3D Scanning for VFX: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Can you spot the 3D scanning data?

3D scanning brings the complex reality of the physical world accurately into the digital realm – so accurately that we don’t even notice that the effects may not have been filmed, but created digitally in the computer.

 

Bmore3D: Baltimore's 3D Printing & 3D Scanning Pop-up Store Returns

Custom 3D Stuff, Tinkerine Studios Ltd., ShapeShot and Direct Dimensions are collaborating to create the first retail store in the mid-Atlantic region focused on 3D scanning and 3D printing.  The Bmore3D Store is located at 10310 S. Dolfield Road, Suite #3D in Owings Mills, MD. 

New this year is the ability to create your own face in chocolate. The DittoPro 3D printer is also on sale, as well as the previous Ditto+ and Litto printers as kits. Customers can shop a curated gallery of the most unique gifts in Baltimore, designed by Baltimore 3D artists.  Items include earrings, rings, necklaces,  and an assortment of unique Baltimore-themed pieces.  All items are designed using 3D modeling software and fabricated by an assortment of 3D printers.  The DittoPro 3D printers from Tinkerine Studios will be on display in the store demonstrating 3D printing.

The store also features ShapeShot™, the world’s first fully automated 3D photo booth, featured in Time Magazine.  After being captured in 3D, customers can order their 3D-printed busts, mini-figs, game pieces, jewelry, bobbleheads and even ceramic coffee mugs customized with a scale model of their face.  Bring your family, your babies, and even your pets!  ShapeShot lets you be the face of 3D printing.

ShapeShot was developed by Direct Dimensions, the Baltimore-based engineering services firm also in the store providing 3D scanning of objects and unique full-body 3D scanning for amazing 3D printed miniature figurines.  In November, Direct Dimensions was showcased by The Smithsonian for its contributions to the groundbreaking SI x 3D project which brings museum artifacts online in 3D to the world.

The Bmore3D Store will also feature various educational and entertainment opportunities for visitors with technology discussions and demonstrations by regional 3D professionals.  These events will highlight methods of 3D design, 3D scanning, and 3D printing and other aspects of digital fabrication – fast becoming the new way for making things.  Everyone at all levels will find these sessions helpful, particularly professionals interested in implementing 3D tools in their workplace.

A schedule of activities will be posted on Bmore3D’s website featuring renowned 3D industry professionals, local artists, designers, and engineers.  Check back often for upcoming activities and meet-ups.

Custom 3D Stuff, founded by Todd Blatt in 2009, creates custom CAD designs, 3D printed jewelry, props, custom engineering prototypes, and advertising and promotional material through the use of digital fabrication.

The Bmore3D Store is located at 10310 S. Dolfield Road, Suite #3D, Owings Mills, Maryland 21227

Web: www.Bmore3D.com  Phone: 443-963-9456  Email:  info@bmore3D.com

A collaboration of:

Custom 3D Stuff at www.Custom3dStuff.com

Tinkerine Studios at www.Tinkerine.com

Direct Dimensions at www.DirectDimensions.com

ShapeShot at www.ShapeShot.com

3D Scanning at the Movies: The Cobbler

If it seems like we're posting a lot of movie trailers for films we've worked on this year - we are!

We've had a ton of fun over the last few years scanning actors, sets, locations, costumes and props for many films and it is always exciting to see our 3D scans showing up in the finished product. Definitely click on over to our IMDB page for a full list of everything we've done and are doing.

And below, check out the trailer for The Cobbler, for which we completed figure and prop scanning for special effects.

Happy Halloween!

In honor of the holiday, check out this rather amazing zombie ShapeShot:

The Pharaoh - Digitally Documenting Ancient Sculptures

Sculptures in ancient Egypt were thought to grant eternal life to the kings, queens, and gods that they portrayed. For this and other reasons, people even today are fascinated by the ancient Egyptian culture and the remarkable sculptures they left behind, many of which remain in museum collections around the world. Many museums consider their Egyptian collection among their most popular exhibits. The Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of Pharaohs, for example, is regarded as the most popular traveling exhibit in history.

Considered one of the finest Ancient Egyptian collections in the world, The University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has over 42,000 items in their collection. Direct Dimensions was approached recently by the University of Pennsylvania museum, known as The University Museum, with an exciting 3D project: the museum officials wanted to offer replicas of some of the more special pieces for sale in the museum gift shop.

