I was watching this video by CorridorDigital and I heard them mention Rapid. I can't find it on Google. Could someone link me to it.
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Maybe this? additive3d.com/home.htm. Seems like it's a set of techniques: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_prototyping– Eugene SAug 17, 2013 at 4:14
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@EugeneS - that's close, but not quite it. They are clearly describing a mesh refinement package for converting a point cloud to a minimally complex, solid body mesh. Such software is used in the rapid prototyping field to generate a solid model for CNC machining or 3d printing and is also used in the 3d graphics arena, but in this case, they appear to be talking about a particular software package.– AJ Henderson ♦Aug 17, 2013 at 5:05
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Yes, that is the issue I have been running into when searching.– b2550Aug 17, 2013 at 6:03
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1 Answer
It appears to be RapidForm which has now been bought out (or changed name possibly) to 3D Systems Geomagic. The website is here. I found this by looking for mesh refinement software matching the term Rapid and that seemed likely the best match. In particular, it appears to be GeoMagic XOS. I don't personally have any experience with the particular software.
Basically the point behind the software is to make refined meshes from a point cloud. 3D scanners like the Kinect don't actually form a mathematical model, instead, they generated large numbers of points at a given distance from the sensor. These points are formed into a cloud which then has to be modeled into a vector based solid mesh for rendering purposes.
This process is actually incredibly similar to converting a bitmap image into a vector graphic, but it has to be done to produce smooth, solid surfaces in 3d, so it's a bit of a complex and specialized operation. Software like this allows for the best fit mesh to be found and to ensure that it makes a solid, detailed mesh that doesn't have holes in it that could cause problems with the geometry.
answered Aug 17, 2013 at 4:59
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Yes, I was looking at that and I think that RapidForm is the site. Thanks for the extra info! To spite being pretty knowledgeable in 3D software and graphics, I learned something new today!– b2550Aug 17, 2013 at 6:05
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Again, I am not quite sure if that is it but from what you said I think that is it.– b2550Aug 17, 2013 at 6:06
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@b2550 - yeah, it's still a guess on my part, but based on the context of what they were describing and based on all I could find in Google searching. I'd say I'm 95% confident this is what they were talking about, but it certainly isn't a guarantee.– AJ Henderson ♦Aug 17, 2013 at 15:09