1. Scanner Set up and Pack up

See below format for connecting up the scanner: 

See below format for Packing the scanner away:  (Need to Insert Image of Scanner packed up)

2.  Scanner Technique and Troubleshooting

Upon connection of the scanner, open the Artec Software. 

Hit the tab 'Scan' . Here you should see the option to 'Preview' OR it might say 'Scanner not Connected' . 

To Connect the scanner , open up the Artec Installation Center and go to Hardware, and Click 'Activate' so that the Scanner says 'On Loan' . See Below: 

Once the Scanner is connected before scanning, check the following settings: (Insert screenshot of settings)

The scan process for an object should be like below, and should always be started at a 3D corner for future reference points if the scan loses it's position half-way through the scan: 

Primary objective for the scan is to get overall dimensions of height, width and depth and then second objective is to focus on complicated round features that will be difficult to model in 3D. 

Areas of darkness such as Legs on the base of products always struggle to scan and so will likely need shooting separately, especially as most sofa and bed legs are made form dark or chrome materials. Considering this, the scan should try and get the under edge of the sofa but legs do not necessarily have to be scanned in full as will probably be removed and modeled separately.

 Large objects may need multiple attempts to scan, if that is the case each scan will need to overlap for later alignment, see below: 

Post-scan global registration must be run to check if any part of the object has been missed or needs doing again. This can be done by going to 

Tools -> Global Registration -> Run

Once finished the scan may not be fully aligned however this will be done once all other products are finished due to time-constraints. The scans just need to be checked to make sure every aspect of the product has been covered despite alignment issues, alignment will be dealt with later.

Troubleshooting: 

-Scan losing Tracking:

Material: Chrome/Shiny material and very dark materials can sometimes be difficult for the scanner. One way to solve this issue is to turn the 'Material Brightness' up or down in the 'Scan' tab and then to move slowly, always keeping the scanner in range of an edge or crease. Another solution is to put stickers/tape/pen on the object to help the scanner recognize certain parts of the object, if the material is very flat it will be easy to remove the tape within the scan and fill the hole.

Calibration: The scanner may need to run a calibration. Go to File –> Run Diagnostic Tool and Start Calibration. Follow the steps shown.

Lighting: If the material is too bright or too dark due to lighting the scan may lose tracking. Once solution is to either block lighting from window for example, or try and add more lighting rigs to improve. The other way to solve this issue is to turn the 'Material Brightness' up or down in the 'Scan' tab and then to move slowly, always keeping the scanner in range of an edge or crease.

Flat areas on object: If the object is very square and very flat the scanner loses its reference. To solve this, put stickers/tape/pen on the object to help the scanner recognize certain parts of the object, if the material is very flat it will be easy to remove the tape within the scan and fill the hole.

-Scan stops unexpectedly:  

USB error: If the USB is faulty or loose, the scan will stop unexpectedly, replace the USB cable or tape to port for a more secure fit. 

RAM limit: If the laptop used is struggling for RAM the program will stop the scan. Either clear RAM by closing all programs or the long-term solution is to upgrade RAM on the computer.

3. Scan File Processing

Normally processing is fairly straightforward. The main steps are:

1. Import LEO scan

2. Save project

3. Start Global Registration with default settings

4. Inspect the point cloud and see if there are any issues. If not proceed to next step. If there are issues see troubleshoting section below

5. Delete any unnecessary parts (floor or support object)

6. Initiate fast fusion with default settings

7. Fill any holes in the mesh

8. Duplicate and decimate the mesh - in this case 1mln tri. But it varies depending on size and detail required. Skip if unsure. 

9. Export mesh as OBJ.

10. Check out the video below:

PROCESSING MORE COMPLEX SCENARIO

Step 1 - find and open scan project in Artec Studio

If the project was scanned with the artec EVA scanner - you just open the project folder and the .sprj file.

If the project was scanned with the artec LEO - there are 2 methods for importing. One is to import directly from a scanner connected to the local network.

Or you can copy from the LEO to the microSD card on the scanner then copy from the microSD card to the server. The file format is .prt which is essentially an archive. Once you have imported the scans you can save that as an Artec Studio project in order to keep your processing changes made in the software. The original .prt file can then be deleted. ONLY DELETE THIS ONCE YOU HAVE SAVED THE PROJECT FROM ARTEC STUDIO. 

Step 2- clean up unnecessary scans

Step 3- run global registration. 

this aligns the scans that are already in the same space, or fixes issues with scans that look deformed.

Step 4 - run global registration again on the other half

Step 5 - manual alignment 

add pins to the surface of the two halves where the features are the same so that the alignment do the magic after

Step 6 - run global again on the aligned part 

Step 7 - sharp fusion to create a dense mesh

Step 8 - delete the floor and save

Step 9 - optional - you can decimate the mesh using mesh simplification methods

Step 10 - optional - you can also generate a texture atlas with the texture tools

TROUBLESHOOTING

EXTERNAL RESOURCES