The CAD Insider

You Thought You Knew 3D

New technologies that bring 3D models of the existing world will be displayed and discussed in “reality computing’s” first conference, REAL 2015.

Most of us work in 3D. Quite a few buildings are 3D BIM. Product design is done with solid modeling. Even mapping and GIS professionals realize the world is not flat. But, while making and visualizing in 3D, we often have only our imagination to see our creations in the world in which they will exist. A new building has to be imagined on the city block. A car has to be imagined being put together on the assembly line.

That is about to change.

3D digital model of factory was made using photogrammetry and is displayed amidst existing infrastructure.  Image courtesy of HKM, from Autodesk blog post.

New technologies are quickly emerging that promise to make it easier to model the existing world, the context of your creation, so you cannot just imagine it, but see it in all its glory – before it is created. This will have BIG implications for the work we do as architects, civil engineers and product designers.

• Architects could place a skyscraper within a skyline. Or hear how the wind might inadvertently howl in the space between buildings.
• A production engineer can see a CAD model of the latest car going through an existing production line. And see problems before they shuts down the line. (Volvo is actually doing this, see below)

A CAD model of a car heads down a 3D model of an assembly link, created from multiple 3D laser scans. (Image courtesy of Volvo)

So Many Questions. How Do I Get Started?

Either an architect or an engineer would be hard-pressed to model an existing city or an existing production line. There’s not enough time for that much modeling -- that much detail. But what if you could take a few photos with a point and shoot camera and bam! There's the 3D model.

Such is the promise. So vast is the implication. Can the entire world be so easily modeled? A digital home in which you can create, house your design, give context and scale? How do I get started? Is there more to it, more software to learn, hours spent manipulating point clouds, skills I don’t have or resources I have to contract?

Get REAL

Enter a new conference that explores this technology and hopefully answers at least some of these questions. REAL is taking place this February in San Francisco and it plans to address both the wonder and the reality of “reality capture.” Though being marketed to a broad range of interests (artists, visionaries, etc.), the conference will offer a lot to architects and engineers as well. Conference attendees should be able to get a reading on the state of the art in reality capture tools, such as:

• Photogrammetry – creating 3D models from simple digital photos
• 3D laser scanning, from expensive tripod-mounted rotating head laser scanners to cheaper “paint the model” hand-held scanners.
• UAVs (drones), which are incredibly cost-effective platforms that enable scans of large scale, from natural formations to square miles of a building site, highway construction, more.

The Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan, defaced and defiled by the Taliban, were reconstructed digitally from tourist photos. Image from Autodesk post. 

If work-related stuff isn't enough, there are some really cool applications of 3D scanning you will have to see. Dr Louise Leakey, paleontologist (yes, from that famous Leakey family) has been able to bring some of the most famous hominid skulls to the world digitally -- on your computer for close examination. You don’t have to go to Tanzania.  And remember the Buuhas of Bamiyam UNESCO World Heritage Site destroyed by the Taliban? Autodesk was able to reconstruct the towering, irreplaceable statues digitally -- from thousands of tourist snapshots found online! (see video) I'm hoping for that presentation to be made at the conference. 

And did I mention the conference is in San Francisco? A great place to visit.

For more information

REAL 2015 - official website. Use discount code REALTeN to get 25% off the registration fee.

Microdesk Is in Your Future with AEC, Civil Engineering Services

LAS VEGAS, NV (Autodesk University 2014) — Microdesk has been busy exploring how it can be of help to architects and civil engineers now and in the future.

Traditionally an Autodesk reseller with roots in the Boston area, Microdesk has grown to offices nationwide and plans its own future as a supplier of services. It is positioning itself as an enabler of some of the most advanced technology available — from Autodesk and others.

Microdesk will flies a camera-equipped UAV to create a 3D model of a building complex

Part of it is survival. Microdesk sees the writing on the wall. Software is going to the cloud. It was a theme hammered home at Autodesk University, as Autodesk speaker after speaker spoke of online applications, such as Autodesk's 360 series. I am hard pressed to remember mention of the software suites, those with Revit for AEC and Inventor for product design, that have long been the revenue mainstay of Autodesk resellers. More and more, vendors are selling directly to end users. Resellers are getting cut out of the picture.