Given the well preserved condition of these original ancient artifacts, and the museum's dedication to quality and authenticity, it was important that the replicas be as close to a perfect copy as possible. The officials quickly realized that advanced non-contact 3D imaging technology would be needed to perform this task.
For example, with the age of the sculptures dating back to approximately 1300 B.C., it would not be possible to cast a mold off the pieces as this could damage the originals. It was also determined that some of the pieces would need to be reproduced in smaller and/or larger versions than the originals, so direct casting would not work.

With previous experience scanning the sculptures of Matisse and Degas for institutions such as the Baltimore Museum of Art, National Galley of Art in DC, and MOMA, Direct Dimensions provided the expertise to help The University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology complete this project. Working in museums with priceless works of art has become a regular component of our business and growing broader everyday.

The DDI technicians scanned four different sculptures: the Amun, the Headless Princess, the Scribe, and a Kneeling King Tut. An articulating arm-based laser line scanner provided high accuracy and real-time feedback to assure complete capture before heading back to Baltimore to process the raw scan data.

 For the post-processing, we used Innovmetric’s PolyWorks Modeler software to create highly accurate watertight 3D digital models of each of the ancient pieces. During both the scanning and modeling processes, specific attention was paid to fine cracks and other imperfections in the original pieces – qualities that would make the reproductions that much more accurate and realistic. Some of the models were also scaled to several different heights so that the gift shop could offer the reproductions at different pricing levels.
The final digital models were formatted into STL files and fabricated using rapid prototyping to create high quality patterns. Then the museum arranged for a production fabricator to cast the reproductions in a high quality resin material.

The museum-quality reproduction sculptures are some of the most popular items in their gift shop and visitors are thrilled to bring a little piece of Ancient Egypt home with them.

If you would like to make museum-quality reproductions to raise funds for your museum, please contact Direct Dimensions.

3D Scanning at the Movies

More of our 3D scanning for VFX showing up in two critically acclaimed films this week.

Our scanning crews went on-site to digitally document actors for both John Wick and Birdman. Check out the trailers below for glimpses of the effects.

Fly Through of 3D Scan Data

Please take the time to view this color point-cloud fly-thru from a recent 3D laser scan of an archaeology site in Maryland. Direct Dimensions used a Faro Focus to scan the historical site.

Preserving the Washington Monument with 3D Scanning

 

Direct Dimensions is a Baltimore company and we feel strongly about contributing to our city and community. There is no shortage of important historic sites around the Baltimore area and, when able, we help preservation efforts by documenting them. So when renovations began on the Washington Monument in the Mount Vernon neighborhood we jumped at the chance to digitally document the first national monument in honor of George Washington.

 

Our crew ascended almost 200 feet of scaffolding to get to the top of the  monument at dawn and begin 3D scanning the sculpture of George Washington. Two different scanning technologies were employed , the Faro Focus and a handheld Artec EVA scanner.

The resulting data will be kept for the City of Baltimore. It is an accurate record of the monumental sculpture as it exists in 2014 and will allow for preservation, recreation, or replication should it ever be needed.

3D Fashion Adventure

Photographed by Beau Sam

You often read about fashion applications for 3D printing: a recent Miss America contestant wore 3D printed shoes, Dita Von Teese wore a 3D printed dress, and 3D printed Angel Wings featured heavily in a Victoria's Secret fashion show last year. There are other applications that are tantalizingly close to showing up in your nearest mall but don't necessarily receive as much press; these applications tend to revolve around the use of 3D scanners and garment personalization.

Photographed by Beau Sam

When Vogue.com launched it's new website this month they decided to do a piece that highlighted the future of 3D scanning and printing in fashion. Rather than just showing the usual 3D printed accessories they came up with an incredible photo shoot featuring dozens of 3D prints of supermodel Karlie Kloss.

But before you can have a 3D print, you have to have a 3D file. So Vogue contacted Direct Dimensions to scan Ms. Kloss with our 360 body scanner. After scanning the model in over a dozen ensembles, we modeled the data into files suitable for 3D printing. Those prints were then sent all over the world and photographed.

