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Mark  
#1 Posted : Saturday, May 10, 2008 5:33:21 PM(UTC)
Mark

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Here is an interesting piece of software making possible to convert 3D Scan data (stl/obj) into editable CAD model.
It is called ScanStudio Pro.
Go to this website: https://www.nextengine.com/indexSecure.htm click on products then ScanStudio Pro and see included video demonstration.

Can this be done with all the tools we have in Shark???
Intel iMac-20,2 | macOS Ventura 13.3.1 | SharkCAD 14 |
jlm  
#2 Posted : Sunday, May 11, 2008 12:18:11 AM(UTC)
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Mark wrote:

It is called ScanStudio Pro.
Go to this website: https://www.nextengine.com/indexSecure.htm


Very interesting Mark.
If they had a Mac version, I would buy it straight away...
Thanks,
JL
lebeau  
#3 Posted : Tuesday, May 13, 2008 9:24:48 AM(UTC)
lebeau

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I have the next engine scanner. I used the stl file to reproduce a shape in Concepts (shark 4)

I'll put the images in the gallery this week. After scanning the data the mesh did not seem usable enough to make a model. They were a good reference though.

The solidworks demo of similar software (probably the same) is very compelling. http://www.solidworks.com/pages.../solutions/ScanTo3D.html

However demos always seem easy compared to actual use.

JL if you have an intel mac then a pc is only a reboot away with boot camp!


Mark L.
tmay  
#4 Posted : Tuesday, May 13, 2008 10:17:12 AM(UTC)
tmay

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lebeau wrote:
I have the next engine scanner. I used the stl file to reproduce a shape in Concepts (shark 4)

I'll put the images in the gallery this week. After scanning the data the mesh did not seem usable enough to make a model. They were a good reference though.

The solidworks demo of similar software (probably the same) is very compelling. http://www.solidworks.com/pages.../solutions/ScanTo3D.html

However demos always seem easy compared to actual use.

JL if you have an intel mac then a pc is only a reboot away with boot camp!


Mark L.


I'm pretty sure that Solidworks (Office Premium only) uses it own Scan to 3D software to create the model. Next Engine most likely only provides a seamless delivery to Solidworks.

tom
API  
#5 Posted : Tuesday, May 13, 2008 6:18:05 PM(UTC)
API

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If it actually work like that...
It would be very cost effective if the transfer to Shark was seamless and accurate.

Patrick
Mark  
#6 Posted : Thursday, May 15, 2008 6:16:23 AM(UTC)
Mark

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lebeau wrote:
I have the next engine scanner. I used the stl file to reproduce a shape in Concepts (shark 4)

I'll put the images in the gallery this week. After scanning the data the mesh did not seem usable enough to make a model. They were a good reference though.


lebeau,

What is your method for turning scanned organic shapes into CAD Models.

Mark
Intel iMac-20,2 | macOS Ventura 13.3.1 | SharkCAD 14 |
lebeau  
#7 Posted : Thursday, May 15, 2008 3:43:56 PM(UTC)
lebeau

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I was not really able to use the organic surfaces. I used the scanned file as reference geometry. I would like a chance to try the SolidWorks solution. I don't think the next engine software would be adequate. I would still like to have control over the surfaces after they were created.

See the gallery post for the example of the part I made.
zumer  
#8 Posted : Monday, May 19, 2008 8:42:39 AM(UTC)
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lebeau: "I would still like to have control over the surfaces after they were created."

An English marine engineer named Marcus Bole releases his PolyCAD program as freeware at www.polycad.co.uk . It's superb for mesh to spline surface conversion or vice versa and makes it as simple as it's possible to be to edit (subdivide, rebuild, or simplify, global or local) either surface type manually as opposed to automatically like INUS RapidForm does. IGES surfaces exported from PolyCAD import well into ViaCAD and accept all the usual manipulations. As well, Marcus' .geo format is clear plain english and numerical, so it's possible to create a file purely textually, or import .csv polyline coordinates. PolyCAD is good to work with and plays well with punchcad.
ttrw  
#9 Posted : Monday, May 19, 2008 4:51:24 PM(UTC)
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It should be worth mentioning Meshlab here too. Meshlab does pretty much the same thing as Polylab, but also works on Mac OS X (Intel), and is proper freeware ;)
zumer  
#10 Posted : Monday, May 19, 2008 5:51:02 PM(UTC)
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sorry, difference of opinion. Meshlab is semi automatic mesh or subdivision surface manipulation, doesn't work with spline surfaces at all, and doesn't offer the same level of manual control as PolyCAD. Horses for courses, but Meshlab isn't CAD.
ttrw  
#11 Posted : Wednesday, May 21, 2008 6:26:55 AM(UTC)
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Hi Zumer. I'm sorry if I mislead anyone. However I think I was just a little miffed because PolyCAD is Windows only (and isn't really freeware either- as you have to buy it after 30 days is up).

When I recommend software here, because I know that there are also many Mac users here too, I try to recommend software that is cross platform, as this doesn't discriminate against those who choose to use OS X. As you probably already know, Tim is probably the only developer around who offers a mid-priced solid modeling CAD package, that can be used for engineering purposes (ala Solidworks), as well as surface modeling, that can be used on Mac OS X as well as Windows.

