High quality products are often announced and presented in a virtual, 3D animated view in the Internet, in CD-ROM catalogues, as a highlight of a booth or at an internal presentation. Using an interactive modus, with rotation and zooming, a long lasting impression of the product can be established in the viewers mind as the direct interaction creates an emotional link between the viewer and the product resp. brand.

Creation of the presentation

The creation of a high quality and textured 3D-model of an existing object asks for a combination of the following technologies:

• Digitizing of the form of the part (ATOS digitizer)
• Postprocessing of the digitized data (filtering and thinning in the ATOS software)
• Capturing of the texture/color information
• Mapping the color information on the 3D form data
• Integrate the 3D colored model into a presentation

To digitize the object with high accuracy and data density an ATOS system is used at Trimetric 3D Services GmbH. After the digitizing, the ATOS software is used to create a high quality mesh from the measured data, using the filtering, thinning and hole closing functions.

After the digitizing, digital color images are captured from the object, with good lighting conditions. The color information is then mapped on the surface of the 3D data model to create the model with texture (color).

The result of the digitizing and the mapping is a high quality virtual display of the object, which can be rotated and zoomed by the viewer to experience the 3D shape and to highlight interesting details. Very important is, beside the high accurate and dens digitized data and the detailed and colorful texture images, a precise mapping to bring the data together with a perfect fit.

Post treatment of the data

The file size can be selected depending the use of the data set. Parameters to control the data volume are the resolution of the 3D data (number of polygons) and the quality and resolution of the applied texture. The colored data set is given by the individual polygons with its corresponding texture (u-v mapping). Different formats are available and established to transport and integrate this information into visualisation and display modules.

Applications

• Use in animation modules
  For this application, the format OBJ (Alias Wavefront) is established and widely supported. Using this format, high quality rendered views for prints and film sequences can be generated.
• Internet
  In the internet, the visualisation can be linked with additional features. Virtual movements of the object can control actions in the web and trigger sound effects and vice versa. Special modules (plugin or OCX for the selected internet browser) are available for the viewing. For example, a 3D animation can be built up to be an interactive users manual. Complex technical instruments can be visualized and explained with all details and needed functions to general users with good success, using this technique.
• Integration into onscreen presentations
  An animated 3D presentation can be integrated into an existing presentation. Using this technique, 3D objects can be presented virtually at internal meetings or at sales presentations at the customer's site.
• Additional applications
  Virtual Reality applications, games, screen saver, training classes and seminars, advertisement and sales presentations, digital catalogues etc.

Advantage of the virtual 3D product animation

• Presented products become "personal", they can individually be zoomed, rotated and animated.
• The user has the product virtual in his hand and can explore the product interactive and personalized. The game and control instinct brings an emotional link and an enhanced interest for the product.
• Efficient knowledge transfer for complex products and processes using 3D-realtime display and animation.
• Fast and clear info transfer
• Attractive, bringing good visibility and customer satisfaction

The enclosed sample was produced from Trimetric 3D Service GmbH for an internal presentation at Marc GmbH. Additional examples can be seen on the website of Trimetric GmbH in the demo area.