Visit Vogue.com to see the photographs and read the article:

Envisioning the Future of 3-D Fashion: Welcome to the Virtual Dressing Room

3D Laser Scanning for BIM

Last month we posted a case study about using 3D laser scanning for an MEP space renovation. We received great feedback and some questions about other general uses for 3D scanning and modeling for building and construction projects. Below is a quick (but comprehensive) video overview of the benefits of 3D laser scanning of buildings, facilities, sites, and structures for accurate documentation, analysis, and design.

Case Study: MEP Facility Scanning

At Direct Dimensions we use many 3D laser scanning technologies for a wide range of applications. This case study illustrates how we used a spherical laser to capture and 3D model a complicated MEP space within an historic building for renovation into new modern living spaces.

 
The Backstory:
The current Provincial House of the Daughters of Charity was built in Emmitsburg in 1964 and was used to house the Sisters and headquarter various charitable efforts. But like other religious orders in the United States, the Daughters of Charity membership has dwindled and by 2009 the building was severely underutilized. Rather than let the building sit empty, the Sisters proposed a plan in which the unused space could be used to create affordable apartments and assisted living facilities for local senior citizens. While the structure itself was in excellent condition, the electrical and mechanical systems would have to be updated to accommodate the new facilities.

The Challenge:
To plan for the overhaul and installation of the new MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) systems for the historic facility, Whiting-Turner, the construction contractor, needed a fast and accurate 3D layout of the boiler room, and the various aged components and extensive piping. The traditional methods of hand tools, such as tape measures, distance meters, and sketch pads is time consuming, expensive, must all be done on-site, and prone to numerous errors. Whiting-Turner and The Daughters of Charity found an excellent solution with Direct Dimensions using long range laser scanners and advanced 3D software tools.

Just a small section of the antiquated MEP space which would need to be fully and accurately documented in 3D

Click here to learn about how Direct Dimensions solved this problem using 3D scanning and modeling.

3D Scanning for Visual Effects

Some more of Direct Dimensions' 3D scanning and modeling is showing up on the big screen this weekend in the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

Last year some of our team got to spend an extended summer break hanging out with (and 3D scanning) Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, and even Shredder. In addition to scanning the actors/characters we also digitized several set pieces, some of which you can see in the above trailer.

Where Do Gnomes Come From?

While we can't speak to the genesis of all gnomes, this video case study shows how the Gnute the Gnome watering can went from a hand sculpted concept to your local garden store.

Enjoy!

3D Scanning Helps Liars Make a Mess

While we do incredible things at Direct Dimensions every day, 3D scanning Liars band members Angus Andrew and Aaron Hemphill was the first time we've helped with any (literal) face melting.
 
The music video for the single Pro Anti Anti (directed by Yoonha Park) shows Andrew and Hemphill being scanned with an Artec handheld scanner, the modeling of 3D face scan data and the creation of a mold from that data. The mold is used to create replicas of Andrew and Hemphill's faces which are then melted down in the video. 

The video also features Direct Dimensions' own Glenn Woodburn doing the on-camera scanning.

See the video below and read more about it at Nowness.com.


Liars: Pro Anti Anti

3D Scanning for the Movies: X-Men Days of Future Past

Direct Dimensions employees enjoy seeing their work onscreen

Summer blockbuster season has begun! Earlier in the month Amazing Spiderman 2 opened and last weekend we had the chance to see X-Men: Days of Future Past.



Last year we took a large team and several scanners and digitally documented RFK stadium in Washington DC for the pivotal battle in the new X-Men film. You can see just a snippet of the stadium at the 1 min 40 second mark in the above trailer.

3D Scanning and Modeling for Archaeology

We have a talented group of employees at Direct Dimensions who regularly accomplish incredible things, not just at work but also in their personal time: publishing books, creating art, volunteering for important causes, climbing mountains, making music, and even designing a RPG.

Heritage Scanning Specialist Joe Nicoli is no exception. He recently spent time researching and co-authoring an article entitled "Exploring 3D modeling, fingerprint extraction, and other scanning applications for ancient clay oil lamps." It was published in the peer-reviewed journal, Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage. Congratulations Joe!

Article Abstract:
Ancient clay oil lamps provide an invaluable source of information for archaeologists as indicators of ritual, chronology, clientele, trade, and origin. Since the late seventeenth century, they have been drawn, painted, and photographed for antiquarian and scientific publications. The purpose of this paper is to explore various applications of 2D and 3D digital modeling and laser scanning of ancient clay lamps using the Steiblicher Comet L3D Blue Scanner. It encourages widespread adoption of this method for the creation of highly accurate archaeological illustrations, 3D lamp typologies, 2D and 3D lamp documents, and museum quality reproductions. Most notably, this study confirms laser scanning as an effective method for extracting fingerprints from lamp surfaces to make possible the identification of ancient lampmakers. Order and read the full article here.

