Our 3D scanning team harness a wide range of scanning technologies to scan anything from museum artifacts to buildings, clay models to supermodels.
Our expert team are based in our Shoreditch, London studios but can work on location worldwide. We have a wealth of experience in the field with both laser and structured light scanning technologies.
Applications include asset creation for games and animation, replication of historical and artistic objects and digitising human subjects for both moving image and 3D-printing projects.
From 360 degree scans of a human head to detailed scans of a delicate sculpture, assets for game creation, or inspection of engineered parts, our scanning team can help you find the best solution.
Frequently Asked Questions about 3D Scanning
What is 3D scanning?
3D scanning is a method of digitalising physical objects to create 3-dimensional geometry (CAD). There are various scanning technologies used to achieve this, the main two being white light and laser.
What are its applications?
We are working with industries including games, reverse engineering, heritage, the arts, industrial design, architectural surveying and film-making. 3D scan data can be post-processed by Inition to provide assets for real-time graphics (e.g. character animation or augmented reality), high-detail CGi/VFX work or for 3D printing, to name just a few of the many possibilities.
Are there any limitations?
With the right approach, 3D scanners can capture almost anything you put in front of them large or small; however there are some limitations including very shiny and very dark objects. There are normally workarounds for these types of objects.
How long does it take?
We operate some of the fastest 3D scanners on the market and pride ourselves on quick turnaround times, drawing on our many years of expertise to work out the right approach and workflow for your project. Each scan is different and requires varying amounts of post-processing work, however most scans are turned around in days, rather than weeks.
How much does it cost?
We charge based on the time it takes to scan and post process a project and on the delivery specification. The best way for us to calculate a price is for you to email us images of your proposed scanning subject along with your final CAD model requirements.
What's the next step?
To receive a quotation or discuss the best solution please call on +44 207 377 2949. Alternatively, email us your requirements and multiple high-res images of your proposed scan subject to inition@inition.co.uk or for files over 10Mb use our DropBox. If possible, please also state your deadline.
Mephisto 3D Scanning Engine
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Artec 3D Scanner Range
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Future of 3D: #1 - Scan, Print, Explode!
For our first 'Future of 3D' project we decided to have some 3D fun with Shannon's head to celebrate our 10th Birthday and the launch of our 'Future of 3D' series.
This project combined a wide range of our skills and 3D technologies. But mainly we enjoyed it because it involved blowing stuff up! If you're interested in finding out more, make sure you watch the video above.
Some of the kit we used: ZPrinter 450, Mephisto EX Scanner, Phantom/Quasar 3D Stereoscopic Filming Rig
We'd like to point out that no Shannons were harmed in this project, although strangely enough he had a slight headache afterwards. Check out our Future of 3D blog at fo3d.posterous.com for our latest experiments.
About our 'Future of 3D' series
The 'Future of 3D' series is about exploring the boundaries of future 3D technology through non-commercial creative projects. Supporting this type of work is core to Inition's core values of developing new uses of 3D technology, supporting creativity and nurturing the passion of it's staff and collaborators. If you have an idea for a 'Future of 3D' project, we'd love to hear from you.
Remote Avatar: Gadget Show Virtual Pesenter Challenge
The Brief
The producers of North One Television approached 3D creative services company Inition, asking us to provide the technical expertise for an ambitious 'virtual presenter' challenge.
Solution
Inition helped presenter Suzi Perry to win the ‘virtual presenter’ challenge (Season 15, Episode 4) in which she and Jon were invited to find the best way to present the show without actually being in the studio. Whilst Jon commissioned an android version of himself and placed it in the studio to take his place, Suzi came to Inition to make use of our motion capture technology.
Based on real-time 3D animation software Autodest MotionBuilder, LILA is Inition’s markerless motion capture solution which can provide show stopping interactive installations for brands, exhibitions, tours and marketing agencies.
Using LILA, Inition were able to capture the motion of Suzi in London and transmit this data to Birmingham to drive an avatar which was composited in the Gadget Show studio, all in real time.
Without any calibration required, Suzi stepped into the holo-deck style cube at Inition’s London studios where her silhouette was tracked by 14 x2D cameras. No markers or any special clothing were required. The vision processor software calculated a 3D mesh of her body from these views and a digital skeleton was applied using the Organic Motion plugin.
The frame-by-frame motion co-ordinates from the data were transmitted to the MotionBuilder system at North One TV studios via a special driver which then applied Suzi’s features- including clothes, hair, skin tones etc. The avatar of Suzi was composited into the studios of The Gadget Show next to the real co-presenter Otis and the android version of Jason Bradbury.
Suzi’s avatar character included full face expressions and mouth shapes driven by her voice, fed through LILA’s voice recognition software. The composited footage was sent back to Inition’s Shoreditch studios via Skype which Suzi could monitor on a screen, seeing exactly what the public would see.
Results
This project posed several challenges, not least because of the processing power required to deliver the avatar in real time. This was the first time a motion capture system had been used to drive another avatar over the Internet. By chosing to approach Inition for help, Suzi beat Jason's android by 16 points to just 12.
Based on the success of this project, North One Television decided to invite Inition to help create fun and innovative crowd games to be played at Gadget Show Live, a consumer event based on the television show. Read more about this here.
The LILA motion capture is a complete attention grabbing solution which is available for events, promotions and exhibitions. As well as hire of the LILA system itself, Inition also provide a complete production service with the hardware, software, and creative design of the characters, environments and interactions.