Looks like ScanZ is getting closer to release. Contact Bruce if you wanna beta test it. It has potential.

Donny

http://www.brucerayne.com/scanz.html

That's pretty cool, especially for $25

Interesting... I had started working on womething like this, with the rotation controlled from the PC with a stepper motor. The program would take two pics, one with the laser on and one off, subtracted one from the other eliminating the need for a dark enviroment.

However I'm not much of a programmer so it was painfully slow and left me with nothing more than a pointcloud (no idea how to turn it into a solid).

If Scan Z is fast I'm definately getting it!

This has peeked my intrist and I looked at his instructions and I can't find the laser level he recomends. I did find the CRAFTSMAN®/MD Palm Grip Laser Level (http://www6.sears.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?categoryId=20890&catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&langId=-1&productId=158373283) and im wondering if this would work. At the same time I see lots of laser levels come with laser line-enhancing glasses in all there glory would a red gel lense be of any help to the camera?

automizer,
That Link you posted, looks to me, like the same thing, the instructions called for (just a different brand) It looks like it projects a bright enough line. I would think that the camera would be close to the object your going to scan.

whiteriver,
Looks like you found a very useful project. :)

Yea, you can't beat that price either!

Keep us posted

Later...
.

Here is another Sears link for one like Bruce, ScanZ's author recomended to me today.
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00948251000
This appears to be the exact same product as the GMC laser line
generator, with different coloured plastic, and a different brand name.

I just picked up a large commercial Siteline X-1 laser from a friend today. Nice very bright skinny line. Look foward to trying it tomorrow.


Donny

http://www.whiterivermfg.com

Just got a note from Bruce - the problem with some of the lasers - they have a Blob in the line - if you find a good substitute or ones that don't work well - I'm sure he'd appreciate the info. :cheers: Jim

Black & Decker makes a laser that hangs on the wall and is self leveling while projecting a bright and very wide line. About $60. Another alternative is go to Home Depot to the tile department and you will find another laser that sends out two lines at a 90 degree angle and is used to set tile. I believe it is made by Stanley and sells for $40. I have both and think either would be perfect for this. By the way Whiteriver, this is an incredibly simple and straightforward solution to a problem and I look forward to using your product when released.

For a Laser you want to look for a thin long bright line with no gaps in it. The thinner and brighter the better.
As for ScanZ. Its not mine. It's Bruce Rayne's. He is the author. I'm just a beta tester. I think the program will be a very good solution for the DIYer. He has been working on it for some time and took a break for 6 months. Now he is back on it and its close to full release. The more of you that show interest the harder he will work on it and the faster it will be finished.
Contact him and ask to beta test it. Offer ideas and solutions if you have them. He's a good guy to work with.

Donny

http://www.whiterivermfg.com

http://www.brucerayne.com/scanz.html

WhiteRiver,

Dan Mauch is close to releasing a 3D scanner also.
http://www.camtronics-cnc.com/

He is using a video camera to capture a wire shadow scan line. The software is able to scan the object on the fly from live video. Interesting stuff.

One way to produce a nice, uniform laser line is to project a laser dot on a rotating 45° mirror

Wayne,
I looked at the camtronics site. Looks like Dan has been thinking he would be finnished by June then October. Must have turned out harder or more expensive than he was thinking.
Do you still have that pdf on the process?

Donny

http://www.3dsom.com/ i have been messin with this no need for laser seems to work pretty good

http://www.3dsom.com/ i have been messin with this no need for laser seems to work pretty good

You don't need the laser, but you need an extra $2700. :eek:

Could you post a model that you've made with it?

whiteriver that sears one looks great but I can't get it in canada, non of the lazers you guys are talking about seem to be up here. There are versions of the same product but ther cheeper and made with more plastic parts. Time to grab the pass port and do a day trip to the grand ol US of A.
Now the turn table thats used any ideas were one can pick that baby up?

You have mail !


Wayne,
..
Do you still have that pdf on the process?

Donny

Hi All,

I found this thread last week and this is a really good idea, especially from a cost point of view. (must be my Scots heritage!)

