I've just started playing with a new technology and I wanted to share and get some thoughts and ideas.

I hooked a Kinect sensor to a PC and started 3D scanning objects, namely my Camaro. I'm thinking that this could be useful when it comes to further modifying the car.

I've been wanting to flair the fenders and if I can get a good model of the fender I could then model a flare to it and then 3D print the flair and then just flip the model and print it again for the other side, and do it as many time as I want.

Scanning parts could also lead to engineering better replacements parts in CAD software in the future. Anything from front 3rd gen spindles to a IRS for 3rd and 4th gens. I've seen articles about using 3D printing to create molds for casting parts or of course models for CNC machines.

This is one of my first test scans that I did of the engine bay.
(IMG:http://www.incom-racing.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/engine-test.jpg)

I need to work on the software's settings and I used a i3 laptop to do the processing. I think things would go smoother with more horsepower in the PC. The software uses the graphics chip to do some of the heavy lifting.

I looking at getting a 3d printer this summer, though it won't be big enough to print a fender, but it is a start. I would love to build a 40" Reprap printer.

Keep in mind, I'm an IT guy, not a mechanical engineer.

That's pretty cool. What was the cost to get started and what file type(s) can you save as?

That's pretty cool. I didn't know you could do that with a Kinect unit. How long did it take to process the data?

The software that I'm using outputs in three formats: STL, OBJ and PLY. All are common 3D formats. The processing is close to realtime, the more CPU and GPU you have, the faster you can scan.

You still need to pull it into some other app to work with post scan. Currently I'm using Meshlab and Blender.

Cost depends on what you already have. If you have a high end gaming PC all you need to scan is a $100 Kinect for Xbox (or $250 for Kinect for Windows) and free software from Microsoft. You can't use a Kinect that came bundled with an Xbox because you need a additional power supply that is included with the standalone version and the Kinect for Windows.

As for a PC, this is a little less clear. I think any i3 or i5 level processor will do, but for Microsoft's tool you need a good graphics card that fully supports DirectX 11 (a lot of the 3D processing is off loaded to the GPU). You can find a base card for $50, but the ones Microsoft recommends are in the $150-$200 range. There is other software that can scan with out the DirectX 11 requirement, but they are not as good or have $300+ price tags. I don't know how much memory is optimal, but I bet more is better. I currently scanning with 4GB of Ram, a i3 CPU and low power mobile class GPU.

That is so cool, 3d printing is definitely going to be the way to manufacture parts soon, it seems like the technology is growing so quickly. I read an article in HotRod magazine about the Agent 47 Harbinger Mustang, which is turn-key 1969 mustang pro-touring car that is street legal, but with an hours worth of work can compete in American Iron. They use 3d printing to make lots of parts for the car. If you want to check out the car, http://a-47.com/

I'm an IT fella also... I've got an Xbox360 and bought my Kinect sensor separately. I also have 1) a 8GB i5-2520M laptop and 2) a 16GB i7-3770K desktop that I'd be willing to play on. Is there a way to separate the scanning and processing functions, so perhaps I could scan with the slower mobile i5 and process on the faster i7? Or someone could scan remotely and send the files to someone else to process faster?

Can you provide links to all the software/tools?

I'm not sure what you mean by "processing", I'm guessing that your talking about the actual generation of the mesh model. I think it is possible to generate the mesh later by just recording the depth data and running the integration later, but you would have to write your own software to do it.

The software the Microsoft has out, generates the mesh in real-time buy using the 3D processing built into the graphics card. Also the more move around an area, getting your object from multiple angles, the more it improves the accuracy of the mesh. Microsoft's tool is limited to some extent, but it is just an example in the Software Development Kit. So if you know C++ or C# you can make it do more that the examples are capable of.


The "Kinect Fusion" scanning tool is part of the Kinect SDK (Software Development Kit).
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/kinectforwi.../Downloads.aspx

This is a detailed article on Kinect Fusion.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn188670.aspx


Additional software:

Meshlab is a editing tool that allow you to modify the 3D meshes. It helps when it comes to 3D printing. (open source)
http://meshlab.sourceforge.net/

Blender is a 3D animation tool and has a very good 3D modeling features. I haven't done much with this yet. (open source)
http://www.blender.org/

This is an open source CAD tool, but I haven't tried it.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/free-cad/

This looks promising. I have been getting into 3D printing some parts for work and currently working on acquiring a 3D printer in house. Right now I am involved in creating models in SolidWorks, saving them as a STL file then sending them out to our vendor for printing.

To print a fender flare in 2 pcs, you will be looking at a very pricey machine. I've learned 2 things while looking into 3D printers. Materials and build space are your main contributors to the machine price. After that comes layer thickness and "precision" of the machine. Then you also get into HOW the machine prints. Some act like a hot glue gun, heating a spool of material and laying it down called Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) or what they call a "jetted process" where the material is a liquid that acts like a typical ink printer. It will "print" material then use a UV light to instantly cure it. You get a much finer/smoother surface. The issue you may have is the surface finish of the part. From your picture, it looks very "grainy" and not smooth...something you most likely DO NOT want to print lol.

To print such a large item in a material you could theoretically USE, you are looking at a $200,000+ machine lol. At least what I have found. There are really 2 MAJOR dealers in printers, 3D Systems and Stratasys.

I would be interested to see how this scanner scans say a coke can or a coffee mug. Something small and simple. Then see how it scans something with more detail.

OP do you have access to a 3d modeling software like Solidworks? I'd also be curious to see how a 3D modeling software interprets said scanned part via STL.

This post has been edited by Smitty2919: Apr 3 2014, 05:43 PM

I've tried to bring in STL's in Pro/E, but it doesn't handle them well. Using meshlab, you can create a DXF, which both Solidworks and Pro/E import better.

There are some third party tools that will supposedly take an OBJ and create a usable surface model, but I haven't had any luck with them.

I just got in an Asus camera, similar to the Kinect, and I'm trying to use reconstructme (free) to do some scanning, but I'm having issues so far. reconstructme also works with the Kinect.

Microsoft had a second generation Kinect coming out this summer that is promising to be more accurate. From what I've seen from people that have the preview versions of the Kinect 2, it have much better depth resolution and HD cameras vs. the SD cameras in the Kinect 1.

I'm also going to try to test laser scanning, but it looks like it will require more manual processing.