GBTC (The Greater Baltimore Technology Council) is holding a "Hottest Tech in Town" competition as part of their 21st annual TechNite event. Direct Dimensions, showcasing our ShapeShotTM service, is one of the finalists and we would appreciate it if you took the time to vote for us!
Click here to read more about ShapeShot!
Click here to vote for Direct Dimensions as the Hottest Tech in Baltimore!
Direct Dimensions, Inc. began offering portable 3D measurement services in the spring of 1995. At that time, 3D industrial measurement technology was in its infancy as portable computing power was just beginning to develop. Somewhere around then we got our first laptop – hardly even a computer much less a laptop by today’s standards!
Having helped develop a revolutionary new industrial 3D measurement device called the Faro Arm in the early 90’s, I was inspired to start this company dedicated to the application of advanced 3D measurement technologies for a wide variety of uses. More than a company, we strove to create an environment which inspired innovation and development; a place where our employees, as well as our customers and vendors would embrace the challenge of implementing new technologies.
Year after year, together, we have pushed the limits of a broadening range of 3D technologies to solve increasingly complex problems for an expanding spectrum of industries and applications. Today we can look back at our portfolio of thousands of such projects – all contributing to a body of knowledge within our company that I feel is unsurpassed anywhere in the world.
Fifteen years ago we started with a single Faro Arm. Shortly after that we added a Kreon laser line scanner. Since then we have continued to add new tools for solving 3D problems of nearly every size and shape. Our company has essentially evolved into a working R&D lab, outfitted with advanced equipment and talented employees all underwritten by the services and products we provide to our customers.
As we continue to take on new challenges, new employees, and new equipment, we will continue to discover better ways to solve 3D problems. Projects that were unimaginable 15 years ago and nearly impossible 10 years ago, we can now accomplish in hours. Our innovation and perseverance have allowed us to expand our customer base beyond our original aerospace roots. We now provide fast, affordable, and accurate 3D scanning and modeling services to virtually all industries, including art, architecture, consumer products, the medical field, and the entertainment industry.
Beyond our little 3D industry, recent innovations in social media now allow us to keep in better contact with our admirers. The creation of YouTube and SlideShare offer excellent platforms to showcase our highly visual projects and presentations. We also send out regular newsletters, have a company blog, and we even tweet!
A special thank you to our many wonderful customers, vendors, and employees who have helped make the last 15 years so successful. We look forward to the next 15!
Michael Raphael,
Founder, President & Chief Engineer, Direct Dimensions, Inc.
Direct Dimensions Digital Modeler (and amazing volunteer!) Jessica Brodsky recently spent time volunteering with the Relief Foundation in Haiti. Her time was spent distributing medical supplies and working with children at hospitals and an orphanage. She also used her artistic skills to help create a mural in the hospital cafeteria.
We're proud to have Jessie as a member of our Direct Dimensions team!
This month saw the completion of major project that began, for us, in 2007.
The Genius of Connecticut bronze sculpture, standing eighteen feet tall, started its life perched at the top of the statehouse in Hartford in 1876. It was damaged in a hurricane in 1938 and subsequently placed in a storage facility, where it stayed until 1942 when it was melted down for the war effort. All that was left of the sculpture was a full size plaster model which was later coated in bronze and displayed in the lobby.
In 2005 the Connecticut State Legislature decided to recreate the original Genius of Connecticut sculpture in bronze and place it back atop the Capitol Building.
Direct Dimensions was brought in to 3D laser scan the eighteen foot sculpture in 2007. A 3D model was created from the scans and the model was used by Polich Tallix foundry to create a new bronze sculpture using traditional casting techniques.
Earlier this month, the completed bronze recreation was installed in its temporary home in the Capitol lobby. Check out the video below for footage of the sculpture being installed.
On December 16th, the Emerging Technology Center (ETC) of Baltimore held the first Maryland TechCrawl.
According to the ETC, "At the first Maryland TechCrawl, 21 local technology companies presented their products or services. The event drew people from the Baltimore - Washington, D.C. region, bringing startup companies, investors, executives, community connectors and local media together to forge partnerships, increase visibility and showcase the new technologies."
Direct Dimensions took the opportunity to present our new ShapeShot technology. It was a wonderful chance to get some feedback and refine our message.
The event also included a pitch competition where each of the 21 companies had 60 seconds to deliver their best product pitch/demo. At the end of the evening the ETC's board of directors chose the best pitch. We were honored to have ShapeShot chosen as the winning pitch.
It was a great event and we are looking forward to next year!
You can read more about the event here.
This Friday, November 20th is the grand opening celebration for the newly reconstructed Charlton's Coffee House in Colonial Williamsburg. It is the only structure of its kind, an authentic 18th-century coffeehouse, in the United States.
You can read about the events planned for opening day here.
Direct Dimensions was lucky to be involved as part of the pre-construction team, utilizing our 3D technologies to help document the coffeehouse's 18th century foundation.
To learn more about how, keep reading.
Case Study: Digital Preservation of Revolutionary Coffeehouse
In the summer of 2008, Direct Dimensions visited Williamsburg, Virginia to document the condition of the existing remains of an original ‘coffee house’ that George Washington was known to frequent.
