Hello Guest it is March 28, 2024, 10:38:25 AM

Author Topic: MachCloud point viewer program  (Read 81073 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Re: MachCloud point viewer program
« Reply #30 on: April 15, 2008, 11:04:13 PM »
BOOM
That was the sound of me breaking through!  HUGE progress today! 

Using the 1st release of Mach Cloud (the one without the meshing capabilty).  I was finally able to open up a Y & X scan and see the 2 sections and make them line up.  2 Sections appear- one in Black and the other in RED

I never saw this before using the latest release that I got from the downloads page. Something happened to the 2nd release of Mach Cloud and although all of the dialogs appear and the sections DO get inserted the video part of it during the alignment is missing.  So, now I'm using the 1st version to 'Stitch', saving the cloud and then opening up the latest version to DECIMATE and mesh.

The sample below if my 32" Pipe Wrench done in 4) X axis Passes with an 8" step.  I kinda messed up somehow on the stich because the geometry on the saved .stl file says the wrench is 30"  so I lost 2" during aligment but still- I'm STOKED!  I got progressively harder during the alignment process because everything starts getting so small (zooms out) when it adds the sections. NOTE- the following sentence is a shameless feature request not required for programmers to read....
A zoom feature preferably controlled by the wheel on the mouse would make this process A LOT easy for dudes who already have reluctantly admitted a need for those dime store magnifying glasses  ;)

A Good Day!

Sid 
I think
Re: MachCloud point viewer program
« Reply #31 on: May 10, 2008, 07:12:01 PM »
Hello Sid,

> Something happened to the 2nd release of Mach Cloud and although all of the dialogs appear and the
> sections DO get inserted the video part of it during the alignment is missing.  So, now I'm using the
> 1st version to 'Stitch', saving the cloud and then opening up the latest version to DECIMATE and mesh.

I scanned a penny. The PointCloud seems to have reasonable data, although the scaling is off. Nevertheless, I should get a round disc with some slightly raised surface features.  I can read it into the latest version of MachCloud but cannot manipulate it in any way. Also, the upper right view and both of the lower views are the same except for rotation. I have been unable to rotate or scale anything.

Are you still using the first version? If so, where can I get it? Maybe email it to me?

Tom Hubin
thubin@earthlink.net
Re: MachCloud point viewer program
« Reply #32 on: May 10, 2008, 07:29:28 PM »
Hey Tom,

I downloaded the 1st version from a link that Art posted in one of his messages at the beginning of this thread- should still be there- if not lemme know and I'll send it to you.

In order to 'orbit' the view in Mach Cloud you need a wheel mouse .  Touchpad on a laptop won't work (at least not on mine).  The roller wheel allows the rotation.

Also Rhino is a good program for viewing the point clouds.  Download and viewing Clouds are free but you have a limit on saving meshed files.

Let's see some clouds!!!

Regards,
Sid
Re: MachCloud point viewer program
« Reply #33 on: May 11, 2008, 04:37:43 AM »
Hello Sid,

> > I downloaded the 1st version [of MachCloud] from a link that Art posted
> > in one of his messages at the beginning of this thread- should still be
> > there- if not lemme know and I'll send it to you.

Thanx. I found a November version and downloaded. Not yet installed. I
had some luck with the latest version earlier today.

> > In order to 'orbit' the view in Mach Cloud you need a wheel mouse. 
> > Touchpad on a laptop won't work (at least not on mine).  The roller
> > wheel allows the rotation.

Thanx for the tip. I learn something new here every day. I scrounged up
a mouse with a wheel and can now rotate views. There must be a method to
that but, so far, I just screw around on the screen until I get something I like.

> > Also Rhino is a good program for viewing the point clouds.  Download
> > and viewing Clouds are free but you have a limit on saving meshed files.

That is a big (135MB I think) download and I am still on dialup. I'll
have to wait and download on somebody else's cable then write to CD.

> > Let's see some clouds!!!

Working on it but it is painfully slow. I am using a laptop that slows
to a crawl when I load the video plugin. I found a newer driver for
Windows 2000 and XP. I will try that later today. Maybe that camera
driver will be more compatible with Mach3.

I finally figured out that the scan assumes that the projected laser
line is parallel to the X axis and that a single pass scan would be in
the Y direction. I cannot rotate this version of the laser triangulation
gauge so I swapped the X and Y axis pins in Mach3 so I can test.

I tried scanning a penny. It works but the Z values vary so little that
showing Z details is a challenge. I think the resolution is there, just
difficult to demonstrate so I will work that one another time.

I am presently scanning a key. I started a single 2 inch long Y scan of
a 0.75 inch wide X path a couple of hours ago. It should be done in
another hour or two. I was not exaggerating when I said that Mach3 slows
to a crawl when I load the video probe plugin.