In Memoriam: The Battlefield Cross

The tradition of using a rifle, boots and helmet (also known as the Battlefield Cross) to mark a fallen soldier's grave began during the American Civil War, perhaps as a replacement for a burial cross on the battlefield. Today it is used as a sign of respect to soldiers who have fallen.

A few years ago we had the opportunity to help create a memorial for Fallen Soldiers. We'd like to share some images of that special project in honor of Memorial Day.

 

3D Scanning for the Movies: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Guess who 3D scanned Times Square to help create special effects for the new Spider-Man movie?

While we've had the opportunity to work on some pretty awesome films (MIB3, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), this production afforded the opportunity for one of the largest and most exciting location scans we've yet done. To help create a major action sequence for the film multiple crews from Direct Dimensions digitally documented all of Times Square.

Oh yeah, we also got to 3D scan Peter, Gwen, and Electro. We'll definitely be at the movies this weekend, excited to see our digital data turned into incredible special effects in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Earth Day: 3D Scanner Style

Earth day calls to mind adorable children participating in recycling drives and tree planting ceremonies, spending time in nature, and using 3D scanners to help companies create sustainable products!

Well, at least at Direct Dimensions it brings a reminder of two very cool projects where we utilized 3D scanning technology to help companies create new and exciting products out of recycled materials


Creating the Emeco/Coca Cola Navy Chair

Famed company Emeco teamed with Coca Cola to create a version of their classic Navy Chair out of recycled plastic Coke bottles. 

Recreating the Navy Chair in a new medium presented an engineering puzzle that was best solved using 3D technology. The original version of the chair is carefully handmade in a complicated 77 step process. Each chair, while essentially alike, is handcrafted by artisans with years of experience welding and surface finishing the aluminum. The new 111 Chair would need to retain the exact, iconic look of the original but would have to use a standard injection molding process to work with the recycled Coca Cola material.  The solution (of course) was to 3D scan and model it. Read the full story of how we 3D scanned the Navy Chair.


Helping to Create Green Consumer Goods
To satisfy the changing demands of  consumers, the team at Robinson Home Goods decided to launch a new line of kitchen products called Green Street. The products would be manufactured from material created out of recycled water bottles and packaged in recycled and compost-able materials. The designers even planned on re-using existing injection molds for the prototype phase.

They loved the overall shape of the existing spatulas and spoons but wanted something a little more indicative of the green nature of the product. The design team decided to redesign the slots in the spoon to look more like tree branches. The problem was that they only had old 2D drawings of their existing molds, making a modern CAD redesign almost impossible. They needed to find a way to accurately and quickly reverse engineer the existing injection molds into SolidWorks to facilitate the redesign process. Direct Dimensions stepped in with our 3D scanners and expert modelers to reverse engineer new CAD models of the molds. Read the full story here.

Happy Earth Day from Direct Dimensions!

Case Study: Creating Lifelike Robots

 

For several years Direct Dimensions has enjoyed working with David Hanson, founder of Hanson Robotics and a pioneer in the field of human-like robotics. Dr. Hanson is considered a leader in the field of social robotics since his robots are created to engage humans socially through conversation and facial movements.

The collaboration with Hanson began almost a decade ago, when Direct Dimensions joined a team working on the Phillip K. Dick robot. The Philip K. Dick android represents the first human-emulating robot complete with artificial intelligence, lifelike facial expressions, and even a human voice. The android not only possesses a human-like physiognomy, it also has the ability to recognize people.

One of the problems in creating a life-like face is fitting the outer shell (in other words, the androids face) to the various internal electronic components. Dr. Hanson wanted to use a 3D computer model to virtually fit these electronics inside. The CAD model would also be used to fabricate the production skull using rapid prototyping.

Find out how Direct Dimensions solved this 3D problem

Museums and the Web Conference

At Direct Dimensions we have been scanning precious art work, artifacts and gallery spaces for museums for years. Some of our earliest projects for museums included scanning sculptures to create miniature versions for giftshops or donors. Other major, early projects we did included scanning sculptures in the famous Cone Collection to be used in a virtual tour for the Baltimore Museum of Art and also scanning Matisse sculptures to support an exhibit, Matisse: Painter as Sculptor , also at the BMA.

