3D-antlers: Virtual reconstruction and three-dimensional measurement

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to establish a procedural method for measuring and cataloguing antlers through the use of laser scanner and of a 3D reconstruction of complex modeling. The deer's antlers have been used as a test and subjected to capture and measurement. For this purpose multiple data sources techniques have been studied and compared, (also considering low-cost sensors) estimating the accuracy and its errors in order to demonstrate the validity of the process. A further development is the comparison of results with applications of digital photogrammetry, considering also cloud computing software. The study has began with an introduction to sensors, addressing the underlying characteristics of the technology available, the scope and the limits of these applications. We have focused particularly on the "structured light", as the acquisition will be completed through three-dimensional scanners: DAVID and the ARTEC MH. The first is a low-cost sensor, a basic webcam and a linear laser pointer, red coloured, that leads to acquisition of three-dimensional strips. The other one is a hand scanner; even in this case we will explain how to represent a 3D model, with a pipeline that provides data export from the "proprietary" to a "reverse engineering" software. Typically, these are the common steps to the two approaches that have been performed in WRAP format: point sampling, manual and global registration, repair normals, surface editing and texture projection. In fact, after a first and common data processing was done with the use of a software supplied with the equipment, the proto-models thus obtained were treated in Geomagic Studio, which was also chosen to allow the homogenization and standardization of data in order to make a more objective comparison. It is commonplace to observe that the editing of the digital mock-up obtained with the DAVID - which had not yet been upgraded to the 3.5 release at the time of this study - is substantially different. In the ARTEC digital mock-up for example, it shows the ability to select the individual frames, already polygonal and geo-referenced at the time of capture; however, it is not possible to make an automated texturization differently from the low-cost environment which allows to produce a good graphics' definition. Once the final 3D models were obtained, we have proceeded to do a geometric and graphic comparison of the results. Therefore, in order to provide an accuracy requirement and an assessment for the 3D reconstruction we have taken into account the following benchmarks: cost, captured points, noise (local and global), shadows and holes, operability, degree of definition, quality and accuracy. Subsequently, these studies carried out in an empirical way on the virtual reconstructions, a 3D documentation was codified with a procedural method endorsing the use of terrestrial sensors for the documentation of antlers. The results thus pursued were compared with the standards set by the current provisions (see "Manual de medición"of Government of Andalusia-Spain); to date, in fact, the identification is based on data such as length, volume, colour, texture, openness, tips, structure, etc. Data, which is currently only appreciated with traditional instruments, such as tape measure, would be well represented by a process of virtual reconstruction and cataloguing.