When was the last time you used 3D?

If you are like most people, it is a constant in your life because you can see the world through your own eyes. The concept of multidimensional imagery is a natural phenomenon that occurs within us all. Perhaps this is why 3D technology has become a highly desirable innovation, and is at the point of maturity in the marketplace. Never before have there been so many different 3D technologies.

3D plays a major role in our lives. Everything from the energy we use to the products we consume. It is in the cars we drive and the houses we live in. Businesses are using 3D technology to enhance their business processes and products in exchange for high-quality and high-performance. Every company in the world should consider how they can utilize 3D in their industry.

Furthermore, every person in the world should consider how they can personally use 3D technology to make their lives better. The applications are limited only by your imagination. 3D entertainment has been booming lately with a number of products becoming available for consumers, but this is only the beginning. In the years to come there will be an explosion of 3D in the household. If you are not into 3D yet, you need to see what is out there.

Why 3D Camera Technology Will Be the Future

The State of 3D Imaging Standards – How Good is Your Scan?

In the world of metrology, there are both contact and non-contact measurement methods. Non-contact measurement is the fastest growing segment, with new methods and technologies being introduced every year. But how do you evaluate the performance of these new products? Many people look to standards organizations for the answers.

There is an existing standard for 3D scanners, the German VDI/VDE 2634, but it is not recognized as an international standard. Two committees are working on standards for scanners (ASTM International’s E57 and ISO’s Technical Committee 213 Working Group 10), but these standards are probably several years away from being published.

There are several types of technologies and dozens of variations being used for short-range 3D imaging. These include:

• Area Imagers
• Line Scanners
• Single-Point Scanners
• CT Scanners

An internationally-recognized standard would make it possible for end users to make informed decisions on what technologies can be applied to their applications. A standard would also make it possible to compare different systems to understand the strengths in different technologies.

Even though there are no international standards, users can take it upon themselves to ask for data from manufacturers to help them understand how their products will perform in their applications.

Read the full article

Getting Started in 3D Scanning

Recently, Professional Surveyor Magazine wrote an article title, “Getting Started in 3D Scanning.” It is a fantastic look into how 3D laser scanning is changing the way typical applications have been done for years. In particular, the article discusses how laser scanning is raising the bar in the surveying, construction and civil engineering industries.

With the release of the FARO Laser Scanner Focus^3D, the laser scanning industry has suddenly been shaken with a product that has captured the attention of many in the laser scanning field. Never before has the public seen such a device with its compact size, weight and intuitive operational touch-screen, be capable of providing engineers with the ideal tool. Capable of scanning at almost 1 million points per second with a 395ft scanning radius, the Focus^3D is more portable and easy to use than ever before.

Now, professionals in the surveying field have an affordable option in laser scanning that is fast, user-friendly and convenient. To read the entire article titled, “Getting Started in 3D Scanning” click HERE.

GM Reports Profit Ahead of Stock Offering

Ahead of its pending stock sale, General Motors (GM) announced a third quarter profit of $2 billion. Next week, the company will initiate an initial stock offering (IPO) of 365 million shares at $26 to $29 a share. The IPO will raise about $10 billion and allow the company’s largest current owner, the U.S. government, to reduce its stake from 61-percent to roughly 43-percent. The profit report certainly can’t hurt public appeal.

GM reported that strong profits on new cars and trucks helped the company’s 3Q numbers. The results were yet another indication of the widespread recovery among global automakers. Each of Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Chrysler, and Ford reported improved numbers for the quarter as auto sales continue to rise.

“I think the results of the third quarter clearly point to the amount of progress that GM has made,” said GM CEO Dan Akerson. He said that GM is on track to make 2010 its first profitable year since 2004. This was the third straight profitable quarter for GM.

Though the company needed $50 billion in government aid last year, it has repaid or plans to repay $9.5 billion of that while the government hopes to get the other $40 billion back in not only the November 18^th common stock offering, but subsequent sales as well. The government will sell 264 million shares and will make about $7 billion in the IPO if the shares sell in the middle of the expected price range.

The U.S. government’s reduced stake is important to GM symbolically because some Americans resented the company’s taxpayer-funded bailout. The jokes that GM stood for “Government Motors” hurt not only the company’s image, but its sales. 

Read the AP article 

Visit GM’s website

Webinar: Reverse Engineering with Special Guests Paul Jr. and Vinnie from Paul Jr. Designs

Have you ever encountered instances where you do not have design documentation on the parts you need manufactured? What about the need to create accurate “as-built” documentation, or the need to perform reliable analysis of parts when you don’t have the design information available?

Popularity of and the necessity for reverse engineering has increased as the process has become a viable method of creating a 3D model of an existing physical part. Portable coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) have become an important tool in this process.

Join us on Tuesday, November 16 to learn how to use a portable CMM to recreate a 3D model of an existing part, using both contact and non-contact technology.

Special guest speakers, Paul Jr. and Vinnie from Paul Jr. Designs, will also explain how they utilize reverse engineering to make their custom motorcycles!

Tuesday, November 16

2:00pm – 3:00pm EST

REGISTER NOW

Laser Scanning Crime Scenes

As 3D laser scanning continues to emerge as a viable technology for metrology applications, it is becoming a known fact that laser scanning can solve many of today’s challenges. Creating as-built conditions, inspecting components, recreating accident sites and examining crime scenes are just some of the applications that 3D laser scanners serve.

In particular the Toronto Police Department utilizes the FARO Laser Scanner Focus^3D to determine complex data left behind the scene of a crime. Scans are able to take a snapshot of a scene and preserve it indefinitely. Investigators are able to literally walk through a crime scene over and over again. New evidence can be tracked and documented. In the end these virtual snapshots can even be presented to juries in the court.

Laser Scanning is truly changing the way investigations are being conducted and solved. To read the full article titled “Coming to a Crime Scene Near You: 3D Cameras, click HERE.