Fast iStar Adapter For X330

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3DForensics
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Fast iStar Adapter For X330

Post by 3DForensics »

I have been running some tests with the IStar and Faro scanner but at the moment I have marked my tripod center column with offset heights. It is a bit of a pain to deal with so I decided to visit the hardware store. And see what I could come up with.

So, after a small piece of ABS pipe and cap 1-1/2", 3-8" bolt, nuts and washers I am setup!

I had to carve the opening a little with a utility knife but this will now be super fast. The offset height is 41mm.

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Re: Fast iStar Adapter For X330

Post by jcoco3 »

Nice and cheap 8-)
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Re: Fast iStar Adapter For X330

Post by 3DForensics »

So, I've tested the adapter on a small night scene using ColourCloud to recolour the point clouds. It's quite impressive.

Some shots of the setup:

X330
X330night.jpg
x330night1.jpg
iStar
istarnight.jpg
X330 Results
X330 CameraSmall.jpg
ColourCloud Results
ColourCloud iStar Small.jpg
Quite impressed.

Eugene
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Re: Fast iStar Adapter For X330

Post by jcoco3 »

Wow that is impressive. Looks even better than my cheap-o version using the Sony camera. Is that an HDR capture? How long(best guess) does the entire ColourCloud process take to align the images, and spit out the colorized scans? My biggest concern is the time added by all the intermediate steps. From what it says on their site you need .e57 which means you need to export e57 from scene(probably after registration) then just drag them all into the ColourCloud software along with istar images and viola! Hmm...then import back into Scene or any other software. Sounds like a little extra time, but nothing compared to manually aligning the images in Scene by picking points :shock:

From the ColourClouds site:
Getting Started
- Follow the on-screen insturctions to register your copy of ColourCloud.
- Drag and drop a folder containing your .E57 scan and istar .nctri file onto ColourCloud.
- Press 'Process'.
- Your coloured scan will appear in your folder. Thats it, its that easy.
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Re: Fast iStar Adapter For X330

Post by 3DForensics »

Hi Jon,

The process for documentation is pretty simple:

1. Remove scanner when completed scanning
2. Place iStar and capture images
3. Register scans in Scene and Export individual files as e57
4. Place all e57 files in corresponding iStar folders
5. Batch process all at once.
6. Reimport all the recoloured e57 files in software of choice.

The camera captures in HDR mode and I am using a more recent firmware version which seems to have optimized the time with HDR capture. At night with HDR, I would say it took about 4 minutes each iStar capture using the "walkaround" mode. During the day, you could capture much faster or if you dont' want HDR, then it's very fast.

Processing for each scan might have been 3 minutes, but the fact that I can batch process is what is important to me. I don't have to pick any points or anything like that. Just point to the files and walk away.

I think the point for me here is that if you are capturing photographs during the day, you save a lot on camera time. If you are only doing a few scans, no big deal. However, if quality colour is important and you have a lot more scans to do, you can save time while increasing the result. At night, the workflow is the same. If I think about a crime or accident scene at night, the results far outweigh the extra time for capturing the HDR images.

Cheers,

Eugene
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Re: Fast iStar Adapter For X330

Post by brianpgreen »

Have you had two tripods going at once so you can scan from the next position while the istar is capturing pictures from the first? Seems like you could really move quickly doing that. 1/4 resolution scans with color at around 4 minutes rather than just under 8.
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Re: Fast iStar Adapter For X330

Post by 3DForensics »

That would be possible so long as you had the same tripod and adapter. Of course, you would be scanning the iStar tripod on each scan, but you can always edit it out if it's a big problem.
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Re: Fast iStar Adapter For X330

Post by chris_e »

We have used the iStar HDR (3 exposures) with our x330 on a number of projects and find that capture time is faster than the x330 pictures and you get a better result. We use a different adapter (one that came from NCTech), but your rig looks pretty slick. The link below is to the HDR interior images (3 exposures only) from the First Baptist Church in Downtown Vancouver.

http://www.istarshare.com/tour/4825

We were really pleased with the images and the resulting point clouds.

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Re: Fast iStar Adapter For X330

Post by HTS RENTALS »

Good info to know Eugene

We have just added the iStar to the rental fleet and were wondering about the FARO set up. Well get this ready for the camera kit.

Andy

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Re: Fast iStar Adapter For X330

Post by jcoco3 »

Thanks for the info Eugene!

Welcome to the Forum Andy :)
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