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Scanning Guide Using Primitives

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Introduction

 
To effectively capture an optimal and adequate set of images of your object, Arago Control offers a range of tools for generating a proxy mesh in the scene and creating stop positions. In this article we discuss how to use the base primitives or an imported object as a proxy mesh and how to generate positions with the base tools included in the standard free package.
Create a project to ensure a good segregation of downloaded images when traveling to capture. Save the project once in a while (CTRL+S).

 

Primitive Proxy Mesh

You can use a proxy mesh for depicting in the 3D scene roughly the area where your object is on the turntable. This 3D model will be used in positions computations when instantiating positions.
Navigate to the Object panel and select a primitive that best represents the space displaced by your object.
 
 Object panel 

 

You can additionally bring in your custom 3D model by accessing the “Import” tab within the present panel. In this case, it is recommended to decimate the imported model beforehand to reduce computation times.

 

Next, you can adjust the dimensions of the proxy mesh to match the real object by overlaping it in augmented reality (AR). Open the live view of your camera, enable the AR overlap by clicking the cube icon highlighted in the image below and adjust the volume to contain the object using the available 3D tools.

ar object 1

Use the scale and position tool to resize and relocate the primitive to match the edges of your object.

ar object 2

Rotate the turntable 90 degrees manually using the Motion panel and re-adjust if needed.

 

ar object 3

 

image1
WARNING
It is essential to Calibrate and Pose the camera beforehand to ensure the accuracy of the overlap is sufficient.

Loops and Positions

 

To rapidly create coherent sets of stops, Arago Control allows bulk generation of positions as ring loops in various configurations. Click on the “Positions” and select “Loops” from the vertical menu on the right.

 

positions general loops panel

 

Now, let’s go through each item and explain their functionality:

Positions Generation Settings

 

 Target lock. When instantiated, positions will lock onto the point on the proxy mesh that corresponds to a forward-cast incident ray. If the ray does not hit the mesh, the property does not apply. All positions with Target Lock will display their forward ray in green when selected.
Distance lock. Instantiated positions will maintain the user-specified distance upon creation. Similar to Target Lock, this property is only effective when the proxy mesh is directly in the position’s line of sight.

Position target type. This property pertains to Multiple Loops. When generating multiple loops in bulk, positions will either focus on the center of the proxy mesh (Centered) or distribute their targets across its height (Height-based).

Distance fields. These refer to the distance between the positions and the proxy mesh surface. All distance fields are measured in millimeters.

The pin icon will fetch the current distance between the primary camera and the surface of the proxy mesh and autocomplete the Distance field with it.

 

Single Loop

This allows you to define a single ring loop based on the specified number of images. Alternatively, you can specify the granularity of stops in the circle by degrees, as both options are interchangeable.

Align to rig will instantiate the loop at the current orientation and elevation of the primary camera mounted on Arago.

 

Multiple Loops

This feature enables you to evenly distribute multiple single loops in elevation across the height of the proxy mesh. The Displace checkbox if enabled will adjust the rotation of each consecutive loop by a minimal degree to enhance the parallax effect.

 

Gradual Top Loops

Allows you to instantiate a sequence of loops that cover the  top of the proxy mesh (similar to an oval pot lid). The Max Images field represents the amount of images the lowes loop covering the top is allowed to have. The generative algorithm will decrease the positions count as elevation increases and the generation closes in to the center of the proxy mesh. This is a feature complementary to Multiple Loops which also has a Displace mode.

 

generated loops with displacement 

 

Start Travel

 
Once you have setup the proxy mesh and the desired positions, save the project, and go to “Start” in the upper right corner of Arago Control.
This will open the Travel Panel and will provide you a time estimate of the capture.
 traveling through loops 
Click the “Play” icon and Arago will start traveling through each position starting with the highest or the lowest stop point in space. Images will automatically be downloaded in the project folder as Arago traverses the positions and triggers the camera.

 

Notes

 
Traveling can be paused and resumed at any times.
Once finished, you can re-capture the object using the same positions by clicking the circle arrow. This is useful for when capturing two sets of images, polarised and unpolarised.
All the process describe in the article is simplified and improved by Prescan to capture the proxy mesh and by the automatic Positions Generator tool described in the Scanning Guide using Prescan and Positions Generator article.
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