs many projects for capturing and documenting historically significant artifacts.

Direct Dimensions continued working with the Wright Experience team for several years and captured a dozen other original Wright Bros. propellers from 1903 thru 1911 in various museums and collections around the country. Most of these propellers were also reverse engineered and remanufactured for other Wright airplane model replicas. In addition, several of these propellers were tested by NASA in modern wind tunnels to understand the performance of these early designs.

Regarding these tests performed by NASA, Michael Raphael, founder of Direct Dimensions and one of the engineers who worked on this project, explains, "As we were told by historians during the project, by 1911 the Wright Bros. essentially perfected the propeller to some 80 percent power efficiency. Today's best propellers produce 85 percent efficiency. So from 1903 thru 1911, the Wright Bros. got it nearly perfect compared to our best engineers and powerful computers today. This is why NASA is trying so hard to figure out how they did it."



Direct Dimensions is proud to have been part of such a historically significant project using what we think will become historically significant technology. Over the years that have followed, we have applied this same type of scanning systems to such famous original objects as the Liberty Bell, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, many Matisse and Degas sculptures, and many more. Please visit our website to see a glimpse of this work and also visit the Wright Experience to learn more about the replica Wright Bros. airplanes.

Case Study: Using 3D Laser Scanning to Convert Building into BIM

Reconstructing Buildings from Physical Facilities into Virtual Realities


In November 2008 Clark Construction and joint venture partner Hunt Construction Group were awarded a contract for building phase IV of the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System’s new 150-acre medical campus. At $364.9 million, the hospital project was the largest ever awarded by the VA.



Clark Construction is one of the largest general contracting companies in the United States and one of their primary tenets is their commitment to a well planned pre-construction phase. Extra care early on can lead to fewer construction-phase changes, reduced construction time, and cost savings. Their commitment to this principal has led them to embrace many cutting-edge technologies such as Building Information Modeling or BIM.

Associated General Contractors of America define BIM as “an object-oriented building development tool that utilizes 5-D modeling concepts, information technology and software interoperability to design, construct and operate a building project, as well as communicate its details.”

According to Jim Day, Vice President of the Las Vegas Office, in an interview with Business Excellence Magazine, the biggest advantage to BIM is “improved efficiency when you get to the point where you are installing systems.” Pre-BIM, spatial conflicts during installation might not have been detected until systems were being installed; with a Building Information Model these errors (and the time and costs associated with them) can be avoided.

During the construction planning phase for the hospital, the team at Clark encountered design challenges that could be solved using cutting-edge 3D laser scanning technologies. They were interested in including an existing energy plant into their VA Hospital BIM. Rather than attempt to create a model of the plant from scratch, Clark Construction was looking for a company who could document the existing rooms and model them into a format suitable for inclusion in their hospital model.



With over 15 years of experience with thousands of complex 3D measurement problems of virtually all type and size, Direct Dimensions was up to the task. Direct Dimensions team members Glenn Woodburn and Dan Haga flew out to the VA Hospital Site with a Faro LS Laser Scanner, a long-range, large-volume spherical scanner that can digitize vast open spaces with precision very quickly. Over the course of a week, they scanned and documented 10 extensive MEP spaces within the facility from multiple vantage points. These 3D laser scans included all existing facilities and installed components including mechanical, electrical, and plumbing fit-outs, air handling duct work, and structural ladders, catwalks, and platforms.



The scanner, mounted on a tripod like a camera, collected raw data in the form of a dense 3D spherical ‘point cloud’ of millions of coordinates of the elements within the facility. In the end, these 3D laser images formed a high-definition survey of each room, a process that could take weeks using conventional survey measurement tools.

Upon returning to the Direct Dimensions facility in Owings Mills, the raw data scans were loaded into PolyWorks software and then coordinated and aligned together to form single point clouds of each room. Even at this initial stage, measurements can be extracted from any location within the entire facility as if using a virtual tape measure.