With licensing revenue diminishing, Microdesk is banking on the need for its services. Microdesk offers services for a firm's current needs. It recently helped staff up for a large project in New York, putting a dozen Revit-trained operators immediately at the service of a firm that had no time to recruit and train on its own. It is also investing in the technologies that may have the greatest payoffs — technologies such as virtual reality, 3D scanning, aerial photography and photogrammetry.

Microdesk is an established provider of cutting-edge, large-scale model creation. Able to fly UAVs (drones) with cameras, it can quickly and cheaply (compared to old-school LIDAR scans from piloted aircraft) create the contextual model for your next office building.

Microdesk showing Oculus Rift VR at Autodesk University. While TenLinks' Kristin Halligan may be batting balls in the air at the moment, she was looking at a building site a moment ago. Really.

At Autodesk University, Microdesk was showing the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. Put it on and see yourself immersed in a Revit model. You thought it was just for gamers, but Microdesk has made it useful for professionals. You can see a design come to life, see what is overhead, see sight lines, see what a building might look like as you walk up to it, walk inside, look up to see the skylights . . . you won't want to take it off and face that you had been living a lie, fooling yourself into thinking you were working in 3D. What were you thinking . . . how can a 2D monitor even pretend to show 3D?

Laura Guzman, COO of Microdesk, admits virtual reality may be a bit ahead of the game for most architects, but she's smart enough to show it as proof that Microdesk is established in future technology and will be there for them when they are ready.

For more information

• See Microdesk website www.microdesk.com
• Microdesk Shows 3D AEC, BIM Scanning Service at New San Francisco Office - The CAD Insider, Oct 2, 2014

 

3D Scan and Capture the Hottest Topic at Autodesk University 2014

LAS VEGAS, NV (Autodesk University 2014) — 3D scanning and capture was maybe the hottest topic at this year’s Autodesk University, taking up considerable portions of the keynote speeches and floor space in the partner expo.

Autodesk has faith in the numbers. 3D scanning projected to be a $4B market by 2018

The show floor was abuzz with 3D scanning and capture products and services, including established companies and start-ups that recognized the need to add 3D scan and capture services.

Autodesk had a special booth that was hard pressed to hold all the companies that wanted to exhibit.

A few notable products are listed below.

Spike by ike Turns Your Tablet Into a Super Rangefinder

  The Spike device is a laser rangefinder that mounts on smart phone or tablet with adhesive strips and connects via Bluetooth to provide measurement capabilities par excellence, including area calculations. 

You can do this with ordinary range finders, but a tablet will provide a much larger viewer and, combined with the tablet’s GPS, the Spike can place the building being measured precisely on a map. Should you require additional measurements but are back in the office, Spike lets you create new measurements of the photo that was captured.

The device costs $619, though Stanley has a version of it for $299.

More information at http://www.ikegps.com/

threeRivers 3D Delivers

Unlike the start-ups in Autodesk’s booth, threeRivers 3D has been scanning and capturing 3D for years. They can sell you a black box with a turntable and a handle (which may contain a Minolta 3D scanner but threeRivers 3D has added patented LaserCode technology).

Your object sits on the turntable which rotates the object in front of the scanner. This results in less scanning time and a more uniform scan than the alternative method, which is to “paint” an object with a handheld device as you rotate around the object. The system has a 6x9-inch field of view so it can accommodate machined parts as shown below, though the company states its systems have found homes among medical (dental and foot orthotics) industries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the threeRivers 3D extensive gallery of projects.

More information http://www.3rivers3d.com

 

Germany's Cultlab3D had what may have been the most elaborate setup -- and probably the most expensive way -- to scan a small object. Cultlab3D is intended for museum artifacts, which, if priceless, might make the cost of this machine bearable. Not surprisingly, no price tag was found on this device.

