Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
This point cloud is processed (or
reconstructed
) using scanning software into
a digitized representation of the object known as a
mesh
(
Figure 9-3
). A mesh
is similar to a point cloud, but instead of only using single points (or vertices)
it groups each vertex with edges (straight line segments) that combine to
form faces (flat surfaces enclosed by edges) that describe the shape of a 3D
object. STL files, which we covered in
Chapter 8
, are made of triangular
meshes.
123D Catch works by analyzing a group (twenty to forty) of images of an
object taken from different angles. (The analysis for 123D Catch is performed
in Autodesk's cloud-based systems.) By performing image analysis on the
photos, 123D Catch is able to isolate an object in the photos, and create a 3D
mesh from the collection of photos.
Figure 9-2.
A point cloud