It seems fitting then that the first time we attend the Museums and the Web Conference it would be held at the BMA.  The conference is an annual meeting that brings together educators, web developers, curators, scholars and more to discuss their research regarding digital practices and museums/cultural heritage. We are attending the this year to share different 3D scanning technologies that can be used by the museum industry.   3D imaging and modeling technologies provide museums with many options for documentation, conservation, and exhibit development, online user experiences, and quality replicas and merchandise. 
 
With more 3D scanning options than ever before, and new technology constantly being developed, it is a full time job just to know the right solution. Our digital modelers and 3D scanning experts are excited to share their knowledge and experience with the museum community.

3D Scanning for the Movies: Noah

Darren Aronofsky's controversial epic Noah opens this week. Like his previous film, Black Swan (which we also worked on), Noah relies on some pretty incredible special effects to tell its story.

The Direct Dimensions team had the opportunity to do quite a bit of 3D scanning for this movie. Our crew scanned actors, locations, sets and even props to help bring Aronofsky's vision to the screen.

Project Snapshot: 3D Room Scan for Historic Renovation

 

This beautiful image is aligned scan data of the Senate Chamber in the Maryland Statehouse. The Statehouse was undergoing renovations when we were called to digitally document the original brick walls before the work continued. With only one day to document the entire chamber, 3D scanning was a natural choice: fast, complete and accurate data in just a few hours.

The state now owns data that can be used to plan future renovations or restorations, to create a digitally history exhibit or even simply to be used as a record of the room's condition at the time of scan.

3D Scanning Faces and Figures

Looking back through the month it seems that so many of the projects we've recently completed  involved scanning faces and figures. Our scans have recently been used for movie special effects, to help create better equipment for US Olympians, to support a major fashion label, to create prosthetic limbs and even to digitally document some incredible costumes at a recent convention.

At Direct Dimensions we've steadily augmented our toolbox with several excellent technologies for 3D scanning faces and figures, including our ShapeShot system and proprietary full body scanner. It is incredible to see how far we've come in just a few years.

For example, several years ago we scanned Kelly Ripa and were featured on Live with Regis and Kelly. Compare the print of her on the left ( which was featured again on Kelly and Michael just a few weeks ago) with the recent scan and print of up and coming designer Telfar Clemens of TELFAR (below).

Today, with a broad range of fully portable equipment, Direct Dimensions can laser scan live faces and full bodies and quickly deliver an exact 3D model.

These models can be used by medical professionals, designers, vfx artists, sculptors and retailers to create exact digital replicas of the scanees. Check out our website for more examples of face and figure scanning by Direct Dimensions and ShapeShot.

Hackathon Slideshow

A few weeks ago we posted about the Artbytes Hackathon hosted by the Walters Art Museum. We scanned several pieces of the collection to be used as 3D content for their website. You can watch the below slideshow to see our project, "Team Scantasia" in detail.

Team scantasia at walters museum art bytes 2014 from Direct Dimensions, Inc.

We also helped Team George Crowdsourcington by 3D scanning a bust of George Washington that was modeled and portioned out to be the first large piece of art generated by crowdsourced 3D printing.

3D Scanning at the Movies: Winter's Tale

2013 was a busy year for us when it came to 3D scanning for visual effects. As we come into 2014 we now get to see the fruits of our labor. Winter's Tale opens this weekend just in time for Valentines Day. You can spot some of the effects in the above trailer.

USA! USA! USA!

To celebrate the kick-off of the 2014 Olympics we thought we'd pull a cool project from the archive:

Virtual Aerodynamic Analysis for the US Luge Team

Luge is one of the most exciting sports of the winter Olympics. A typical luge run consists of a person (or team of two) on a small sled, at speeds that can exceed 95 miles an hour, going down a course that has an average drop of 30 stories. Most sports measure results by the tenth or hundredth of a second but the difference between a gold and silver is so close that luge is the only sliding sport measured to the single thousandth of a second. Due to the extreme measurement, shaving even a couple of milliseconds off a final time can lead to a major competitive advantage.

Preparing for the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, Direct Dimensions was approached by the United States Luge team with an exciting problem that could be solved in 3D. The USA Luge team was looking at some very high tech methods for testing their equipment and improving their times; one of the testing methods included virtual wind tunnel testing.

