The linear scanner is ideal for low-angle contours in diffuse-reflective materials (i.e. footprints in sand).
The process for utilizing the linear scanner is as follows:
- In the 3D Scanner page of the H-Series Controller, press the "Move to Scan Position" button. It is critical that the scanner not be installed at this point, as the turret will try to move. If the scanner is installed, the turret will not be able to move and the machine will lose its U-position.
- Install the scanner to the auxiliary bracket by sliding the upper hole over the first auxiliary pin (as below) and connect the two cables to the side of the electronics cabinet. Wait until the "Calibrate" and "Start Scan" buttons become active (indicating successful communication between Scanner and Controller - this could take up to 2 minutes)
- Place the calibration coupon on the center of the bed (coupon attached to this page - print with no scaling - as a check, squares should be 0.25" on a side, or 3.5" across the long side)
- Click "Calibrate" and choose "Linear". The bed should move in +X by several centimeters, then back to its original position, then toggle the lasers, then move up in Z, then toggle the lasers again. If the machine does not move and calibration fails, adjust the lighting on the calibration coupon (well-lit matte surface works best). The lasers should be aligned with the Y-axis as well as possible. To adjust this, go to "Start Scan" and "Activate Laser", and manually adjust the laser lens.
- Once calibration is complete, place the object on the center of the bed.
- Select "Start Scan" and complete the dialog box.
- "Scan range" is the total length of your scan
- "Step size" is the resolution along the length of the scan (along the width of the scan, the resolution is defined by the pixel density of the camera)
- "Activate Laser" will turn the lasers on to adjust starting position, which can be jogged with the array of movement buttons. The scan will start at the left (-X) of the object and move to the right (+X)
- Press the "Start Scan" button and wait until Scan and Upload are complete
- Refresh the 3D Scanner tab and download the scan
- Open the scan with MeshLab
- Remove any clearly erroneous data points
- Generate a Screened Poison Surface Reconstruction
- Save mesh
- Run the Diabase Scan Processor application on the surfaced mesh
- Once you press the "Process" button, the Processor will output an .OBJ file which is easily editable in Fusion 360 and other software.
To process the file in Fusion 360:
- Import a mesh
- Convert the mesh to T-spline
- Trim off any unwanted edge defects