Simultaneously, a second video sensor in the 3030 acquires color information. The scanning process captures an array of digitized points, with each point represented by x, y, and z coordinates for shape and 24-bit RGB coordinates for color. The 3030 transfers this data via SCSI to the SGI Indy workstation for immediate viewing and modification. The availability of color information to 3D digitizing provides nearly all the information a graphics application needs to fully describe an object. In addition to enhancing realism in graphic models, color denotes boundaries that are not obvious from shape alone.
Color indicates surface texture and reflectance.
And by marking an object's surface before digitizing, you can use color to transfer ideas from the object to the graphic model. Both the 3030 digitizer and the motion platform operate under the control of software running on the SGI Indy workstation. The scanning process is thus automatic and easily adaptable to a variety of different requirements. You can use the 3030 to perform either rectangular or cylindrical scans, for example, depending on the shape of the object you want to scan. You can also combine multiple scans of a complex object into one model.