After the scans were aligned in PolyWorks, they were brought into Rhino using the Pointools plug-in to create engineered geometry-based models. Then rooms that were spatially related, such as the boiler and chiller rooms, were aligned together for easier inclusion into the final BIM. The final CAD models were exported in DXF format, suitable for importation into NavisWorks, the software package Clark was using to construct the BIM.



Phase IV of the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System’s new 150-acre medical campus is scheduled to be completed in 2011.

Case Study: The Awakening

3D Laser Scanning and Digital Modeling Allow Precise Repositioning




“The Awakening” is a 70-foot tall sculpture by J. Seward Johnson, which depicts a man struggling to free himself from the Earth. The installation, which had been a landmark for nearly three decades in DC’s Hains Point, is comprised of five aluminum body parts: a right foot, a left knee, a right arm, a left hand, and a bearded face. It was originally installed in 1980 and became a well recognized attraction next to the Potomac. It had been on loan to the U.S. Park Service by the artist.

But by 2007, the piece was sold to a developer and it became necessary for the sculpture to be moved.

Moving the sculpture and re-installing it in its intended orientation proved to be a true logistical and spatial challenge. Jon Lash, CEO of Digital Atelier, called upon Direct Dimensions to find an affordable and accurate solution to document “The Awakening” in its exact current state and provide him with a 3D plot showing the intersections of the mating surface of the sculpture with the ground. The plots would then be used to prepare the new site to receive the sculpture in its original configuration.



In November, 2007, 52 scans of the sculpture were taken on-site in Hains Point, both with the Konica Minolta Vivid 9i camera, and with the Trimble FX scanner. A spherical scanner like the Trimble FX captures everything in its line of sight, radiating outward from the scanner’s origin.



In the scanning process, the sculpture was approached as five individual pieces, with the scanner capturing each individual piece in its entirety, as well as some of the surrounding pieces. This setup allowed the Direct Dimensions team to reassemble all the pieces together in a single coordinated model, using PolyWorks software. Each scan was scrubbed to pinpoint only the data set required, then properly aligned and polygonized into an integral model.



The final deliverables to Digital Atelier were complete 2D and 3D plots, which showed the entire sculpture aligned into a single coordinate system. These plots allowed the project’s engineers to prepare the new site for the sculpture’s relocation, which occurred on February 19th, 2008.



“The Awakening” now rests in its intended orientation at National Harbor, on the Eastern Bank of the Potomac River.

Case Study: Biodiesel University Mobile Lab

Promoting Energy Education in a Mobile Laboratory


Direct Dimensions traveled to a bus maintenance yard near Washington, DC to 3D laser scan a decommissioned city transit bus formerly owned by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The scan was performed for the Biodiesel University, a non-profit organization based in Olney, MD which seeks to educate students, teachers, and the public at large about renewable energy and environmental stewardship.

Dan Goodman, executive director of Biodiesel University, called upon Direct Dimensions to aid in converting the donated WMATA bus into a mobile educational lab, which Goodman has described as “part classroom, part hands-on science center, and part theme park ride.” The engineering challenge required cutting-edge capabilities from Direct Dimensions to not only scan the bus but also to create an accurate 3D CAD model so the bus can be repurposed for its educational mission. Given the current energy situation and attention to renewable energy, the project was captured on video for a featured story on ABC News.



To start the project, Direct Dimensions industrial designer Glenn Woodburn used the FARO LS long-range 3D scanner to take six scans of the bus’s interior and exterior in less than two hours. Each scan collected over 25 million 3D points providing a very high-resolution ‘point cloud.’

This captured raw data was then provided to Direct Dimensions designer Dan Haga, who created an accurate and detailed 3D CAD model reflecting the actual existing geometry of the bus.


Then using concept sketches and design input provided by Biodiesel University, Haga continued to layout and design the educational lab including the placement of the operational equipment that will eventually be installed in the bus when it is converted for its educational purpose


The final work, delivered in digital format to Biodiesel University, included several photorealistic graphical renderings and a 60-second animated 3D virtual tour of the overall mobile lab design.


