DI3D Open House October 1st in Los Angeles!

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.

3D Scanning and Modeling Processes for Reverse Engineering Airplane OMLs

In addition to a presentation on working with large sets of scan data, Michael Raphael will also be giving a talk on 3D scanning and modeling Airplane OMLs. If you are in the area, make sure to catch this presentation Wednesday afternoon (September 30).



3D Scanning and Modeling Processes for Reverse Engineering Airplane OMLs

Michael Raphael, Direct Dimensions
There are many reasons why firms need to model the exterior contour of existing aircraft OMLs (Outer Mold Lines). Most aircraft flying today were not designed in a modern 3D CAD program. Even with a current 3D digital design, the actual as-built contour deviates from the intended shape, at least at some level.

A wide variety of 3D measurement technologies and modeling software tools have been used for nearly 15 years to accurately capture and model these shapes for many different applications and purposes. This presentation will focus on the evolution of 3D scanning methods and processes through many examples, with emphasis on practical application, costs, schedules, deliverables, etc.

Having real-world customers who demand higher quality and lower price over time for this application, Direct Dimensions has continually searched for the best tools and methods for performing these projects. This experience and perspective will be freely shared with the audience in order to develop an appreciation for the selection of such tools for these projects.

For a full schedule of presentations click here.

Aerospace Measurement, Inspection & Analysis Conference Presentation

As we mentioned previously, Direct Dimensions will be presenting twice at the Aerospace Measurement, Inspection & Analysis Conference.

The first presentation will take place Wednesday, September 30 and will talk about tips for processing massive data sets. See below for a description of the presentation:



Dense 3D Scan Point Cloud Processing Software Review
Michael Raphael, Direct Dimensions
With the advent of higher powered 3D scanners comes the challenge of dealing with the dense point cloud data sets. Direct Dimensions uses a wide variety of 3D scanning equipment to capture the as-built shape of existing objects. The common problem with all of these projects is the need to process the point cloud data. While applications fall generally into either reverse engineering and inspection, both directions present challenges for processing the large data sets efficiently, quickly, and properly. This presentation will focus on an overview of the software tools available commercially that address these problems with a comparison of the various workflows, strategies, and results that one can expect from the various solutions.

Mark Your Calendars!

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..

Direct Dimensions in 3D Artist Magazine

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.

SIGGRAPH 2009

We're currently at SIGGRAPH 2009 in New Orleans. It is a great show with a focus on the entertainment and visualization applications of 3D technology. We're at the show with Dimensional Imaging, demonstrating their DI3D and DI4D face scanners.

If you can't make it out to New Orleans, you can check out the videos below for a demonstration of this new face scanning technology.

Utilizing 3D Scanning for Historic Preservation

At Direct Dimensions we are using some new technologies that we believe are a perfect fit for preservation applications not only because they are fast and highly accurate, but because they are also non-contact methods of acquiring massive amounts of data that can be used for documentation, restoration and preservation.

The Druid Hill Arch is a perfect example of how our team was able to collect highly accurate data of a large monument in less than a day.

Step 1) A team of Direct Dimensions engineers and team members from John Milner Associates arrive on-site at approximately 8 AM to begin set up. Within thirty minutes they are ready to start scanning the arch.






Step 2) Using the portable Surphaser HSX Spherical Scanner the team was able to take over 20 scans in the next few hours. The Surphaser is perfect for architectural preservation projects because it can be taken anywhere (it can be carried on a plane) and is made to quickly and accurately scan mid-large range objects such as planes, vehicles and buildings.




Step 3) Our team finished scanning/data collection and was back in our office, aligning all the data by close of business the same day.







Step 4) Initial deliverables include plan views and elevations, but the data can also be used for physical reproductions, animations, renderings, virtual environments or anything else you can think of.





Stay tuned! We're still working on the Druid Hill Arch and are excited to show some of the 3D visualizations we've been working on.

CMSC presentation "History of the Articulating Arm"

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.

Real Time 3D Face Scanning

When Direct Dimensions was at the RAPID show back in May, we had a chance to demo our new face scanner, the DI3D, for Design World Magazine. We're very excited about this new face scanning technology and its applications. In just a couple of seconds the system captures enough 3D data for an incredibly realistic and accurate 3D face model.

Possible applications include:

Medical: surgical planning, analysis, and patient presentation for orthodontics, maxillofacial, plastic/cosmetics, ENT, craniofacial; medical appliances such as CPAP masks, burn masks, radiation shields, etc.; medical documentation and analysis, etc.

Entertainment: personalized avatars for video games, online social networks, movie CG animation, mass customized personal consumer items such as bobble heads, etc.

Security: facial recognition and biometrics, access control systems, facial databases

See the video below for a great demonstration of the DI3D in action.




For more on the DI3D system click here or you can also visit Dimensional Imaging.

3D Laser Scanning Historic Druid Hill Park Entrance Arch

Direct Dimensions, Inc. in conjunction with John Milner Associates will be in Druid Hill Park this morning, June 30th, 3D laser scanning the old Madison Avenue Entrance Arch to Druid Hill Park. The 3D scan data will be used to restore the arch, part of an on-going, park-wide restoration project.

About the Arch:
• The park itself is one of the three oldest landscaped urban parks in the country (along with Central Park and Fairmount Park in Philadelphia) and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The entrance was completed in 1868 and served as the main entrance to the park until it was separated from the park proper by the completion of Druid Park Lake Drive.
• In 1961 the arches, declared to be a traffic hazard, were almost torn down. $14,000.00 dollars were raised for the preservation of the arches and demolition was avoided.
• Almost 50 years later the restoration efforts are finally beginning.

3D engineers from Direct Dimensions and preservation specialists from John Milner Associates will be on-site at the Druid Hill Arch today from 8 AM to 1 PM, scanning this piece of national history.

We invite anyone who is interested to come down (Madison Ave and Druid Park Lake Drive) and view the scanning/documentation process. We’re happy to answer any questions and talk about the project.