When we talk about the latest stories around 3D scanning and visualization at Geo Week News, whether it be our own stories or those written by others around the web, a lot of focus is on some unique ways the technology is being used. These are always interesting stories to read and write, finding people who see a (relatively) common technology for a use case no one else had previously thought about, but of course some of the more common ways are just as powerful and important.
Today, as we look at some stories from around the 3D industry, we do cover both of these areas, but with a bit of a focus towards the latter. We have a look at some traditional reality capture work for 3D mapping of urban areas, and how AI is being used to power some of these solutions. Then, we have a review of a new feature from one of the biggest names in the 3D scanning industry. And finally, we do have a bit of a unique case, with 3D scanning of the past. Find the full articles below.
AI-powered solutions for reality capture data
Khrystyna Bezborodova | GIM International
We start out with one of the most common uses of reality capture today, with point cloud creation in surveying workflows. Whether it be used stationary laser scanning on point clouds, or mobile mapping to capture larger areas, surveyors are working with point clouds on a daily basis, trying to derive key insights from massive datasets. This is one of the most useful areas in which AI can be applied, and while that was happening even before this AI boom it is an area that has also benefited from increased attention, funding, and compute power. This article takes a deep dive into the role AI is playing in these workflows today.
Read the full article below >>
SketchUp lets you scan a space with an iPad
Roopinder Tara | Engineering.com
Every year Apple hosts their annual conference to show off what consumers can look forward to with their latest products and models, and one of the things that largely flew under the radar was the addition of lidar scanners to their phones and tablets. It was part of the announcements, of course, but for most people it wasn’t something that would catch the eye, even with some benefits on the consumer facing side of things. However, those scanners have become stronger, and now enterprise users can utilize the scanners for select use cases. This article looks at Trimble’s SketchUp, which is now allowing users to make 3D models of buildings and interiors with the lidar scanner on iPad Pros.
Central mummy 3D-scanned for international research project
Jake Pfeiffer | Central Times
Naperville, Illinois is not the place you’d expect to find a mummy from ancient Egypt, but a local high school is in fact home to one. When a project centered around mummies from a region of Egypt found out, they sent some researchers to the high school to learn more about the mummy and catalog it in their records, using 3D scanners. This article highlights the researchers’ interest in these mummies and why they are using the 3D scanners.