That was all :)

Tom.
zumer  
#12 Posted : Thursday, May 22, 2008 9:10:40 PM(UTC)
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It doesn't address the PC-only thing, but PolyCAD IS free. It's stated on Polycad's home page, at right, near the top of page. Marcus does require that users register it after a month, but at no cost. I use the free David laserscanner system, and Meshlab helps out with cleaning raw data, but it doesn't give usable finished geometry, and it sounds like the Nextengin software doesn't either. I've seen impressive direct scan-to-near-finished-surface results from Rainbow Geometric and INUS RapidForm, but they're both out of my price range, so I've got to use the tools available to me. However, taking geometry numberically into Polycad from .obj is quite easy, and PolyCAD gives NURB handling features that are as powerful or more so than the big dogs, but not as automatic. I'm more used to working with conventional (AutoCAD and similar) CAD, so I do find PolyCAD's user interface to be more intuitive than much of ViaCAD, but intuition is a subjective thing.
Mark  
#13 Posted : Friday, May 23, 2008 10:39:15 AM(UTC)
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zumer wrote:
However, taking geometry numberically into Polycad from .obj is quite easy, and PolyCAD gives NURB handling features that are as powerful or more so than the big dogs, but not as automatic.


Zumer,

Thank you for your post. I am new to CAD world and Shark/ViaCad are the only
applications I have used so far. Do you know of any tutorials for noobs on the process of turning obj/stl scanned objects into Nurbs Surfaces in PolyCad?

Mark
Intel iMac-20,2 | macOS Ventura 13.3.1 | SharkCAD 14 |
Mark  
#14 Posted : Friday, May 23, 2008 6:12:34 PM(UTC)
Mark

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zumer wrote:
IGES surfaces exported from PolyCAD import well into ViaCAD and accept all the usual manipulations.


Zumer,

Are you sure about ability to perform usual operations with IGES surfaces imported to Shark/ViaCad?
Not knowing PolyCad well enough I have used demo version of Rapid Works to automatically create IGES surface from scan and imported to Shark/ViaCad, but there is not much I can do with it.
What am I doing wrong?

Mac OSX10.5, Shark/ViaCad
Intel iMac-20,2 | macOS Ventura 13.3.1 | SharkCAD 14 |
Mark  
#15 Posted : Friday, May 23, 2008 6:38:29 PM(UTC)
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Tim,

Can you help to define what type of operations we should be able to perform on IGES Surfaces imported to Shark/ViaCad?

Mark
Intel iMac-20,2 | macOS Ventura 13.3.1 | SharkCAD 14 |
Mark  
#16 Posted : Friday, May 23, 2008 8:43:56 PM(UTC)
Mark

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Mark wrote:

Not knowing PolyCad well enough I have used demo version of Rapid Works to automatically create IGES surface from scan and imported to Shark/ViaCad, but there is not much I can do with it.


Zumer,

You are absolutely wright. There is a lot I can do with IGES Surfaces in Shark/ViaCad. My setup for testing was wrong.

Mark
Intel iMac-20,2 | macOS Ventura 13.3.1 | SharkCAD 14 |
Mark  
#17 Posted : Friday, May 23, 2008 9:19:35 PM(UTC)
Mark

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zumer wrote:
IGES surfaces exported from PolyCAD import well into ViaCAD and accept all the usual manipulations.


Zumer,

You are absolutely wright. I have used Rapid Works demo to automatically convert scan data to IGES Surfaces. After importing IGES to Shark/ViaCad I can do almost anything with it. Using PolyCad to convert stl/obj scan to IGES Surfaces is still a mystery to me.
Can you help to figure this one out?

Mark
Intel iMac-20,2 | macOS Ventura 13.3.1 | SharkCAD 14 |
zumer  
#18 Posted : Saturday, May 24, 2008 12:48:16 AM(UTC)
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Mark, give me a couple of days and I'll patch together a demo and some instructions. It's not hard, except that in some cases entities are complicated and need to be reduced to be workable.
ttrw  
#19 Posted : Saturday, May 24, 2008 1:47:32 AM(UTC)
ttrw

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zumer wrote:
I'm more used to working with conventional (AutoCAD and similar) CAD, so I do find PolyCAD's user interface to be more intuitive than much of ViaCAD, but intuition is a subjective thing.


Indeed! It's nice too, to hear from folks who are passionate about their software! :D

I know it's OT, but have you seen Ribbonsoft's QCad? QCad is very similar to ACAD, but is far easier to use and a years licence only costs 13 (Multiplatform too!)
Mark  
#20 Posted : Saturday, May 24, 2008 2:30:58 AM(UTC)
Mark

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zumer wrote:
Mark, give me a couple of days and I'll patch together a demo and some instructions. It's not hard, except that in some cases entities are complicated and need to be reduced to be workable.


Thank you very much.

Mark
Intel iMac-20,2 | macOS Ventura 13.3.1 | SharkCAD 14 |
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