From point cloud to complex digital model
The Queen Elizabeth II memorial statue in Swindon recently became the centre of attention in a new development in the city centre. It was decided by the council that the statue should be moved from the middle of the high street to a more appropriate location.
Bryan Williamson & Daughters are a specialist restoration firm who were supervising the project. They requested a 3D laser scan of the statue as they were concerned that a number of cracks would open up when they attempted to move it. A 3D scan would provide an exact replicate if the statue was damaged in transit.
The lion had to be scanned at close range at a resolution of 1mm. Once the scan was completed the data was post processed and converted to a solid mesh using geomagic studio.
Designed to handle the most demanding reverse engineering, product design and rapid prototyping challenges, Geomagic Studio transforms 3D scan data and polygon meshes into accurate 3D digital models.
The final model was then exported as an .stl file that could potentially be reused to cast a replica. The .stl file format is supported by many software packages and is widely used for rapid prototyping and computer-aided manufacturing. STL files describe only the surface geometry of a three dimensional object without any representation of color, texture or other common CAD model attributes.