Bruce sent me the mail yesterday and I downloaded the software, not really intuitive but I think I have the hang of it now. I couldn't find a laser level yesterday, it was a public holiday and most shops were closed, the one I did find is the same as Bruce's and is sold here as a Ryobi, US$100!! I wasn't prepared to spend that and so came home and built a laser line from a laser pointer I had in my drawer, (purchased at a flea market for the pricely sum of US$5!) Have a look at the picture- the beam reflects at a tangent off a clear piece of plastic wrapped around a cylinder. Needless to say the batteries went flat soon after I started, I suppose they are 5 years old, I made an adapter to screw into the rear of the laser pointer and I now have an external 9V battery with a 5V regulator inline. The laser and the cylinder is adjustable and seem to work quite well, total cost so far $0!

Next is the 'turntable' which is a 500mm (20")dia piece of Supawood (MDF) which I just happen to have, attached to another piece with a single wood screw, the screw is glued to prevent it from turning. This setup is rigid and works well. The divisions were marked out by hand using dividers and I have 48 divisions with a vernier scale in front so that I may divide those by a further 2,4 or 8. It would be very tedious to use higher ratios than 48 but who knows? The biggest error in my marking out is less than .5mm about 1/64" Total cost thus far $0.

Next the entire assembly is placed on a convenient work surface, the dining room table is good! You can see how it works from the photo, you can also see a 100x100x200mm square which I use for the calibration and setup. I intend to paint the roary table and the square black. (if I can find the paint for free) The aluminium extrusion sits where the camera would, (I was using it to take photos).

Once setup, I started with the photos, my camera is a cheapy, it was the first one at the time that I could get for around US$120. The flash is off and all the images were not bad. They are loaded into Scan Z and processed.

Now for the major snag, I don't have any program that can process an .obj file and so I downloaded http://www.micromouse.ca/ and I was able to open the file, this seems like a great piece of software as it will convert just about anything to anything. There is the picture of my scanned piggy, you will see the resemblance immediately between the original and the scan. !!??

I guess I need to refine my scanning techniques and the processing a little! Anyway this is a good start, the piggy is not really the ideal model as it has too many holes and I only used 12 segments which I guess really isn't sufficient. The piggy was the only thing I had to hand, I need to find something else. Total cost so far is a very economical $0, which really appeals to me. (If the scanner spat out dollar notes it would appeal to me even more!)

I would encourage all of you to give it a go!

Greg
www.hobbycnc.co.za

the lazer trick is a good idea, i did something similar with a project once, using a good quality chrome plated 3/4 inch socket wrench socket. You might want to try it, I imagine it would absorb less of your laser beam than what you described.

belli, im sorry but i don't realy understand your turn table design, how dose it spin?

belli, im sorry but i don't realy understand your turn table design, how dose it spin?

With his hand. :)

:stickpoke I kind of feel like the blue guy here, lol. I don't know what I was thinking seeing the main web site with the fancy motorized table I thought it turned while you took the pictures. Looks like its time to steal the lazy susan off the table

Hi Erase42,

If the angle is shallow, the beam gets reflected completely, even better than a mirror. The plastic can be any colour so long as the surface is quite smooth.

A lazy susan was my first idea, but I don't have one and didn't feel like spending money on one! I simple turn it by hand to each division and take the photo, it is actually quite quick.

Greg

so the more segments you put in the more detailed the 3D model will be?

Yep - but for now the beta version is limited to 12 segments. I'm toying with shooting the 12 then using the "mirror function" in Rhino etc to complete a symetrical model - I'll post picks as soom as I get my laser, take the shots and convert!
:cheers: Jim

You may find that your cheaper laser pointer gets dimmer or evn goes completely with your rectifier setup they will only tolerate a very small set of voltage/current setups which the button cells they come with provide.

Ben

Hi Plexer,

I am using a 9V battery to suply the laser through a 78L05 voltage regulator, I thought about putting a diode on the output to drop it to 4.3V but felt that it wasn't necessary as all the laser diodes I have seen advertised are rated at 5V anyhow.

Greg

Hi Greg,

I thought exactly the same thing when I wanted to modify a laser pointer for another use and this is the same setup I used, found after a while it got dimmer and then died completely you may want to drop that voltage before yours does the same.

The cheapy ones in pointers really are no good for customising you can buy a proper laser diode that designed to be used in different situations from most electronics places.

