Laser scanning is a non-damaging technique used to create 3D models or detailed reconstructions of objects or environments. It has various applications, including architecture, construction, historical preservation, entertainment, and forensic science. Laser scanners use low-powered lasers to record data in the form of a point cloud, which can be used to establish a 3D model through computer programs. Laser scanning allows for the replication and sharing of objects without endangering them.
Laser scanning is a technique that can be used to collect data about an object or environment that can be used to create a 3D model or detailed reconstruction. There are a huge number of applications for laser scanning, ranging from highly specialized laser scanning confocal microscopy used in scientific laboratories to 3D scanning of historically valuable objects that cannot be studied personally due to concerns about damage, but can be studied in a reconstructed form with the help of a laser scanner. Different companies produce laser scanners for various purposes.
Laser scanners can work in several ways, including a triangulation method and a “time of flight” method. In all cases, the laser is low-powered so as not to damage the scanned object, and a number of beams are fired at the object and recorded. Some objects scan better than others, with light objects tending to reflect more light, creating more detail, and shiny objects causing refraction, which distorts the image. Data from a laser scanning session takes the form of a point cloud, a collection of small data points that can be used together to map an object.
The raw data from the laser scan can be run through a computer program which will use the point cloud to establish a 3D model. Since a laser scanner can only see what is visible, it is common to move the scanner around the object or rotate the object while scanning to get a complete image of all sides and angles. The computer program can stitch the data together, and information such as color can also be added if desired.
One use of laser scanning is in architecture and construction, where laser scanning can be used to model environments and landscapes, make 3D models of proposed structures, and in other tasks. Laser scanning is also used to register objects so they can be replicated and to make copies of items of historical value. The ability to laser scan an object and create a 3D model also allows museums to share their collections around the world without having to endanger the objects they are preserving; people can log on to a museum’s website, for example, and explore three-dimensional models of objects of interest.
Laser scanning is also used in the entertainment industry, where scans can be made to create computer models for digital effects. Forensic scientists can also use this technique to create models of crime scenes, and laser scanning can be used to create highly detailed demonstrative evidence displays.
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