Manual

During the scan, the bed will rotate forward, but will also sometimes rotate back. This

is by design and is called Adaptive Scanning. Its purpose is to capture as much of the

object as is physically possible. As new sets of points are captured, the distance

between them and the previously-captured set of points is calculated. If too much

distance has been detected between the last recorded point, the scanner “backs-up”

and re-scans the areas between the two sets of points in an attempt to fill in that

distance with additional data.

Problem Materials and Surfaces

There are some materials that laser scanners have trouble scanning. Because the

scanner works by capturing the data that is made by the laser hitting the surface of

the object, any material that makes it difficult for the camera to record where the

laser is hitting it will not scan well.

● Objects with surfaces that are too shiny (i.e. shiny metal, jewels, mirrors,

patent leather etc.) - will reflect or bounce the laser away from the object. If

your scan looks like it has a halo of cotton candy spinning around it, that’s a

sign that the object is too shiny.

● Objects that are clear or translucent (i.e. glass, Lucite, clear plastic, flower

petals, etc.) - will let the laser light pass right through the surface of the object

instead of being stopped by the surface. Your scan will look like there’s

nothing solid where the laser light passes through.

● Objects that are too dark and absorb too much light (i.e. black velvet, fur) -

will also absorb the laser light causing an inaccurate scan. The software won’t

be able to determine where the surface of the object is.

So how do you scan objects with the above features? Pre-treat them with matte

paint, anti-reflection sprays or powder (i.e. baby or talcum powder). Users have also

had luck with water soluble colored hairspray which is safe for most non-porous

material and can be washed away with water. This may not be appropriate for all

objects, however. Also, if you want to capture color data, be aware that the treatment

may alter the color as it appears in the final scan.

Single-Color vs. Multi-Color Scanning

The difference between the Single- and Multi-Colored scanning options is in the

number of camera exposures used to detect the lasers. Single-Colored scans use one

camera exposure for laser detection, whereas Multi-Colored scans use two camera

exposures. To choose the best option for the object you want to scan, determine if

your object’s colors are contrasting, or if they are close to the same spectrum. This

can be accomplished by looking at the Single-Color or Multi-Color? chart on p. .

Single- and Multi-Color scanning options are intended to make scanning objects

easy. However, as you get more comfortable with scanning, you’ll come to realize

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