The team was interested in testing various design modifications to their sleds. Rather than making many expensive, actual modifications and putting each one through expensive physical wind tunnel and downhill testing, the team was planning on having a 3D model. With the 3D model the athletes would then be able to view, with virtual testing, where their sleds would need improvement in order to maximize their speed and lower drag.

Given this challenge, the USA Luge team contracted Direct Dimensions. Our expertise in creating models for computation fluid dynamics analysis (CFD) combined with additional experience scanning individuals for the arts and entertainment market, made Direct Dimensions uniquely suited to work on the team’s project. Over the course of a couple of days, members of the USA Luge team and their sleds were captured in 3D by DDI engineers at our facility.

The sleds themselves were captured using a laser line scanner mounted on a Faro Arm. This equipment captured the exact shape and contours to an accuracy of about a tenth of a millimeter. The athletes were then scanned in full gear and on their sleds using a Minolta Vivid 910 scanner.

With the raw 3D data gathered during scanning, Direct Dimensions engineers then created reverse engineered 3D CAD models of the sleds and their athletes. These models allowed the team to conduct computation fluid dynamics (CFD) with greater precision and accuracy given the exact human measurements of team members in relation to their sleds.

After the 2006 games a few members of the team returned to Direct Dimensions with their doubles sled for further scanning and modeling. The modifications created from these 3D models will hopefully enable the USA Luge team to continue increasing their speeds.

ArtBytes 2014

Last week we had the opportunity to compete in the second ArtBytes Hackathon, hosted by the Walters Art Museum.

For those unfamiliar, a hackathon is usually a multi-day event that brings together skilled technical workers (such as software programmers, graphic and interface designers, and engineers) to create a project based on a theme. In the case of ArtBytes II the task was to create something inspired by or directly related to the museum's collection. At the start of the hackathon several projects will generally be proposed and then the workers will split into teams to complete their project by the event's end.

Direct Dimensions modeler Michelle Craft evaluates the Terra Cotta Adam and Eve for scanning

Several Direct Dimensions employees decided to load up our 3D scanners and see how we could be involved. We ultimately ended up working on two projects, George Crowdsourcington and our own Team Scantasia.

For our own project, Team Scantasia, we decided to 3D scan and model as many pieces from the museum's collection as we could. We scanned ancient Egyptian statuary, a terra cotta Adam and Eve and even a suit of armor. These 3D models will ultimately be used to create 3D content for the Walters' website and can already be viewed on our sketchfab site.

 

For George Crowdsourcington we 3D scanned a sculpture of George Washington that is being temporarily housed by the Walters. The sculpture was then modeled and sectioned into a 110 pieces. These 110 sections are available to be downloaded on a corresponding website. The end goal is to have members of the maker community each download and print a piece on their personal 3D printers and then send them to a central location where a full sized, crowd-sourced replica will be assembled.

Call for Papers: CMSC 2014

 

From CMS:

Coordinate Metrology Society Announces the 2014

Call for Papers

for the
30th Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC)

in North Charleston, South Carolina

Benbrook, TX – December 9, 2013 – The Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS) announced today their officialcall for papersfor the 30th annual Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC).  The CMS is the eminent membership association for measurement professionals around the globe. The organization seeks papers that explore the successful deployment of 3D coordinate measurement systems, industry best practices, scientific research and developments, and initiatives associated with portable metrology and related applications. The 2014 CMSC will be held in North Charleston, SC from July 21 - 25, 2014. The Coordinate Metrology Society convenes each year at the CMSC, a unique event designed for users of portable, high-precision measurement technology utilized to inspect manufactured and assembled components on the factory floor.

CMS community members and metrology professionals in manufacturing, scientific research, and academia are encouraged to submit abstracts for technical papers and presentations by the deadline of March 14, 2014. Guidelines for presentations and technical papers can be downloaded at 2014 CMSC Guidelines. The CMS Executive Committee peer-reviews each abstract for presentation at CMSC 2014. Notification of acceptance will occur on April 4, 2014. For more information about presenting a technical paper at CMSC 2014, contact Scott Sandwith, Technical Presentations Coordinator at presentations@cmsc.org. The CMS Executive Committee considers all technical papers presented at the CMSC, and selects the top papers for publication in the prestigious Journal of the CMSC.