A low cost 3D scanner based on structured light

TLDR

Automatic 3D acquisition devices enable highly accurate, cost‑ and time‑effective modeling of real objects, yet cultural heritage applications demand medium‑high accuracy, ease of use, affordability, self‑registered shape and color capture, and operational safety. The authors aimed to design a low‑cost structured‑light scanner with a versatile colored stripe pattern to meet these requirements and demonstrate its architecture and initial results on an archaeological statue. They implemented the scanner using a structured‑light system with a novel colored stripe pattern, integrated acquisition and processing software, and tested it on cultural heritage artefacts. Initial results show the scanner can acquire accurate 3D models of an archaeological statue, validating its architecture and software.

Abstract

Automatic 3D acquisition devices (often called 3D scanners) allow to build highly accurate models of real 3D objects in a cost- and time-effective manner. We have experimented this technology in a particular application context: the acquisition of Cultural Heritage artefacts. Specific needs of this domain are: medium-high accuracy, easy of use, affordable cost of the scanning device, self-registered acquisition of shape and color data, and finally operational safety for both the operator and the scanned artefacts. According to these requirements, we designed a low-cost 3D scanner based on structured light which adopts a new, versatile colored stripe pattern approach. We present the scanner architecture, the software technologies adopted, and the first results of its use in a project regarding the 3D acquisition of an archeological statue.