Brady,
Sending u an e-mail.
Brady,
Sending u an e-mail.
@ Graham, I use govt. surplus polish and that is smallest size you can get.
@ Brady, nice response. I was indeed referring to a retopology. I have seen various reverse engineering software packages that can do the job and was wondering if you used one. Your example of the drill housing showing that the scans are so good you can just work directly from them without need of conversion is pretty cool.
Will,
Yes, I use several reverse engineering software packages, depending on the job at hand. The reality is that I get some, but not a lot of call for solid files for end use. Most either machine or print the data, so conversion isn't necessary. None of these RE packages are cheap to own or maintain, BTW...maintenance fees alone could have bought a ShopBot or two so far. It's the cost of doing business - you have to be prepared!
-B
High Definition 3D Laser Scanning Services - Advanced ShopBot CNC Training and Consultation - Vectric Custom Video Training IBILD.com
Usually it's necessary to use reverse-engineering software to retrieve the "design intent" from scanned data and generate clean geometry, if you intend to produce mechanical parts that work. For some purposes, if you get a really clean scan (like Brady's drill) you can get away without it. But if you need holes that are really round, curved surfaces without random noise, or mating surfaces that won't need re-machining afterwards to be flat, it's hard to avoid that extra step. For organic sorts of things, though, it's a whole different story - 3D scans can work just fine as-is.
Best reverse-engineering softwares for my opinion are Solidworks, Geomagic and CATIA, I've used a trial version of Geomagic Design, it's pretty user-friendly for a person like me.