By showcasing these materials digitally through its website and email, Biodiesel University can generate additional support for its program and mission. “The renderings and virtual tours present the concept for our mission in a very compelling manner. We’re grateful for the effort and enthusiasm that Direct Dimensions has shown for our project,” states Dan Goodman.

15 Great Projects Over the Past 15 Years

Over the past 15 years we've worked on many truly incredible projects. From art and architecture to aerospace and automotive, and these are just the A's. Below are 15 of our favorites, one from each year, and it wasn't easy to choose.

1995: Olympic Sculpture Brought to Life - One of our first 3D sculpture projects way back in our founding year, was to digitize a 4-foot model of a sculpture to help fabricate a monumental sized public art piece for the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta. Our 3D data was used for structural analysis.

1996: Power Generation Components - We reverse engineered our first compressor, impeller, turbine blade, and diaphragm way back in 1996 for upgrading power plants. Back then we used contact digitizers before the laser scanners of today existed.

1997: Recreating Unique Automobiles – One of our earliest historic automotive projects was digitizing a one-of-a-kind 1951 Cunningham roadster, considered the first modern American sports car. Our data was used to create reproductions.

1998: Digitizing the Wright Propellers - To recreate the Wright Bro.’s first flight from 1903 in honor of the 2003 centennial, an airplane reproduction company asked us to reverse engineer original propellers from several historic Wright planes. We collaborated with the US Army in Edgewood.

1999: 3D Digital Facial Prosthetics – Back in 1999 we scanned our first ear to make a medical prosthesis. We scanned a plaster cast of an ear and mirrored it to create a digital version of the missing opposite ear. This digital file was also used to make an RP for a surgical guide.

2000: Aircraft OML Scanning for Analysis – Early in the new decade we scanned our first of many "outside mold line" aircraft exteriors for CFD analysis. Back then we used a laser tracker, today we use the amazing Surphaser.

2001: Lincoln Memorial Scan - Just weeks after 9/11, the U.S. Gov't called with a very special request. They wanted to see how 3D scanning could digitally preserve monuments and artifacts in case of catastrophe. We demonstrated this with Abe at the Lincoln Memorial.

2002: Monumental Church 'Monument' - We traveled to Richmond, VA to 3D laser scan a decaying marble monument from 1811. Our completely restored digital model enabled the rebuilding of a new monument exactly as it was designed originally.

2003: Ray Lewis Marble Bust – We scanned Baltimore Raven's player Ray Lewis and made a beautiful life-like marble bust which was auctioned off for his charity. Since then we've done Amelia, Kelly Ripa, and Natalie Portman. Oh boy!

2004: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – We laser scanned and digitally restored the Tomb of the Unknowns. Our 3D digital model may be used one day to fabricate a replacement for the cracked monument.

2005: Scanning the Liberty Bell - One of our most significant efforts ever has been our work with the Liberty Bell. We have scanned it three times over 6 years with increasingly better technology. Today we have a fingerprint level digital model of this famous icon.

2006: 3D Animated Political Cartoons – We have a lot of fun working with renowned political cartoonist - Kal. We scanned his exaggerated clay sculptures, including George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama so he could make 3D animated political cartoons.

2007: 3D Scanning Helps U.S. Solider – For years we've worked with Johns Hopkins to develop radical new methods for 3D digital prosthetics. In 2007 we helped create a new nose for a soldier wounded in Iraq. This was truly one of our most rewarding projects and it was later featured on CNN.

2008: Laser Scanning Buildings for BIM – As early adopters of long range scanning for historic preservation as well as ships and airplanes, its logical to also scan and model large building structures. Often these models feed into BIM for downstream re-design and analysis.

2009: Scanning Aircraft with the Surphaser – We are constantly testing new 3D products from all over the world. This year we implemented the Surphaser as a fantastic new scanning tool for a wide range of projects - from cars to airplanes and everything in between!

