Abbreviations

Abbreviations used - Glossary of 3D scanning terms

• 3D SCANNER – It is a device for capturing the shapes and textures of physical objects and then converting them into digital form for further processing on a computer.
• ACCURACY – The accuracy of a polygon mesh is measured by the deviation between the measured data and the actual object. Accuracy is determined by the type, specification and settings of the scanner. For 3D scanning, not to be confused with Resolution (see below)
• ALIGNMENT – 3D scanning involves placing one of each scan into a reference system to create one whole, complete model. Also given as registration.
• CAD – Computer-Aided Design – created digital model for design, engineering and manufacturing. Models are made up of various geometric shapes such as triangles, lines, cylinders and surfaces. Typical CAD format is .stp and .igs.
• CAE – Computer-Aided Engineering – digital simulation of object performance and assemblies. CAE consists of finite-element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.
• CFD – Computational Fluid Dynamics – a digital process by which engineers can simulate air, liquid or gas flow and flow behavior in various designs and environments.
• CMM ARM – Coordinate Measurement Machine – a device that uses a point or ball probe on a positioning arm, allowing the user to point-scan 3D data from a physical object.
• CMM ARM ENCODER – opto-electronic device, detecting incremental lines on the scale to determine the exact position of the arm. An encoder is also known as a read head.1
• CNC machine – Computer Numerical Control – is a computer-controlled machine tool that can create a product in several axes to increase production accuracy.
• CAI – Computer-Aided Inspection – computerized inspection of a scanned product with an ideal CAD model to determine the accuracy with which it was manufactured.
• CUSTOM PRODUCTION – Use of 3D scanning and dedicated software to create an individual design at an affordable price. It is often used in medicine or in sports for the production of prostheses, shoes, or dental implants - for individual physiology.
• DIGITAL ARCHIVING – saving physical objects in the form of digital models to save time and costs.
• DIGITAL RECONSTRUCTION – scanning of a physical object for its subsequent reproduction in quality as close as possible to the original
• DYNAMIC REFERENCE – transferring the reference zero to the scanned object and locking the coordinate system in which the scanner moves. The result is an increase in scanning accuracy regardless of vibrations and other environmental influences
• FEA – Finite-Element Analysis; a digital process by which engineers simulate how an object's structure behaves in different environments.
• NORMAL – In 3D space, it is a vector directed perpendicular to the surface, or a line
• NURBS – Non-uniform Rational b-spline; a mathematical model used in computer graphics and CAD to create curves and surfaces. (surface represented by square plates, controlled by grids)
• OPTICAL CMM SCANNER – 3D scanner, whose position in space is scanned by the CMM optical reference station. The optical stereoscopic CMM camera captures active or passive marks placed on the 3D scanner and the part and places them in the coordinate system using a dynamic reference.
• PHOTOGRAMMETRY – Metrological procedure for very accurate measurements from stereoscopic images.
• PLM – Product Lifecycle Management – ​​practical monitoring and organization of a product from its inspection to the end of its life cycle.
• A CLOUD OF POINTS – is a cloud of points in 3D space represented by X,Y,Z coordinates. It is mostly a surface representation of some physical object. The most common recording format for point cloud is .txt, .igs, .ascii.
• RAPID PROTOTYPING – the process of quickly creating a physical model or assembly using 3D STL or CAD data. 3D scanning is usually at one end, 3D printer at the other.
• REVERSE ENGINEERING – The process of finding out the technological aspects of a device, object, or system through the analysis of its structure, functionality, and operation. In 3D scanning, the process of reverse engineering involves scanning an object and subsequent reconstruction of its shape in specialized programs, into a 3D model.
• DISTINCTION – Defines the size of the detail captured by the polygon mesh in millimeters. It can also be compared to screen resolution in pixels. The higher the resolution, the more triangles are contained in the polygon mesh and the more data needs to be collected to build it.
• REPEATABILITY – Differences in repeated measurements by a single instrument, taken by a single person on the same part under the same conditions.
• SELF-POSITIONING 3D LASER SCANNER – Laser scanner using retro-reflective position markers as reference. Such a scanner does not need any external reference, as positioning is ensured by triangulation between the scanner's cameras and the pattern created from the position marks. Data is captured in real time.
• SELF-POSITIONING 3D SCANNER WITH WHITE LIGHT – the scanner obtains its position relative to the physical object being scanned by looking at the distorted pattern of projected white light on the scanned part. These scanners acquire their position continuously in real time as they move around the object.
• STL – StereoLithography – polygon mesh recording format based on stereolithography CAD programs created by 3D Systems Inc. and supported by other programs. STL is generally used for rapid prototyping, reverse engineering, as well as for quality control as output from 3D scanning.
• TRIANGULATION – method of determining coordinates and distances. It is performed by trigonometric calculation. An imaginary triangle is constructed, one side of which is the side of another already known triangle with two end reference points and the third point is the place whose coordinates are being determined
• POLYGON NETWORK – output from self-positioning 3D scanners. Typical formats are .stl, .obj, sat, and ply.