A typical application for 3D digitization is the recording of the actual shape of a physically existing model during the design and product development phase. The mobile ATOS II XL system provides for a time-saving and flexible performance of this task. The measuring results in form of high-resolution triangulated meshes can easily be manipulated and processed.

The present case study "RIVAGE" is the result of a joint project carried out by the following companies: ITH Technik GmbH, Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Automotive Styling and Design, Tebis AG and GOM mbH. This case study documents the development of the RIVAGE show car. It took only seven months to turn the first draft into a drivable concept car which, for the first time, was presented in public at the Euromold in 2002.

The project was based on a Porsche Carrera 911 on the body of which the RIVAGE was built. To create the package model for the design, a 1:4 copy of the vehicle was required. For this purpose the ATOS II XL system was used for the first time. Conventional measuring methods hardly allow for digitizing such complex geometries. However, the flexible ATOS scanner with its high spatial mobility allows for quick imaging of highly complex objects almost in their entirety without sacrificing details. Just four hours later, the digitized data was available in STL format. The mesh could easily be imported in the Tebis system, it was edited, reduced by a scale of 1:4 and processed into milling paths.

After the milling of the package model was finished, the design could then be modeled in clay. In order to increase the approved 1:4 design model to a 1:1 model, it was digitized again. For this purpose, the 1:4 model needed to be scanned in highest quality because any error would be four times more obvious per main direction in the later model on a scale of 1:1. Here, the 3D scanning system ATOS proved its power again. Thanks to its ingenious projection technology, such models can be scanned with an accuracy of 0.01 mm.

The 1:1 model, approved after some major modifications, then challenged the digitization technology again. First, the model needed to be scanned with highest accuracy because the mounting parts of the concept car were manufactured based on this data. In addition, the path of the joints marked with tapes needed to be digitized as well. Here, the convenient feature line module of the ATOS software was used. The software can easily extract such characteristic lines from the measuring data recorded anyway for surface digitization and provides these data as VDA or IGES point cloud.

From these data the mounting parts were produced, all manufactured in a special laminate sandwich technology, a specialty of ITH GmbH. Necessary mounting elements could be added in the Tebis system to the existing STL meshed by means of additional surfaces. The finishing works could be terminated on time with respect to the predefined date and thus the RIVAGE was presented to the public at the Euromold. All four participating companies have an equal part in carrying out this project in just seven months from the first design to the ready and drivable show car. This proves how complex processing chains in today's production technology can be optimized using most modern and advanced technology.

We would like to thank our partner companies ITH GmbH, Steinbeis Transferzentrum Automotive Styling and Design and Tebis AG for the professional and successful cooperation.

Tebis AG documented the project in a brochure (12 pages) and in a film (390 MB avi-file, on CD). Please contact GOM or Tebis if you are interested (limited stock).