What a great advance it would be if for facial moulds and head impressions, it would be possible to do away with bothersome silicone or plaster entirely! Contact-free realization of facial contours and head shapes – that would be something…
This is where the Scan ’n Mould system lends a hand! Facial contours and head shapes are realized without the need for contact and facial moulds and head impressions can be made without the intensive use of silicone and plaster - media which are unclean and often perceived as awkward. In a short space of time and with the aid of the so-called 3D impression system, this data is transformed in a real physical object. The image information taken into account in the scanning process such as hairlines etc. are retrieved in this object.
The basic equipment for the Scan 'n Mould system consists of a tripod with a video projector and an industrial camera, a calibration unit and the Scan 'n Mould software.
The scan takes place as the video projector casts varying stripe patterns onto the scanned object which is positioned in front of the calibration unit and the camera captures the refraction of the light on the object. The software then uses the progression of the refracted beams and the position of the camera to determine the three dimensional points within the space. The digital registration of a scanned perspective takes only 3-4 seconds, that of an entire head (6-7 perspectives) only a few minutes! This is a significant saving in terms of time and preparation effort e.g. when designing a wig!
A whole range of designs are possible from this one-off digital registration of a body: As such, digital data obtained via the system can be subsequently infinitely enlarged or reduced by means of a scaling factor with regard to the object size. This way, it is possible to miniaturize a large original – something which is of interest for designing figures using the facial data of living persons.
In addition, the moulding process (which is characterised by many material and time-intensive intermediate steps) can be shortened and simplified with the Scan’n mould system. The facial shape data obtained from the scanning process can be loaded into a 3D modeling application. The modeling work for a mask can now be carried out digitally based on the scanned data – a clean, extremely speedy process, rich in detail and characterized by an infinite range of design options! Positive and negative moulds can then be formed in one operational step – an incredible saving of time! The system works so accurately that by using pour-andset foaming, it is possible to make out fine grooves.