2010: Matisse Sculpture 3D Analysis - A major art exhibition opened at MoMA in New York featuring extensive technical analysis of Matisse's "Back" sculptures. Our team played a huge role with our various 3D technologies for scanning, modeling, and analyzing the pieces for this important and unique exhibit.

Our team at Direct Dimensions, combined with our tools, history, experience, and skills, is quite unique in the United States and perhaps the entire world. We simply don't know of another organization with the variety of tools and talent that we've accumulated over the past 15 years. The above glimpse into 15 projects over our first 15 years amazes us and should amaze you too. It is very exciting to look back but even more exciting to think about what the next 15 years will bring.

Thanks for reading thru this and we welcome your feedback and reposts to your friends about this amazing list.

From your 3D friends at Direct Dimensions.

Case Study: Engine Block Modeling

Scanning and Modeling Helps Customer Meet Tight Deadline



A few years ago Direct Dimensions was approached by Patrick Power Products, Inc. (P3I) with a typical 3D problem: they needed an engine modeled into a 3D digital format. P3I is a cutting-edge company specializing in the development of auxiliary power generation systems. This particular project was for the U.S. Army, which had contracted P3I to use their patented technology and process to convert a rotary engine to run on diesel fuel.



The engineers at P3I needed a complete native CAD model of the rotary engine with full parametric history that would allow them to bring it into SolidWorks computer-aided design (CAD) software so they could design the rotor housing and spark plug area to fit their patented “pre-chamber”. The problem was that the contract had a very fast turn around and, while the engineers at Patrick Power certainly had the skills necessary to draw the engine in their CAD package, they were short on time.

Given this challenge, Patrick Power Products contracted Direct Dimensions to rapidly laser scan and model the engine components. With the file of the existing engine provided by DDI, the engineers at P3I would have ample time to redesign and test their technology before their deadline.



Over the next several days, Direct Dimensions technicians digitized and laser scanned two engines using a portable FARO Scan Arm system. The first engine was scanned in its entirety and the other was disassembled to scan specific areas in more detail. such as the rotor housing. The FARO system provides users both a contact probe for high accuracy geometric features and a non-contact laser scanner for complex contoured cast surfaces.



With the raw 3D data gathered during scanning, the DDI engineers then created accurate 3D CAD models of the engine with specific attention paid to the rotor housing and mounting points. These models allowed Patrick Power Products to design and manufacture their prototype.




The prototype ran successfully on the first test and P3I completed their contract ahead of their deadline. According to Mike Griffith, an engineer at P3I, "with a short duration contract, if we had not had that model, we never would have gotten the engine running. We could have still been making drawings but we actually ended up ahead of schedule."

Case Study: Rosetta Stone

Ancient Writing Converted to 3D Digital Form



In February of 2008, Joel Freeman of The Freeman Institute Foundation came to Direct Dimensions with an interesting project. Within his collection of historical artifacts, Mr. Freeman owns an original replica of the Rosetta Stone, the famous tablet discovered after Napoleon’s 1798 conquest of Egypt. The tablet bears an inscription of a decree by Ptolemy V circa 196 BC, written in three different languages: two distinct forms of Egyptian hieroglyphics and one form of classical Greek. The Rosetta Stone was so important in the deciphering of some hieroglyphics that the term has come to mean any document or key instrumental in the decryption of a language or code. The original Rosetta Stone has been displayed by the British Museum since 1802, but a handful of first-generation castings were made of the tablet for reproduction.

It was one of these original castings that Mr. Freeman brought to Direct Dimensions. He wants to make scaled reproductions and to help others understand the importance of this famous tablet.

His cast reproduction is full-size, approximately 38-inches tall by 30 inches wide, made from black resin with the critical lettering inscribed on the flat front face. Because it is only a face casting that is two inches deep, this posed another problem, as he wished to make an accurate replica measuring the same 11-inch thick as the original tablet.

