{"id":31601,"date":"2017-06-20T03:00:03","date_gmt":"2017-06-20T07:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/?p=31601"},"modified":"2018-02-13T16:41:34","modified_gmt":"2018-02-13T21:41:34","slug":"tutorial-tuesday-23-trnio-photogrammetry-full-color-print","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/tutorial-tuesday-23-trnio-photogrammetry-full-color-print","title":{"rendered":"Tutorial Tuesday 22: Full-Color Prints, Starting With Trnio Photogrammetry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today we’ll introduce you to\u00a0Trnio<\/a>,\u00a0an iPhone app that\u00a0guides you\u00a0through the process of taking 2D photos of\u00a0a person, statue, pet, or really any 3D thing, then stitches those photos together to create a 3D printable scan. That sounds easy \u2014 and it is, except for a few 3D file manipulation and repair steps. Today, we’ll show you how to make the most of the 3D scanning app, whether you’re starting from a work of art, or your own trove of selfies.<\/p>\n

To show you what the app can do, we’ll walk you step by step through the scanning, processing, and 3D printing of a\u00a0Ganesha<\/a> statue with Trnio<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Already ready? print it now<\/a><\/h4>\n

Let’s start with\u00a0a photo of our original statue next to the Full\u00a0Color Sandstone replica<\/a>\u00a0that we’ll make in this walkthrough.<\/p>\n

\"Original<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo-Capture With Trnio<\/h3>\n

First,\u00a0download the Trnio app<\/a>.\u00a0Then place the object you want to scan in a well-lit location such that you can easily photograph it from all sides. For the Ganesha, we put a shipping box on a chair under a bright overhead light.<\/p>\n

Trnio will tell you how to\u00a0take photos so that you capture all sides and then send them\u00a0to their cloud server,\u00a0where they\u00a0will be stitched together into a 3D model.<\/p>\n

When that model\u00a0is ready, Export it to a temporary email link. If the link expires,\u00a0you can resend it from the Profile\u00a0menu by selecting your scan, then pressing and holding the image\u00a0until it expands and an iOS Export icon shows up in the top navigation bar, as shown in the following screenshot:<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/p>\n

Open the email and download the .zip file. (Note: If your email account refuses .zip files, it may also refuse to activate this link.) When you unzip the file,\u00a0you should find a .ply file of\u00a0your model as well as a .jpg that contains information about its texture and color.<\/p>\n

Convert and Simplify with MeshLab<\/a><\/h3>\n

Open MeshLab<\/a>. Use Import Mesh to import the .ply file for your model, and click on the wireframe cylinder icon in the top menu bar to see the triangles in the mesh. If there seem to be\u00a0more triangles than necessary, then use Filters >\u00a0Remeshing, Simplification, and Reconstruction >\u00a0Simplification: Quadric Edge Collapse Decimation (with texture) to reduce the number of faces in the mesh by half.<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/p>\n

Finally, use Export Mesh As\u2026 an .obj file. The\u00a0.obj export will automatically be\u00a0linked to the .jpg texture file, so keep it in the same folder as you were using previously.<\/p>\n

Size, Place, and Trim in Meshmixer<\/h3>\n

Now open the .obj file in Meshmixer<\/a>. Use\u00a0Edit >\u00a0Transform to scale up by a factor of 100\u00a0to\u00a0make your model\u00a0the same size as your original scanned object, and to rotate and place your object on the workplane.<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/p>\n

Use Edit >\u00a0Plane Cut and Select >\u00a0Lasso >\u00a0Delete to remove all the parts of the base surface.\u00a0If Plane Cut\u00a0didn\u2019t seal the bottom of the model, do\u00a0Plane Cut a second time, moving the plane slightly higher up the model and making sure that Remeshed Fill is selected.<\/p>\n

Repairs and Modifications in Meshmixer<\/h3>\n

Before you do anything else, apply Edit >\u00a0Close Cracks. This won\u2019t look like it is doing anything, but it is key for some models! If the surface of your model has holes or missing parts, then you can try to fill them in using Edit >\u00a0Erase & Fill, as shown in this video from Maker’s Muse<\/a>:<\/p>\n