3 D SCANNING SOFTWARE : AN INTRODUCTION

The software tools needed in 3D scanning comprise a large number of modules. Software for scanner control is used to define which parts of an object are scanned at which resolution. Software for treating the huge data volumes of point clouds must allow visualization, data cleaning, filtering, point thinning and registration. If geometrically simple objects are encountered, software is used to fit primitives to the respective points. In the case of more complicated objects as they are frequently encountered in cultural heritage documentation, polygonal meshing is used to replace the surface by a mesh of small triangles. Meshing software must work in true 3D for these tasks and should be flexible enough to adjust to smooth surfaces and edges. Furthermore, it should be possible to map images onto the 3D meshes. A review of presently available software products shows that no ideal software product is available yet.