Ben

FYI: The object being scanned can be coated with a light powder (pun intended) so the laser beam is not reflected off any smooth surface.

Hi all,

Just to clarify, the beta version is not limited to 12 segments and to get a good scan you really should go for at least 48. There is no limit on the number of segments that I am aware of.
Greg

Hi,

Please, tell me how I can buy this software? What do you think, a laser head from a laser printer ( the optical system seems to generate a line - not check yet!) is not better than a pointer and any line converter to get the line? Could someone tell me what is the common power a laser head from a printer?

Thank you.

Zoltan

This is great,

Just what i was looking for, a 3D scanner at just the right price.
Will have to try and become a beta tester.

/Mikie

For a cheap accurate table you might try Harbor Freight. They have a 4" table with a vernier on it. It would not be hard to hook a nema 23 stepper motor to it and control it with Mach2 or some other software. Then you can get precise segments. I have done up to 360 pictures on a object. Thats 1 degree per picture. Vertical segments are limited to the resolution of the picture. i.e. 1024x768 would be 768 vertical segments.
Bruce is working on a smoothing routine that will clean up the laser line in the photos. Will be nice to see how that works.
As for picking a laser in the store. Turn them on and shine them on a object from about 3 feet away. You want the brightest skinniest most complete one you can afford. No blobs or missing sections. The skinner the better. Since that determins you detail.

Donny

link for table.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47052

belli - thanks for the correction - don't know what I was thinking - there are some limits, "The demo version of Scan Z is limited to a resolution of 40." in this case the vertical resolution is limited to 40 polygons not segments. Where did I get 12? Doooh! My bad - thanks Jim
ps I proved also a 4 dollar laser will make images - just not worth posting! back to the store!

Sorry to bring up an old post but...
the same "laser line" effect can be had by shining a laser through a clear piece of round acrylic.

joevennix
Heyyy Joe, (a favorite song of mine...)
...the same "laser line" effect can be had by shining a laser through a clear piece of round acrylic.
Can you "paint me a better picture here?" Is the laser shined thru the edge of a round piece of acrylic? If so, thats way cool - Seems like you could control how sharp the "lines" are by the thickness of the acrylic, and how polished.
Or have I got that all wrong? Seems like with this approach a laser pointer could be a cheap mod for this software.
Thanks, and,
:cheers: Jim

You can CERTAINLY color me STRONGLY INTERESTED.

a cheap shot for a line...... you know those plastic magnafaction sheets that have kind of a circle pattern ?????? just cut a small piece from the corner and put in the laser pointer hope it helps ..........

Okay... well here's a better description... shine a laser through a clear rod, and you get a laser line. You have to hold the rod at the right angle, but it's not hard to figure out. I'll post a picture of this when I get home.

:EDIT: Here's the link. (http://www.instructables.com/ex/i/A3D68E64F6F110279383000D61419BA3/)

Bump

you can also shine the laser on the edge of a chrome cylinder to create a line, I use a new shiny 3/4 inch craftsman socket.

you guys out there who have used this already what are you using to hold your camera still I see a problem in the when you go to push the take a picture buttin the cmera will move just enough to throw everything off, or am I missing something

I think the idea is to use either a webcam or a digital camera that can be controlled or used as a webcam when plugged into the computer.

The software seems pretty cool, I don't know how I missed this thread untill now.

Does anyone know if he is still accepting beta testers. I signed up about 4 days ago but still no word.

I guess he already quit accepting beta testers, for those of you that got in before the deadline , how is the software doing.

Hi,

I know that Bruce's team lost two games but they won the last one and so I am not sure why he hasn't responded yet. ;-)

Greg

any updates?

I would like to know the same thing. Is there any new information?

Thank to all...........

great idea and simply to do ( not the pc program )
in ireland is ease to finde the laser i bought mine for 15 Є you could buy this over the internet.
around 50 Є try argos.co.okhttp://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7017766.htm
i have everything i only need the "scan z" program so i can start playing
plus if it works i can make a litlle program for an pic microcontroller to rotate the table and take pict. automatic

I was wondering if an old LP turntable would work.. Just hook it up to a stepper motor

Do not see any reason why not.

Grab a stepper pop it straight through the middle of the turn table as more than strong enough to turn it.

