proforma
Latest
Creator of ProFORMA 3D scanning system talks details, availability
Still a bit curious how the ProFORMA system developed at Cambridge University can turn any old webcam into a fairly advanced 3D scanner? Then settle in for a few minutes, as the researcher behind the project, Qi Pan, has taken a bit of time to chat with the Shapeways blog about the how the system came to fruition and its potential availability to the public. Interestingly, he actually started out trying to model outdoor scenes, but moved to smaller objects after discovering that the processing power required was beyond his reach. That led to about a year and half of work on the current system, which works in two stages: the first being a tracker that works out the position and orientation of the object relative to the camera, and the second being the reconstruction stage, which seems to be as effortless to use as it is complicated to explain. Perhaps the best news, however, is that Qi says he soon plans to release a Linux-based demo to the general public, and a Windows version shortly thereafter.
Cambridge's ProFORMA does 3D scanning with any stationary webcam
Never mind that silly name: ProFORMA (which stands for 'Probabilistic Feature-based On-line Rapid Model Acquisition', if you must know) is some cool system that turns any ordinary webcam into a powerful 3D scanning tool. In fact, a camera is pretty much all you need for some "on-line" modeling action -- no laser or green screen necessary -- meaning the 3D models are constructed on the spot while you slowly rotate the objects, although ProFORMA can also track fast moving objects as shown in the demo video after the break. Fans of machinima should also look into this for their next Warhammer drama series, but don't say you heard it from us.
