|
Measuring Up: Laser Scanning Software Tools |
|
by John Myers, Connect Press Editor
While laser scanners are the keystone of any laser scanning operation, the software that organizations use to clean up and alter their data also play a critical role in the process. The software tools used with most laser scanning projects allow engineering organizations to define how the data will be used and how to implement it with maximum effectiveness.
Presented below are some of the most exciting entrants into the competitive world of laser scanning software.
PolyWorks
Polyworks has been in the business of creating software for 3D scanners and CMM arms for the last 15 years. The company is heavily focused on the field of manufacturing engineering, with an extra emphasis on the phase between the design of a part and its production. “We focus on areas that have not really used a lot of 3D metrology in the past,” said Marc Soucy, President of Polyworks. The reason for this is that in the past they relied on unwieldy devices that were very difficult to use while accessing machinery within a product.
With the release of portable machines, the devices became capable of using the measuring system inside the process to discover problems that might have an impact. “This can help reduce costs and lead time. Our goal is to help engineers do their jobs to help analyze things they could not attempt before,” said Soucy.
There are a few major features that distinguish Polyworks’ products from the competition, according to Soucy. “Our software can handle all kinds of measurements; we can do point clouds, we can do arms, photo trackers and manual CMMS and we can let users operate these instruments from a single platform. “I think universal platform capability is a huge trend right now and it is where we are putting most of our focus,” said Soucy.
Secondly, Soucy said PolyWorks includes a number of engineering software capabilities. “The majority of point cloud software is focused on dimensional control. This means that if you measure a part you can compare it to a CAD design. We can do that but we have a whole set of tools that are not related to dimensional controls, such as virtual assembly which allows customers to create virtual simulations of their parts and check interferences and clash. In the past, this was something customers had to do physically. Polyworks will allow users to efficiently find errors, we call it point cloud engineering because it allows users to use point cloud data inside the engineering process. Lastly, we can also handle complex assemblies. We are really pushing the limits for the ability to handle assemblies,” said Soucy.
In summary, Soucy said that PolyWorks will release a new version in the early first quarter of 2009. The latest version will support a higher number of devices and improved probing capabilities to increase the quality of point cloud data. It will also feature a higher number of instruments that can be run from the same platform and new engineering analysis tools. “These trends will define our direction,” said Soucy.
Quantapoint
Quantapoint created the technology to help companies working in the design industry create what they describe as “laser models.” The company was founded in 1991, and according to James McGill, Vice-president of Marketing and Business Operations for Quantapoint, the company has logged over 150,000 man-hours working on laser scanning projects.
McGill said Quantapoint’s goal is to help their customers create a zero-defect work process, by using their software products to create a laser model. A data set is distinct from the more common point cloud solution because it creates a solid model rather than a transparent model. The result is a photorealistic panoramic laser image with a high definition 3D model that can be accessed in 3D CAD.
“The result is very visually clear, not just a fog of points like in a point cloud. I can see things like text and bolts and I can zoom in for an even greater level of detail,” said McGill. He also added that the data created by Quantapoint is typically 1/10 the size of other laser scanning files and can be used with proprietary software.
Prism 3D
Prism 3D is Quantapoint’s software product designed for customers who are looking to work with the scanned data without importing it into a CAD program to work with the data. It includes the following features:
- The ability to import CAD data to check for clashes.
- Files that are comparably small and can therefore be easily accessed over a network.
- Visual Navigation that grants a top-down presentation of the data.
- The ability to hover a pointer over any point in the visual representation of the data to get measurements and XYZ coordinates.
- A feature that allows users to create a dragline between any two points and generate measurement data.
- A maximum .25 inch uncertainty between any two points.
- The recreation of the scan detail is high enough to capture small details like a power cord running across the deck of an oil rig.
- The Clipping Manager, a tool that lets users hide points that might be obfuscating a view.
- CAD models can be imported and inserted into the scan data.
- Clash detection functionality that highlights trouble points in red.
QuantaCAD
QuantaCAD is a similar product to Prism 3D except it is designed to allow users to work with their laser scan data inside of a CAD program. With QuantaCAD users access the same 3D scan data as in Prism 3D but with a menu overlay that appears in their preferred CAD software.
- The ability to combine CAD data with 3D scan data.
- The ability to create point to point measurements using a dragline.
- A feature to create 3D pipe measurements and find XYZ coordinates.
- A clash detection feature that highlights problem spots in red.
For the future, McGill said Quantapoint’s goal is to expand the number of CAD packages their software integrates with and also to grow the size of their business by increasing the number of offices they maintain worldwide.
eMicroscribe
eMicroscribe has been making hardware and software products for the reverse engineering market since 1999. Currently, the company has two software products available.
Mus is a basic CAD agnostic software program that allows users to acquire 3D data points.
SDK is a software development kit that allows users to develop their own plug-ins for the CAD system of their choice. eMicroscribe has developed tools to work with all of the major CAD packages.
In the future, eMicroscribe plans to update their software line, and an upgrade will be released for SDK in fourth quarter 2008, which will include the ability to run multiple instances on a single computer and take measurements in parallel.
Also, eMicroscribe is planning to release Mus 2.0 in 2009. The new version is expected to include a graphical user interface.
John Myers is a journalism graduate from the University of New Mexico and the editor for CATIA community and SolidWorks community.
|
|
| 1 - 2 - 3 - All - Next Page |
|
| Published 2008-12-03 21:57:03 |
|
|