Use a motor that needs 200 pulses per revolution and then it will be easy enough to calculate the amount of pulses to turn the amount of degree's you wish. Then get the camera to trigger at each position.

All good fun!

Regards

Sean.


I was wondering if an old LP turntable would work.. Just hook it up to a stepper motor

any updates?

Very interesting....

I would like to see some example result. Can you obtain more detail than what was on the website?

CrazyRonny

has anyone got a DXF file (or equivalent) of this scan software yet ?

Hi,

Got everything set-up and taken the images, does anyone know where I can get a copy of scanz or when Bruce will be putting up a download on his site. Applied for beta testing, but slightely worried I might have missed the boat. Found this aswell, a demo is avaliable, but I cant contact this guy to purchase the a full version http://3d.raca.biz/.

Thanks

the guy @ http://3d.raca.biz/ only uses Western Union... so I would be careful. not saying he would rip you off.


Tek


Hi,

Got everything set-up and taken the images, does anyone know where I can get a copy of scanz or when Bruce will be putting up a download on his site. Applied for beta testing, but slightely worried I might have missed the boat. Found this aswell, a demo is avaliable, but I cant contact this guy to purchase the a full version http://3d.raca.biz/.

Thanks

Just saw this thread, sounds like an interesting, fun and cheap thing to experiment with. I want it! :D Unlike everything else Im getting I have most of the 'stuff' needed and can afford everything else right away.
Whats the story with Bruce and buying it? Seems like no update in months....can any beta testers contact him and let us know pleaseeeeeeee......:)

whiteriver that sears one looks great but I can't get it in canada, non of the lazers you guys are talking about seem to be up here. There are versions of the same product but ther cheeper and made with more plastic parts. Time to grab the pass port and do a day trip to the grand ol US of A.
Now the turn table thats used any ideas were one can pick that baby up?

Why don't you just have someone buy the sears and send it to you, shipping will not be to much if it is labled a gift.

Cant even get a hold of the guy @ http://3d.raca.biz/, his email fails. Does anyone know of any alternative software? Has anyone actually got a copy of scanz yet?

I know thias isnt entirely related, works on a kind of similar priciple (as far as I understand it) thought some of you might be interested in having a look, http://www.vision.caltech.edu/bouguetj/ICCV98/index.html. Links to various source code aswell.

Here you have an flatscan example and a rotoscan of pr-scan.
My e-mail should work now ( info at raca.biz)

@tekno: Western Union... rip you off?!? Can you expain that better please, because i used to have 2checkout, but they rip me twice, and so some of my customers. That's why i went to WU.

Have fun
raca

With Western Union there is no way to prove that the money was received. Also there is no way to get your money back if the item you got is not the item you ordered. There have been many posting on Ebay about Western Union not having some sort of checks and balances

Anyone know if Bruce is still doing anything with the Beta. Been wanting to try the beta for his ScanZ, heck I am willing to purchase a copy. However I never get a response.

I think its gone by the wayside. No-one seems to have heard anything in a longggg time. Sorry.

thanks for the reply.

I hate to ask but did anyone here get the beta and are willing to share.

Hello all,
I thought I'd say a quick hello and let you know why ScanZ seems to have come to a grinding halt. Unfortunately ScanZ is very much one of my part-time pursuits, so when my full-time job is busy, or if life suddenly becomes complicated I have to put these projects to one side, and that is what has happened.

I've been completely inundated with emails and messages, and I haven't really had the time to get back to everyone of late. My apologies.

I also encountered a few technical issues with ScanZ which I will briefly explain:
Using this method to scan a 3D object has a few limitations, but one of them is driven by the resolution of the photographed images. This can cause a visible stepping over large, smooth areas of the scanned model. Unfortunately I have only been able to find two possible solutions to this problem. The first is to use a smoothing algorithm, which can of course take away other detail with it. The second is to use a lens to distort the photographed image so that it uses more of the horizontal resolution of the digital camera, though this just ends up making the construction of the scanner more difficult, and more expensive.

So, I have kind of given up on this problem and will probably just add this to the list of limitations.