After consulting with the engineers at Direct Dimensions about the project and understand how Mr. Freeman intended to actually fabricate the piece, it was decided that only an extremely accurate 3D digital model of this physical piece could work. The 3D data file would be used to drive a computerized industrial milling machine to carve a highly accurate mold. Direct Dimensions would have to use its most accurate and highest resolution scanning tool to capture the piece.



Over the next several days at the DDI lab in Owings Mills, the cast replica was digitized using a non-contact laser line scanner mounted on a motorized precision coordinate measuring machine, or CMM. This unique scanning system had been integrated a few years earlier by the DDI engineers for projects just like this. With the controlled motion of the CMM combined with the scanner from Kreon Technologies, this system can achieve resolutions approaching 25 microns. This translates to 3D point every one-thousands of an inch (0.001”) - a dot per inch resolution sufficient for capturing even fingerprints in 3D.



The resulting massive point cloud file was so detailed that when processed into it a 3D mesh weighed in at over 10 million polygons. A figure, according to project manager Peter Kennedy, “that definitely strained the limit of our already extensive computing power.”

In addition to the precise scan of the tablet’s front face, a model incorporating the tablet’s true thickness had to be created. With standard photographs and other reference materials provided by Freeman, the digital modeling team at Direct Dimensions used a variety of software products, including PolyWorks, Geomagic, and Z Brush, to digitally sculpt the shape and contour of the original tablet’s back side. The back was then combined with the precise data from the front to complete the high accuracy digital model of the real Rosetta Stone.



The final deliverable in polygon format will enable Mr. Freeman and his other collaborators to mill the completed replica molds. He aims to use his replica as a centerpiece in his educational programming, to be housed in an exhibit in the Black History galleries of The Freeman Institute Foundation.




If you are interested in learning more about the Rosetta Stone or owning a full-size, 3D replica, please visit www.rosettastonereplicas.com.

Case Study: 3D Transforms Idea from Concept to Digital to Manufacturing

John Jenkins, President and CEO of Jenkz Innovation and Design Group, engaged Direct Dimensions for a unique 3D project. As a Chrysler 300 car owner, he had been interested in purchasing an aftermarket accessory to enhance the vehicle’s front grille. After an exhaustive search, he found that what he wanted did not exist on the market. So being an inventor and entrepreneur, Mr. Jenkins decided to patent and design the accessory himself.



While Mr. Jenkins knew how he wanted his finished product to look, he needed extremely accurate data of the car’s grille area to complete the design. He also needed assistance in getting a prototype created, and eventually engineers who could work closely with his production facility.

After consulting with the staff at Direct Dimensions about the project and understanding how Mr. Jenkins intended to actually fabricate the piece, the engineers opted to use a Faro Arm and Faro Laser Line Scanner to capture the data with an accuracy of +/-0.002”. Mr. Jenkins drove his Chrysler 300 to Direct Dimensions’ lab where it was scanned in just a few hours.



With the precise dimensions and complex contours of the Chrysler 300’s existing grill accurately captured, Mr. Jenkins outlined his concept design for the trim accessory so that it would fit perfectly with the other front trim pieces. Using Rapidform’s unique XOR software for design-intent reverse engineering, a digital model of what would eventually be called the Chrome Mustache™ was created to Mr. Jenkins' specifications.




Once the design team finished the CAD model, this data was transferred to our in-house replication services team to manage the rapid prototype process. Prototypes were then created using stereolithography (SLA), an additive process that uses a laser and liquid resin to layer plastic. A final prototype was then chrome-plated to approximate the anticipated finished product. Although only a prototype, it looked and functioned like a real production part.



Mr. Jenkins then used the prototype, 3D CAD file, and help from the engineers at Direct Dimensions to arrange for the creation of a plastic injection mold. When the production facility had questions or potential problems, the DDI engineers were able to collaborate with them to make minor design changes or answer questions.

The “Chrome Mustache™” is currently available for sale. You can find it at dealerships and distributors across the USA and Canada, or at its website: www.naked300.com