 

Skycatch Makes 3D Models from Drone Photos

LAS VEGAS, NV (Autodesk University 2014) -There are occasions when the progress of technology — the realization that this is actually achievable — makes me feel like I am truly living in the future.

Skycatch brings together laser scanning, robotic drones, and software data analysis to bring you a cheap and reliable way to scan large areas such as building sites or areas of national heritage.

The technology used involves strapping the laser scanner to a remote-controlled drone, which sends the data to a base station for piecing together using Skycatch propriety software. Not only is this a quick way to get a 3D model of a large site, it is cheaper and safer than traditional methods.

What fascinates me is that once these technologies become feasible to bring to market many other opportunities are found that no one could anticipate before. Skycatch is now being used with a thermal imaging camera to monitor irrigation levels in fields, as well as calculating the volume of stockpiles within 1 percent of Lidar.

It is not often that we see a company making a business from a combination of technologies that seemed far-fetched even five years ago. I shall be watching Skycatch with interest.

Skycatch drone returns to its base at a construction site....

Base houses a battery quick swap mechanism, alleviating what may be the biggest shortcoming of drone use, a usage period that is measured in minutes.

Skycatch software integrates 3D model of site with CAD geometry from Revit

More Information

• http://www.skycatch.com/
• TenLinks Best of Show - criteria, nominate your product, apply to be judge

Nominated for TenLinks Autodesk 2014 Best of Show by:

Paul Munford is a CAD manager and writes in his blog, The CAD Setter Out, which contains tips, tricks and tutorials for woodworkers using AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor. More…

 

HP Sprout Integrates a 3D Scanner

LAS VEGAS, NV (Autodesk University 2014) - I had a chance to have a hands-on demonstration of the HP Sprout all-in-one desktop computer. The key differentiator for this product is the expansion of the human interface with a touch-sensitive mat that docks into the base of the computer with a magnetic connection. In addition to the HP Touch Mat, the Sprout also sports a high-definition HP DLP projector paired with a high-resolution camera. This combination opens a very unique design feature of the Sprout. Where most modern computers have integrated cameras, the Sprout has an integrated 2D and 3D scanner.

When the user places an object on the Touch Mat and activates the custom software, the Sprout projects a custom series of light patterns and records the results with the camera. The Sprout then analyzes the resulting images and extrapolates a 3D image. In addition to its 3D capabilities, the Sprout is capable of 2D scanning, multi-touch interface control via the Touch Mat, and a stylus.

The base specs of the unit include an i7-4790S processor, NVDIA GeForce GT 745A graphics, a 23” multi-touch capacitive screen, and 8 GB of RAM. The combined projector and camera create a paradigm shift in the user interface promoting touch in a way that has, to date, eluded most computer designers. The projected interface on the Touch Mat accommodates Microsoft “Modern” UI and programs that take advantage of the Sprout’s SDK. When I went to see the Sprout I had already heard of the product and, frankly, had a negative, pre-conceived notion of the device. After meeting with Brad Short, the inventor and HP technologist, it was not very long before I realized how wrong I was. If HP can push this technology to a V2 or V3 release, and possibly expand the format into a portable model, then this is a design that has the ability to affect the desktop world in much the same way that the iPad affected the portable computing world.

At $1,900, I am in desperate want of one.

More Information

• http://sprout.hp.com/
• TenLinks Best of Show - criteria, nominate your product, apply to be judge

Nominated for TenLinks Autodesk 2014 Best of Show by:

Curt Moreno is a CAD coordinator for a civil engineering firm and the owner and editor of the Kung Fu Drafter blog. He uses AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Map 3D and SketchBook Designer and is a featured Autodesk University speaker. More…

Microdesk Shows 3D AEC, BIM Scanning Service at New San Francisco Office

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - BIM consultant and reseller Microdesk is open for business in San Francisco, with their new office in the financial district. In their first Tech Talk Thursday, they invited potential customers -- and yours truly -– to show how UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles a.k.a. drones) can photograph nearby buildings, leading to 3D models.