Anyhow, ScanZ is still alive, it just needs a little more of my time, which will be coming soon. Here is what I have left to do:
Add DXF export option (it only does OBJ at present)
Add 3-sided polygon option (it only does quads at present)
Add smoothing algorithm

Everything else is pretty much ready for release. I'll take this opportunity to remind everyone to have a look at the limitations of this software. Keep in mind that this was never designed with CNC in mind. It was designed to help me as a 3D modeler so that I could get unusual shapes into the computer to use as a starting point for creating my model.

Thanks again for everyone's enthusiasm and interest, and I will be sure to post any progress reports on this forum.

Regards,
Bruce Rayne
www.brucerayne.com (http://www.brucerayne.com)

Bruce - Thanks for that! I know a lot of folks have been interested - and hey - at a $25 entry cost (planned) for the release version a lot of limitations will be understood! Any thoughts about other output file formats? Seems like what I',m using gives me lightwave (as I recall - must be the obj file extn) and I translate to stl using Acutrans. Then have an stl file to work with. Direct to stl would be helpful - but Hey -- again at low entry cost a lot of forgiveness for limitations!
:cheers: Jim

Bruce -thks for the time todate, I can fully understand. I do have one question have you considered using a scatter patern ( maybe by rotaing a prism infront of the laser at a different speed to the movement of the camera / rotary table )

once again hats off to you - it's been said before and hopefully it will continue to be said "the Ppl on the ZONE are FANTASTIC in their adivice and knowledge"

I've received dozens of excellent suggestions on how to improve the scanning process, and although most of them are theoretically possible, almost all of them stray away from the real simplicity of this process. If I was to build a complete 3D scanner, along with the software, I would have the sort of control to be able to use multiple lasers, multiple camera angles or a scatter pattern. One of the primary goals of this software is to enable someone to build a 3D scanner by themselves, very quickly and easily and without buying expensive or difficult to find equipment.

I may look at producing a "professional" package in the future that will enable extra options available for people willing to build more complicated scanners. To be quite honest I have had many people that have been unable to setup and understand the process as it is, and I'm not sure I would have the time to provide technical support for anything more complicated.

Bruce Rayne
http://www.brucerayne.com

Hi Bruce, I hate to bug you as I am sure a lot of people do. However are you still letting people test your Beta software. I would love to try it out if so. I would even be willing to pay for the beta.

Hope to hear from you
Chris
tazznchop@comcast.net

Once I've made these small changes, I will definitely be adding more beta testers. I'll post information on this forum when it's ready to go.

Bruce

Once I've made these small changes, I will definitely be adding more beta testers. I'll post information on this forum when it's ready to go.

Bruce


Bruce I would like to be added to the beta list. Im would even be happy to support the effort if needed.

Tek

I've been cruising about this forum for a few months now. And I can't believe all of the cool stuff I stumble across almost every day. I've spent countless hours trying to get a strange shape into a 3D model because scanning was too expensive.

Build it, and they will come.

As soon as your selling, I'm buying.

-john

Once I've made these small changes, I will definitely be adding more beta testers. I'll post information on this forum when it's ready to go.

Bruce

I to would be interested in trying your system out and beta it.

joe

Id like to buy it when its fully finished....for $25 right?! :D

....are you willing to negotiate bruce?....I can offer you $13 up front and $12 in $2 monthly installments.....;)





Only kidding. The program does look really really cool.

update??

really looking forward to some INFO Rf: Updates etc....

This is the latest update:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30450

I haven't made any updates as yet as I've had virtually no feedback. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing!

Bruce Rayne

Bruce,
I have and older style scanner I know from experiments that is is able to scan upto a depth of ~90mm (~3.5") I was wondering what would be the design approach to incoperate this into my 8Ft x 4Ft CNC router. reason being I was thinking it could be used to scan large surface models

Salty

Bruce,

I'm sorry Salty, but I don't know even the first thing about CNC routers. This scanner project was always designed as a means for scanning non-symmetrical objects into a 3D modelling application. It was never intended for CNC use, but that's where most of the interest arose.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Bruce

All I was thinking was attaching the scanner bar to the Z-axis (height adjustement) and then running the scanner bar over the top of a shape to give me a really BIG flat bed scanner...
Might be even able to add some sort of level senser to automaticaly adjust the scanner bar within say 30mm of the top of the sanned image,

Any thoughts???