3D Scanning Newsletter - March

This month's newsletter includes:


Aircraft OML Reverse Engineering Enables Complex CFD Analysis:
When Texas A&M University Flight Research Lab needed to determine the suitability of a Gulfstream II for a critical flight-test program Direct Dimensions provided them with high quality engineered 3D CAD models that allowed them to perform complex CFD analysis to determine if the aircraft was a good fit.

Williamsburg Coffee House:
Laser scanning captures amazing details from the past during a historic reconstruction project.

Monumental Horse Sculpture:
Digital sculpture enlargement helps fabricate a monumental sculpture based on a clay model.

Direct Dimensions’ 2010 3D Scanning and Modeling Conferences & Events

Each year Direct Dimensions sends personnel and equipment out into the world to spread the word about our great 3D capabilities at a wide variety of events. We attend many conferences, trade shows, and events over a diverse range of industries from art to medical and aerospace to entertainment. We perform demonstrations, give talks and presentations, and lead technical workshops to help people learn about our latest 3D imaging technologies and how they can use our services and products.

Here are some of the events where you will find us in 2010:

APMM Conference, March 26-28, Boston, MA: Leading a workshop on diverse 3D imaging technologies available to the model making industry at the Association of Professional Model Makers conference.

GameTech 2010 March 29-31, Orlando, FL: Direct Dimensions’ face scanning experts are in Orlando showcasing our ShapeShot concept for this conference that deals with utilizing gaming technologies for military training.

Rapidform SUCCESS Conference 2010, April 20-23, San Francisco, CA: Rapidform’s annual reseller and users meeting, combined with technical training sessions.

RAPID2010 and the 3D Imaging Conference, May 18-20, Anaheim, CA: One of the premiere shows within our industry, RAPID2010 brings the 3D scanning & imaging and additive manufacturing communities together to showcase the newest technologies. Come see us at booth 206!

The American Association of Museums Expo, May 24-27, Los Angeles: We’ll attend the show to meet museum professionals and discuss our depth and capabilities in the areas of digital art and sculpture.

Maryland Society of Surveyors Conference, June 11, St. Michael’s, MD: We’ll be sharing our experiences with BIM (Building Information Modeling) and heritage site scanning.

Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC), July 12-16, Reno, NV: This conference provides a professional venue where ideas, concepts, and theory flow freely among participants. The educational atmosphere encourages attendees to network and learn about the latest innovations in the field of portable 3D industrial measurement technologies. Anyone in the metrology field should attend this conference! Direct Dimensions will be at booth 107 and Michael Raphael is a member of the 2010 CMSC Executive Committee.

SIGGRAPH 2010, July 25-29, Los Angeles, CA: This huge conference focuses on digital gaming, entertainment, and animation. Direct Dimensions will again showcase 3D & 4D face capture technologies from Dimensional Imaging.

Aerospace Measurement, Inspection, and Analysis, October 20-21, Orlando, FL: This is a new trade show around the 3rd technical conference from SME to showcase measurement technologies that support aerospace manufacturing. Michael Raphael is again a conference advisor.

International PolyWorks Users Meeting, Oct 26-28, Quebec City, Canada: Gathering of PolyWorks users and resellers, combined with technical presentations and demonstrations hosted by Innovmetric.

Check back often, we’ll be adding more opportunities to learn about 3D scanning!

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

Calling All 3D Artists

Call for 3D printed art at SME RAPID 2010

Attention artists working with 3D printing technologies, or "additive manufacturing" (AM) - the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) is holding its annual conference, called RAPID, featuring 3D Imaging in Anaheim, Calif. in May 2010.

This years conference will feature a gallery of art produced with AM technologies. A submission entry process is available online with a deadline of March 22, 2010.

Click here for complete information.

3D Scanning Newsletter - February

Case studies this month include:

3D Scanning Helps USA Luge Improve Aerodynamics - When the USA Luge Team needed 3D models of their sleds for virtual wind tunnel testing, they turned to the team at Direct Dimensions. Using a Konica Minolta Vivid and Faro Arm scanners, DDI not only captured the sleds, but also several athletes to create accurate 3D CAD models for each. Supported with high powered CFD software from the aerospace industry, the US Luge team and their supporters performed complex airflow analysis to minimize drag.


Giant Olympic Sculpture Brought to Life - One of our first 3D projects way back in 1995 was to use the FaroArm to digitize a sculpture model for the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta. The 3D data was required for structural analysis. Here’s the classic story about how we first applied an industrial 3D measurement tool to the fabrication of art, something we still do regularly today.

We also highlight the Surphaser HSX Spherical Scanner. If you haven't yet seen this amazing scanner, make sure to check it out. It is the only mid-range scanner on the market; with accuracy great for cars to airplanes!

Click here to read the full newsletter.

If you have not subscribed to our newsletter yet, you can subscribe here.

Direct Dimensions Employee Volunteers in Haiti

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!

3D Scanning Newsletter - January

January's newsletter has been sent out and is also posted on our website.

Articles for January include:

Scanning the Matisses: By special permission, this story presents our work with museum conservators at the Baltimore Museum of Art on the origin of several Matisse sculptures. The story features many of the compelling images we created from our 3D laser analysis of the shape of the sculptures and included in the publication and travelling museum exhibit ”Matisse: Painter as Sculptor.”

Jersey City Reservoir 3 Restoration: Constructed from 1871-1874, Jersey City’s Reservoir Number Three is important both for its historical structures and waterworks as well as for its status as the site of a burgeoning urban eco-system. Direct Dimensions 3D laser scanned and imaged the Reservoir's structures to assist in the restoration process.

CMSC Announces Call for Papers

CMSC announces a Call for Papers for their 2010 Conference.

Join the ranks of other metrology leaders as a CMSC presenter. Share your expertise with new and experienced users in Reno, Nevada, July 12-16. CMSC is looking for presentations and technical papers that explore technology, theory, and practice that advances coordinate metrology.

As always, Direct Dimensions will be involved in this conference and calling on our contacts to sign up to make presentations. Our company president, Michael Raphael, was elected to CMSC's Executive Committee at last years meeting in Louisville.

Now is the time to submit your abstracts, please see the conference website for more information.

For more details, visit the CMSC website.

Geomagic CEO sitting with First Lady at State of the Union

Ping Fu, CEO of Geomagic and one of the leaders of the 3D scanning community, has been invited to sit with the First Lady during tonight's State of the Union address.

Earlier this month Ms. Fu was part of a group of CEOs that met with the President and Whitehouse staff as part of the White House Forum on Modernizing Government.

According to an interview with the News & Observer:
"Fu assumes that administration officials wanted someone who represents "game-changing" small or medium companies that created jobs in 2009.

"Somebody was impressed with my company and the things I said" during a CEO technology forum at the White House on Jan. 14, Fu said. "The economy is the main issue, and creating jobs."

Congratulations Ping!

DI4D Open House February 3rd in Los Angeles

Do you work in the Film or Game industries? Are you in the L.A. area? If so, we encourage you to attend the DI4D Open House. Mimic Studios and Direct Dimensions will be hosting this event to showcase the amazing 4D Video Facial Capture System from Dimensional Imaging!

This revolutionary 4D camera system, based on passive stereophotogrammetry technology from DI3D™, allows you to capture fully-textured 3D facial motion at 60 frames per second! This data can then be output in formats and resolutions for film and game use.

Please call us at 410-998-0880 or email mraphael@dirdim.com for additional information.