Target Spheres for FARO Focus 3D

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cpw006
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Re: Target Spheres for FARO Focus 3D

Post by cpw006 »

I have machined some aluminum bases threaded to fit onto standard survey poles or magnet bases, 5/8 thread I believe. I attach some 6" acrylic globes with adhesive and paint them flat white. I have been using them for a while with no issues. The best part is when someone breaks them it is only 6 dollars to replace the acrylic globe. We have done a test on them and they all matched better than .02 feet. They work great with our FARO and Cyclone scanners.
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Re: Target Spheres for FARO Focus 3D

Post by AlanRoberts »

just read through this thread, very interesting, since the other side of my business in 3d modelling, 3d printing (high quality resin) moulding and casting, never thought to produce my own. I mainly cast in polyurethane resin, which when dye is added is very opaque, very sandable, to a high quality matt finish. My thoughts are to have a thin white outer coat with a thick inner black coat, done in 2 halves, with a press fit. will definitely give it a go anyway, :)
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Re: Target Spheres for FARO Focus 3D

Post by jacob.feindt »

I bought two sets of Koppa 200mm spheres with survey bases. Work great.

I hate to admit it, but I've already dropped them twice on the pavement and had one get blow by the wind of a train going by. No problem.

Found some $35 aluminum tripods on amazon for places where I can't magnetically attach them.

Did field testing and found 200mm spheres are recognized up to about 180ft at 1/2 resolution and 270ft and full resolution. Past that it's luck of the draw if the scan line hit the sphere.
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Re: Target Spheres for FARO Focus 3D

Post by rgane »

Thank you for sharing.
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Re: Target Spheres for FARO Focus 3D

Post by stiebert »

max72 wrote:Hi Eric,
I was simply playing with x-mas balls, and I decided to create a kind of range table for my targets.
Not sure if there will be a true advantage, I must test them in a real life test.
Anyway I usually try to have long range target if possible. For instance I often use your big checkerboards target (wind permitting).
This is probably my personal approach, but I like to have some reference points visible from as many scans as possible, and as far away from each other as possible.
Massimo
Max... do you have any information on these big checkerboard targets? We do huge warehouse and this is intriguing. How big of target are we talking and what kind of distance?
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Re: Target Spheres for FARO Focus 3D

Post by Marketing - LSE »

Hi Tyler,

The size of the large checkerboard target is 45cm x 42cm and it is suited for scanning at a distance at up to 45m. Get more information here: http://shop.laserscanning-europe.com/La ... ard-target

We tested small and large checkerboards at different distances and with different scanner settings. Get the results here: http://www.laserscanning-europe.com/en/ ... on-targets

Please don't hesitate to contact the team if you have questions.

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Re: Target Spheres for FARO Focus 3D

Post by tactix »

I am looking to replace a single 140mm sphere. Is there anybody on the forum who would be interested in selling me one? I borrowed a Faro Focus 3D from a colleague and one of the spheres we were using was picked up by a passerby while on a shoot... :(
Failing that, can anybody suggest a reasonably priced re-seller?

Thanks,
Jacob
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Re: Target Spheres for FARO Focus 3D

Post by tadol »

I'm sorry for responding a little late - I cannot help you with 140mm targets, but I have 144 mm travel targets, and my "standard" size is 150mm. I may be able to sell you a complete set of 150mm for a price which might solve your problem - And I do sell single targets, and also support my customers with parts when they need them -

Good luck!!
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Re: Target Spheres for FARO Focus 3D

Post by lsf »

Jacob,

I know that this is a 10 year old post, but regarding this comment of yours:
jcoco3 wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2012 4:26 pm This might seem silly, but we have been testing the use of some high quality 40mm ping pong balls with white primer coating for short range and congested areas. We also glued some neodymium magnets to them for a steady mount to metal surfaces. Our initial test results are astounding! They work much better that we anticipated. We are still working out the details and performing more test, but so far the minimum distance for Scene to find a sphere is just outside the rotating radius of the scanner, and the maximum distance for a green sphere at 1/4 resolution 2x quality is 16 feet. Max distance for a yellow sphere is 28 feet. Setting the "match sphere" radius has been a little tricky. The stated diameter of the ping pong balls is 40mm, but using digital calipers we have found that they are slightly smaller...around 39.5mm. We have tried setting the radius to 20mm, but 19.75mm works better. Automated sphere recognition via the prepossessing function goes crazy finding multiple incorrect spheres. 126 where found in one scan instead of 3 actual spheres. We have fallen back on using the rectangle selection tool, right clicking and choosing "Find Spheres." It is time consuming, but it works very well. Tensions are very small. Right now the challenge is finding minimum distance from the scanner and minimum distance between spheres. We are still running Scene 4.8 so we cannot relax the constellation of 3m from scanner and 1m between spheres :( We hope we can eventually use these ping pong balls in locations too tight for standard size spheres. Please let us know if anyone else has had any success with spheres this small.
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jcoco3 wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2012 4:26 pm Right now the challenge is finding minimum distance from the scanner and minimum distance between spheres. We are still running Scene 4.8 so we cannot relax the constellation of 3m from scanner and 1m between spheres
I am not able to find anything on "constellation target spheres". Does it mean that targets should not be put closer than 1m from each other, is this still true now in 2023?
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Re: Target Spheres for FARO Focus 3D

Post by jcoco3 »

Wow :o That is an old one, but I guess still relevant today in a way. A great deal has changed since Scene 4.8, but if I remember correctly there was a software limitation that did not allow spheres to be used that had been placed too close together <1m or too close to the scanner. I guess it was to keep the user from creating poor sphere constellations. I don't believe the software limitation is still there, but the practice it aimed to prevent is still a poor one.

Constellation = the layout of your spheres, like one up high and one down low and another back there, and another one somewhere else(good), or three in a row close together(bad), or three in a little triangle(not as bad, but still poor).

An real example would be three 140mm spheres in a little 1m group with scan positions 50' apart scanning down a road in a sequence. That is a recipe for disaster in a normal scanning operation. Now, if you have a manhole cover or small portal you are trying to scan through with limited options for sphere placement then a small 1m group may be your only option if you want to stick with targets and not C2C.

As it relates to ping pong balls as targets, we were often using them to "target" specific objects in a more metrology like way(only when a laser tracker was not availible). These tiny spheres were often not used for registration(right click on a placed sphere and un-check "used for registration"). Think of 3 ping pong balls magnetized to the face of a pipe flange to help define or confirm the angle of face. Certainly you can just laser scan that face and extract the face from all the somewhat noisy points, but the ideal pained surface of spheres might be a little better or at least another answer to consider. A laser tracker or arm would be the better tool for the job, but ping pong balls with a laser scanner can get the job done too in some cases where +-0.001" is a little extreme. In 4.8 that tiny constellation of 3 ping pong balls on a flange just wouldn't be an option, but I think that limitation has been removed or an adjustment added to the modern versions of Scene.

Its kind-of funny, but I would still not hesitate build some specialty ping pong targets today for just such applications. Even some small machine blocks or plates painted white can help you perform task with a laser scanner that would otherwise need to be measured with a laser tracker. At close range and in controlled conditions a single scan can produce some amazing results (sub-millimeter). Perhaps I need to consult with some friends and talk about plausible use cases like I have encountered. Might be a good motivation to manufacture them and make then available.

Sorry for the long explanation, but thank you for re-igniting my interest in this very old oddity :D
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