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 a SCSI interface to a graphics workstation for immediate viewing and modification. Color information in 3D digitizing makes available 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, one can use color to transfer ideas from the object to the graphic model. In specialized applications, color can reveal characteristics such as skin discoloration, the grain of a piece of wood, or the locations of fasteners. Working in the infrared region, a customized color subsystem could even detect surface temperature. The MS motion system is especially well suited to the types of subjects digitized in model shop and animation work. One motion system moves objects along the length of the motion platform, while another motion system rotates the object.