Rare Scarab Beetle

For this job we used the LC15DX attached to the coordinated measuring machine due to the beetles size and the importance of accuracy. We placed the beetle on the table and scanned it from both sides, after collecting the point cloud data from both scans we aligned them together and fused the information to create a mesh. We took that mesh into Geomagic Design X to heal and fix any holes in the mesh. After that we exported the watertight mesh and had it 3D printed.

There were quite a few difficulties in this project as it was quite a “fiddly” job. One issue that we found quite difficult to get around was scanning the beetle from two positions without moving its legs. When we came to align the scan from one angle to the other we had to hide the legs so they were not used in the alignment since they had moved out of position.

Another difficulty that we came across was gaps in the scanned data on the mesh. This was caused by the beetle’s legs and other parts getting in the way of line of sight. When we took the mesh into Geomagic Design X, first we healed it and then bridged any other gaps left. After that a global remesh was used to make a cleaner mesh with none of the holes that were there at first.

Our customer was delighted with the result and we enjoyed being part of this more unusual request.