I was wondering if anyone here was using or know someone that is taking laser scan point clouds and turning them into editable 3D surface/solids. I need something more than STL files.

The programs I have looked at include Rapidform XOR, GeoMagic, CopyCad(now part of Powershape) as well as the Reverse Engineering add-on for Rhino. Cost is a major factor on most of these programs so I am looking for a cheaper alternative to bridge the gap.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Unless you need to do this frequently, don't bother looking for a software solution as they are as you noted quite pricey. Find a 'service bureau' that does this all the time with those softwares and pay only for the once in a while that you need it.

My firm provides these services everyday and we're in our 15th year of doing just this. Happy to help.

If you need a good solution for processing 3D scanned data in order to obtain nice clean 3D meshes you should look at MeshLab

http://meshlab.sourceforge.net

it is an open source tool for mesh processing and 3D scanning data management. It includes tools for aligning range maps, merging them, simplifying, cleaning, etc etc..

it is free and available for Win, Mac and linux.

p.

While MeshLab is open source and a good meshing software, it won't get you to Nurb surfaces, much less feature-based editable ones in a solids CAD package. Only Geomagic and Rapidform have this functionality.

Try Blender 3D, open source, totally free. Very full documentation. Forum and FAQs....In fact everything you need......I would imagine, but being myself a "Newbie", I have not yet needed such a program yet......please test and post your personal findings. Its only a 10MB download, which is good......

You can find it at:-

http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/

Let me know what you think as I am also considering using it eventually. Its also available in many languages.....

Best wishes.

Thanks for the input.

I will look at the software listed as well as take what people have emailed me providing the conversion services into consideration.

Doing this in house will be more cost effective when I can show my client a working scenario though I will look at outsourceing for the short run to fill the void if I can't jump immediately into a working conversion package.

I have lazer scaned then brought the point info in to Mastercam using a add-on from Verisurf (http://www.verisurf.com/products_reverse.php )I was able to make a mesh and from the same tool change this into a surface model. I was reverse engeneering a product for a company and then needed to be able to change the surface area to change the flow.

'Mesh to surface' is an option in 'rhinocad', but i could not get it to work properly without freezing the PC.