Microdesk got its start in the Boston area 20 years ago, and now has 11 offices around the country. It sells its products and services mostly in the architecture and construction industry. Their newest office is in San Francisco and houses eight employees.

Flying the Drone

Peter Marchese, who is Microdesk's 3D scanning ace, came from his Philadelphia location to fly the UAV overhead San Francisco – nearby and always within sight. During its time in the air, it took a few photos with its GoPro camera but not enough to make a model. In contrast, a previous project took 6,200 photos and about a day to process.

Models are stored as .rcp (recap) files. To view them, we have to download a trial version of Autodesk’s ReCap, which, frankly, seems to me to be a little too much work. I await from Autodesk a lightweight RCP viewer. 

Bargain 3D Modeling from Photographs

Peter gave a presentation to the 20 or so architects who were in attendance that showed, among other things, how camera-equipped drones might actually be employed. The photos are copied from the GoPro’s SD card, and then uploaded to an Autodesk's cloud-based service, which, as if by magic, stitches the pictures together to make the 3D model.

Autodesk charges just $5 per model but is limited to 250 photos. Peter uses Pix4D and Sensefly for projects with more photos. 

I suspect the process to make 3D models may be a lot more labor intensive than we are being led to believe. At previous demos, the demo jocks don't actually show me the process, except that days later they come back with a model. I am not a believer of miracles; I expect a lot of work transpired. I find that Autodesk takes 4 to 8 hours just to process the photos. Peter has to comb through the photos and "help" the not-so-good photos by "connecting the dots" in multiple photos: telling the application that something in 5 different photos is really the same thing. This helps the stitching. But even if you add up a person and toiling away for hours, this is remarkably less time, effort and money than a model from alternative means: from a blank screen with computer modeling, or from a point cloud from a LIDAR scan.

 

Peter Marchese, far left, flies a UAV equipped with a GoPro camera near Microdesk's recently opened San Francisco office

 Here is a glimpse of a real project Microdesk was involved with

The 3D model produced by the demo is not perfect, nor is the process very streamlined. It takes many photos to make a detailed model, and uploading them all to the cloud takes time. The resulting 3D model is not easily shared. It looks grainy. Parts of it near the edge are distorted. Black spots show missing details, and there are many of them. In other words, it's not exactly movie-quality imagery.

However, I get the sense that improvements will be forthcoming. Photogrammetry is simply too compelling a technology, its uses so varied, and its cost of entry too low, for it not to attract users, adherents, and investment. The cost of the hardware is minimal compared to alternatives. The UAV is essentially a radio-controlled aircraft, available in toy stores. The whole rig, plane and camera, costs less than $2K, says Marchese.

With this demo, Microdesk is positioning itself as a leader in photogrammetry services for AEC and civil applications.

For more information:

• Microdesk's site: http://www.microdesk.com/
• senseFly - processes photos to make 3D models, plus sells UAV's and controllers
• Pix4D - processes thousands of photos to create geo-referenced 2D mosaics and 3D models

Related articles

Is That a Drone? Run for Cover

Autodesk ReCap Makes 3D Photos

senseFly brings UAV insight to AgGateway

Acute3D Turns Photos Into 3D Models

VANCOUVER, BC (SIGGRAPH 2014) - Acute3D was on hand to show that it, too, could make 3D models from photographs with their Smart3DCapture software.

 

Readers of The CAD Insider have learned about Autodesk's ability to create models from photos and may have thought Autodesk was the only game in town. As it turns out, an area in the south of France where Autodesk acquired this technology, was also the birthplace for Acute3D -- and may indeed have been a hotbed for the entire photogrammetry industry. 

 

 

Smart3DCapture, by Acute3D, operates similarly to Autodesk's 123D Catch and ReCap Photo. You take multiple photos of an object, varying the point of view as much as you can, and the software stitches the photos together, creating a 3D model.