BTW, thanx for the tip about stopping the video to get to the Source
option to setup AGC and other options. How did you ever figure that out?
Days ago I got nothing from the Source button and the Format button
locked up Mach3 so that I had to use Ctrl-Alt-Del to get out of Mach3
and restart. And, of course, redo the calibration.

Well, that's it for now. I made a lot of progress today. Most of it in
just understanding how to use Mach3 for this. Is there a document
covering video probing?

Tom Hubin
thubin@earthlink.net
Re: MachCloud point viewer program
« Reply #34 on: May 11, 2008, 07:09:13 AM »
Glad to hear things are going well.

The problem you are having with Mach slowing down is not right.  That scan you did should have been completed in about 15 seconds- not 3 hours.  There is some other issue with your laptop or the video driver for that camera.  Do you have ANYTHING else runing in the background or just MACH 3 with the 3d Plugin?  Any other video windows being open will slow you down- EVERYTHING else HAS to be closed.  Do you have quicktime loaded on that laptop?  That will kill you also.

Regards,
Sid

Offline Haik

*
  •  71 71
  • MachUser
    • View Profile
Re: MachCloud point viewer program
« Reply #35 on: June 19, 2008, 12:34:11 AM »
Hi Sid,

I've been working with the plugin off and on for a while now but can't get dimensionally good results. I can get detail just not proportions that are usable.

Can you share with me your Scan setup...
-Laser angle to object
-Camera angle to object
-Camera distance to object
-Camera Model/Spec

Also, any plugin settings you can share would be awesome.

Thanks!
Re: MachCloud point viewer program
« Reply #36 on: June 19, 2008, 12:59:24 AM »
Yo Baba!

It's been a while since I have done any scanning (been busy on other projects) but I'll try and answer from memory.

Laser is almost directly aove camera- offset maybe a few degrees (there is a photo I posted of this in another thread)  http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,4777.20.html

Camera angle is around 20 Deg
Distance = 10-12"
Camera= Gigaware Webcam- got it from Radio Shack for $20- so far this one works the best.

I'll try and fire up the scanner and get some more info.

HTH,
Sid
Re: MachCloud point viewer program
« Reply #37 on: June 19, 2008, 01:12:03 AM »
Hello Hbaba,

> I've been working with the plugin off and on for a while now but can't get dimensionally
> good results. I can get detail just not proportions that are usable.

> Can you share with me your Scan setup...

Here is a drawing of my setup. I show the camera and and laser axes in the XZ plane but Mach3's 3d Probe Plugin presumes that the camera and laser axes are in the YZ plane.

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,5023.msg42913.html#msg42913

It is important that the laser and camera axes intersect at 90 degrees so that the laser plane is parallel to the camera lens detector planes.

> Laser angle to object

Laser angle is 30 degrees clockwise from Z axis.

> Camera angle to object

Camera angle is 60 degrees counter clockwise from Z axis.

> Camera distance to object

See drawing for layout.

-Camera Model/Spec

3Com Watchport/V CCD USB Webcam with 648h by 480v square pixels for VGA format. I use a 12mm focal length f/2 lens. This gives the camera a 14 x 18 degree field of view. At the target that is about 1/2 inch square.

> Also, any plugin settings you can share would be awesome.

I use a 1/4 inch square bar to calibrate. The corners are slightly rounded since this is just extruded stock. I have a scan of a key.  http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,6596.msg44274.html#msg44274

Calibration would be more accurate if I milled the calibration bar so that the bar surfaces intersect at a sharp 90 degrees. I have not measured anything in the point cloud so cannot yet comment on precision. My probe is being shown at the CNC Workshop in Illinois right now. I will have it back in a week or two and will then be able to do more testing. 

Tom Hubin
thubin@earthlink.net
Re: MachCloud point viewer program
« Reply #38 on: June 19, 2008, 01:22:40 AM »
Hello Sid,

> Laser is almost directly above camera- offset maybe a few degrees
> (there is a photo I posted of this in another thread) 
>http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,4777.20.html

I See the laser but I don't see the camera. Is there a photo that shows them both at the same time?

> Camera angle is around 20 Deg

Are the laser and camera axes intersecting at 90 degrees?

Tom Hubin
thubin@earthlink.net
Re: MachCloud point viewer program
« Reply #39 on: June 19, 2008, 01:36:21 AM »
Hey Tom,

Yeah it's hard to see the camera in that shot- it's below the piece of wood below the laser and back about 1".  I'll try to get another pic the next time my scanner is set up

They do NOT intersect @ 90Deg on my rig