3D scanning with the Artec Space Spider from Start to Finish

In this video we are going to be scanning a McDonald’s egg McMuffin from start to finish using the Artec Space Spider and Artec Studio software.

The Space Spider is a high-resolution 3D scanner based on blue light technology. It is perfect for this application because we want to capture the McMuffin in full detail. For this scan, we will use the scanning turntable to easily allow us to capture 360 degrees around the object minimizing the number of setups we have to do.

In the image below you can see the live feed of the scan happening in Artec Studio. As we scan the McMuffin, there’s a false color on parts of the scan. When the scanner is held at the correct distance, it is shown in green on the screen. Too close and the scan will show orange, and if too far away, it will show blue. We will try our best to keep the scan at the correct distance keeping the central bar in the correct area.

3D scanning an egg mcmuffin with an Artec Space Spider

Next, we will pause the scanner and flip the egg McMuffin over and start scanning again. This allows us to capture the other side of the egg McMuffin so that we generate a full model of both sides as well as the entire thickness of the sandwich.

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Cleaning up Scan Data Using Artec Studio

We are now finished scanning. Each of the scanning operations took a little over a minute. We will now walk through the steps of cleaning up the scan data to create a full-color, high-resolution model in Artec Studio.

Cutoff-plane Selection

The first step is to erase all the unnecessary data. The piece that we need to remove is the turntable. We can isolate the first scan and use the Cutoff-plane Selection tool to erase the turntable data. This step needs to be done on the second scan as well.

Using the cutoff-plane selection tool in Artec Studio

Erasing Extra Data

The next step is to turn both scans on. To do this, select the 2D Selection Eraser tool and isolate the sandwich with a large cursor. When we invert the selection, it will delete everything that is away from the sandwich. Finally, we will delete the hanging data with the 2D Selection tool.

2D Selection tool in Artec Studio

Aligning Scan Data

Now that the data has been cleaned up, we will align the two scans and combine the first and second scan together by identifying a coordinate system. To identify a coordinate system, you must identify matching reference marks on the sandwich. In the image below, we see there is a small piece of cheese and some common char marks that we can use. We will use the Align Command tool to fine tune our alignment.

Using reference points to align the two scans in Artec Studio

Global Registration

Next we need to run Global Registration using the default values. This process takes all the collected data and registers the data against the neighboring data to reduce duplication. This process takes about two minutes to complete.

Global registration tool

Noise Reduction

We are going to use the Outlier Removal tool to reduce noise using the default values. This will eliminate the floating data around the sandwich and clean up the edges of the individual scans. This step takes about 40 seconds to complete.

Sharp Fusion

The next step is to generate a fusion. We’ve selected the watertight hole filling option because our intention is to 3D print this egg McMuffin. Creating a watertight fusion is an important step to run the slicing algorithms for 3D printing. We could do whole filling after but, in this case, we will let the sharp fusion algorithm do the whole filling in one single step. The sharp fusion step took about 45 seconds to complete and now we can get a first look at the actual mesh that we created from the scan data.

3D scan mesh of an egg mcmuffin

Small Object Filter

We can now run the Small Object Filter which will delete everything except the largest mesh. This process will remove any small floating data. We are now ready to move into the texturing phase.

Texturing

We selected both the scan of the upper and the lower half of the sandwich and will wrap the texture files to add color to the scan data. This will give us a full-color model ready for 3D printing.

There are sliders to adjust the brightness, saturation, hue, contrast and gamma. We can adjust those but will leave them as is for now.

Below is our finished full-color, high-resolution model of an egg McMuffin. As you can see, each step takes very little time, and we are able to create the model quickly and easily.

Final full-color model of an egg McMuffin

Do you have a scanning project that you need help with?

Our applications experts have years of experience working with various types of scanners in a wide variety of industries. Contact us as we would be happy to review your needs and advise how 3D scanning can assist your business.