 

It may be the same technology under the hood. The difference between the products and companies is still not clear. However, one basic difference Acute3D makes is that it does the transformation locally (on your own computer) whereas Autodesk's ReCap is cloud based and does it over the Internet. 

 

Acute3D is free to use for up to 250 photos at 20MB resolution each for a total of 5 gigapixels of data. Pascal Martinez, biz dev for Acute3D, say that should be enough to not just get you started but able to put together a fairly large model. 

 

"Like the model of San Francisco's financial district I saw by Autodesk?" and I realize too late I may be goading Pascal. 

 

"We made that model for Autodesk," says Pascal. "That was our people who did that."

 

Smart3D employs about a 11 of those people in Paris and in Valbonne Sophia Antipoilis, in the French Riviera, in close proximity to REALVIZ, the company Autodesk bought in 2008, and purportedly the technology hub of France.

 

 

 

City modeling is far from free, however. The highest addition of Smart3DCapture, Smart3DCapture Ultimate, starts at $27,300

 

For more info:

 

Aug 12, 2014 - Acute3D Launches Free, Basic Editions of Smart3DCapture at SIGGRAPH 2014

 

http://www.acute3d.com/

Fuel3D to Bring Point and Shoot to 3D Scanning

SAN MATEO, CA (MakerFaire 2014) - Getting 3D models from photographs seems magical when you see the results, but there are some barriers with existing systems. Consider Autodesk's 123D Catch, which involves someone taking 30 to 40 photographs. That's a lot of photos. A lot of data. And time. And though you don't have to be precise, some technique is involved as you must take a series of photos in two different orbits around the object. What happens if the subject moves? Racks of cameras shooting simultaneously can alleviate the time issue, but that means you have to have 30-40 cameras.

Fuel3D device contains a pair of cameras which take multiple shots with one click to generate a 3D model.

Fuel3D was at Maker Faire offering a system that seems to do away with the above problems

• It takes one exposure*
• There is one device.

People were lining up at their booth to get their faces scanned. Catering to individual vanity proved to be the way to draw a crowd. The ragged, incomplete scans were far from flattering, but the novelty seemed to make up for it.

Fuel3D was developed for biomedical application -- wound care, in particular. It could certainly lend itself to fitting objects around the face such as sleep apnea masks or prosthetics. Live subjects are a specialty. I expect a premium importance has been placed on accuracy and so I was hoping it could also lend itself to 3D scans for reverse engineering or other modeling of existing 3D objects but Fuel3D adamantly states that it is not capable or interested in it. Pity. The Fuel3D system can have an accruacey of 0.250 mm with the right conditions.

The device, which looks more like my bathroom scale than my camera, uses twin cameras mounted some distance apart. It is the difference in position that is used to calculate the position of points of the object in 3D space. The camera records color properties surface point positions, so it is subject to reflectance. Irregular subjects and surfaces (faces, skin, body parts), artwork, food...work well, shiny, smooth, sharp edges... not so good.

Perhaps that is a deficiency that can be overcome in the software? I hope so. The Fuel3D device offers considerable advantage over multi-shot or multi-camera photogrammetry systems.

When and How Much?

The Fuel3D is expected to ship October 2014. You can pre-order one for $1450 with mesh software included.

For More Information

http://www.fuel-3d.com/

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*Technically, not a single exposure but a series of shots are taken over half a second. Movement of the device during this time is removed from the result by using a optical "tracker," which the people at the booth were holding to their chins. A tripod mount would do away with the need for a tracker --though there is still a question as to movement by the subject.

EnvisionTEC Nominated for Best of Show at Solid Edge University

ATLANTA, GA (Solid Edge University 2014) - EnvisionTEC - a German 3D printer company is focused on precision. Indeed their first models were for very small parts, like replacement teeth. It is $10,000. They are now gradually introducing ever larger 3D printers, while maintaining the high resolution during printing.