This particular coffee house, owned by Richard Charlton during the 1760's, was one of several that had flourished in the area due to their popularity in London and abroad. Coffee houses of that time were known for more than their coffee, tea, and chocolate served to the colonials - they also hosted informal and spirited intellectual conversation. This activity made Charlton's coffee house one of Williamsburg's political and business ‘hotspots’ of the time.
DDI worked with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to laser capture what remains of the coffee house’s stone foundation. Of the original structure, only part of the brick foundation and some wooden fragments are still intact. We scanned the exposed foundation and the earthen floor with our Surphaser HSX spherical scanner.
This unique scanner captures extremely accurate and high resolution data over a medium-range (2-10 meters). The Surphaser is a non-contact laser scanner so none of the delicate centuries-old foundation was harmed during the data capture process.
The raw 3D ‘point cloud’ data gathered in Williamsburg was then digitally modeled back at the Direct Dimensions facility in Baltimore, Maryland. The final surface mesh model can be used to analyze the archaeological features found at the site.
Last month we posted a presentation that Michael gave at SME's Aerospace Measurement, Inspection & Analysis Conference on Reverse Engineering Airplane OMLs. One of the issues that often comes with large scan jobs, such as airplane scans, is how to handle massive amounts of 3D scan data.
At that same conference Michael and Peter Kennedy, our production manager and a specialist in processing data from large jobs, also gave a presentation on tips and software for dealing with dense point cloud data sets. You can view the presentation below.
Last summer we had the opportunity to scan an amazing piece of history: an original life mask of Abraham Lincoln cast in 1860 by Leonard Volk. The life mask is owned by the Kunhardt family, who are 5th generation Lincoln scholars, and was scanned for research purposes for a documentary they were making. You can read about the original Lincoln lifemask project here.
High quality renderings of the digital model made for the documentary have subsequently been used by Philip B. Kunhardt and Peter W. Kunhardt in their book Lincoln, Life-Size.
The book examines images of Lincoln's face, each page containing various portraits at life size. As the owners of one of the largest 19th century photo collections, the authors have a specific interest in comparing how Lincoln’s actual appearance fares against artistic renderings of the man, as well as the often-distorted daguerreotypes and photographic media of the mid-1800s.
Lincoln, Life-Size is being released today and can be purchased online or at a bookseller near you. If you want to see some incredible images, photographic and digital renderings, make sure to check out this book.
Additional 3D Lincoln reading:
Lincoln Memorial: Digitally Preserving America's National Monuments
Bringing Lincoln To Life in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
In case you weren't able to make it to SME's Aerospace Measurement, Inspection & Analysis Conference in Baltimore last month to hear Michael Raphael's presentation "3D Scanning Methods and Equipment for Reverse Engineering Airplane OMLS," we've posted it below for you to view:
If you have an interest in face scanning and are going to be in the LA area October 1st, we encourage you to attend our DI3D and DI4D open house. Please call us at 410-998-0880 or email mraphael@dirdim.com for additional information.
We are reaching out to regional aerospace related companies with an opportunity that we believe you should strongly consider. September 29 to October 01, 2009 the Aerospace Measurement, Inspection & Analysis conference, presented by SME is being held right here in Baltimore alongside the Aero & Defense TEST 2009 show. We attended Aero & Defense TEST in Ft. Worth last year and it was a great experience. We are thrilled that it is being held in Baltimore this year, a very convenient location for us and many of our customers.
This year Aero & Defense TEST is being held in conjunction with the Aerospace Measurement, Inspection & Analysis conference; three days of technical presentations geared specifically to inspection and reverse engineering solutions in the aerospace industry.
Direct Dimensions will be giving two presentations: Dense 3D Point Cloud Processing Solutions and Reverse Engineering Airplane OMLs but there will also be presentations on automating the inspection process, additional reverse engineering case studies, ultrasonic composite inspections and more. Presenters are industry experts that are using this technology everyday and come from Northrop Grumman, NASA Goddard, Boeing, and National Institute for Aviation Research, just to name a few (you can see the full presentation schedule here ).
We found that Aero & Defense TEST was well worth our time last year and now that they pairing up with the Aerospace Measurement, Inspection & Analysis conference, we consider it a “can’t miss”. Especially if you are in the Mid-Atlantic area and you have the time, we think this is a great opportunity to hear some really informative presentations and see a great show at the same time.
Please visit the Aerospace Measurement, Inspection & Analysis and Aero & Defense TEST websites for more information or feel free to call us if you have any questions..
At Direct Dimensions we have an extensive toolbox of hardware, software and skill sets that we are constantly adding to. One of our top digital modelers, Dan Haga, has been exploring the functionality of Rhino 4.0 with the Pointools plug in to make a model of a Lamborghini Reventon.
The Lamborghini Reventon project caught the eye of the staff at 3D Artist Magazine and they featured the project and Dan in the "Work in Progress" section of their most recent issue.
Click Here to read the article.
Direct Dimensions is at CMSC this week. Make sure to stop by and see us at Booth 703.
If you have time tomorrow between 1:30-4:30, make sure to stop into the "Metrology Systems Fundamentals" seminar. Michael will be giving a presentation on the history of the articulating arm. For a sneak peek, check out the video below.
If you don't have time to catch the presentation or can't make it to the show, just check back here early next week. We try to make a habit out of posting show presentations so that everyone gets a chance to see them.