(picture from EnvisionTEC blog)

For more information: see http://envisiontec.com/

TenLinks Judge

Ralph Grabowski, TenLinks' senior editor, is one of the leading CAD journalists and authors, with over a 100 books and many hundreds of articles. His upFront.eZine may be the industry's longest running newsletter. Ralph holds a civil engineering degree. More...

Sweet Gig - 8 Month Cross Country RV Trip to Promote Reality Computing

SAN RAFAEL, CA -- A giant blue RV took up a row of spaces at Autodesk HQ parking lot. It was ready to embark on an 8 month, 100+ stop journey to spread the gospel of reality computing and was drawing a crowd. 

For those who have not been following, "reality computing" is a concept Autodesk has coined and an initiative it is leading, which through a variety of fast improving and increasingly affordable technologies (including photogrammetry, 3D laser scans and point cloud processing) seems to have a goal no less ambitious than modeling all the existing world, a world of shapes for which CAD is mostly unsuitable.

TJ McCue, technology writer, on left, will be looking to spread the gospel of 3D reality capture across the country.

Autodesk employees file out of their offices to see what all the commotion is about. The event has attracted the local press (see Marin IJ article). A drone demonstration is provided as a 3D Robotics flies its IRIS UAV (they don't like to say "drones") over the RV that will eventually result in a 3D photo. Ice cream is served and speeches are made. An opportunity to break a bottle of champagne across the bow is missed.

TJ McCue, who will be commandeering the RV on its journey, is the object of much envy.

"I would so love to drive around the country doing that," I hear, no doubt an Autodesker who has to return to his cubicle after his ice cream.

Hey, This is Work

But TJ McCue, veteran journalist on a technology beat, knows this is no picnic.

Have you ever driven something this size? I ask.

"This will be his first time," says TJ. He's nervous about the wind. Believe it or not, no license is required for this behemoth of a vehicle unless it is to be used commercially. And this is a family trip. TJ's wife and son, 10 year old Joshua, will be accompanying him. Joshua is already fending questions about the school he'll miss. Not to worry, he's home-schooled.

What's inside the RV? I wander in, expecting it to be full of 3D hardware or set up as a mobile showcase, but it's just family living space. As winds gusts across the parking lot, I feel the vehicle sway and I think TJ driving across the Golden Gate Bridge to his first stop, the Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA.

How Much?
Autodesk is teaming up with HP, NVIDIA, FARO, Stratasys and Jayco (RV manufacturer and Autodesk customer) to fund the trip, which according to SWAG analysis will be in the neighborhood of $75K*.

Autodesk, as lead sponsor, is on a mission to etch "reality capture" onto your brain, the way CAD has been, and TJ's 3DRV journey is the first major step in doing so. It will be a major effort and even Autodesk knows it needs broad industry support and partners for it to happen. A reality capture conference in also being planned.

Sponsors Autodesk and NVIDIA launch TJ McCue on his 8 month journey to promote reality computing. From left, Andrew Rink, Marketing Strategy, Manufacturing for NVDIA; Angela Simoes, Sr PR manager, Autodesk; Etienne DeGroot, Director of ISV alliances, NVIDIA; TJ McCue; Robert Shear, Sr Director, Reality Solutions, Autodesk

Drone over Autodesk captures the RV for a 3D photo

More Information

• www.3drv.com -- official website, see the trip plan
• Twitter - Follow TJ McCue @TJMcCue or use hashtag #3DRV
• Forbes Writer Kicks Off Nationwide Tour to Highlight Autodesk's 3D Software - Laith Agha,  Marin Independent Journal
• Autodesk ReCap - overview of reality capture on  Autodesk site

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*Scientific wild ass guess, assuming TJ is paid only with the opportunity, RV time is borrowed, $200/day expenses (hotel stays to prevent cabin fever) $10,000 start up costs and allowing $17K for unforeseen costs (the RV's air conditioning is already on the fritz).

Related articles

Is That a Drone? Run for Cover

Autodesk ReCap Makes 3D Photos

Autodesk take 3D on the road, Sparks fly! #3DRV