Last week, Autodesk attended the SPAR International conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, showcasing Autodesk ReCap, the company’s cutting edge solution for reality capture. Over the past couple of years, the laser scanning, measurement and mapping industry has experienced a surge in new technologies – technologies that make these solutions easier and more affordable, and therefore more accessible by more people in more industries.
The Autodesk ReCap product line enables customers to capture and integrate reality data directly into their design process. With ReCap, point clouds and image-based 3D models can be used seamlessly within Autodesk design and creation suites. This was demonstrated at SPAR through a series of presentations delivered at the Autodesk booth, how ReCap is used for factory design, construction and other industries.
Mike Jolicoeur demonstrates how Autodesk customers such as Dearborn Midwest have improved their factory design and renovation process, increasing output and decreasing costs in the process by using laser scanning and Autodesk ReCap.
Autodesk ReCap was well received by show attendees, and was even given the “Best in Show” award from the CAD blog TenLinks.
"I was impressed with what I saw from Autodesk while at SPAR in Colorado,” said Roopinder Tara, founder of TenLinks. “Autodesk brings 3D modeling of the existing world to a whole new level of accessibility and affordability with Recap. Even small firms and individuals can use Recap to model the real world, from single objects to entire landscapes, which can then be used for information, modification or the basis for new designs."
Robert Shear, senior director of Reality Solutions, Autodesk, accepts the “Best in Show” award from Roopinder Tara, founder of TenLinks.
Autodesk also teamed up with 3D Robotics for a demonstration for customers and media of the IRIS UAV at the beautiful Garden of the Gods. Attendees watched as the IRIS flew two missions – one that was manually controlled, and one that was autonomous. The IRIS can reach heights of up to 250 feet, and fly for 15 minutes at a time. Carrying a GoPro camera, the mission captured more than 100 images that were then loaded into Autodesk photo-to-3D web service, Photo on ReCap 360, to create a detailed phototextured 3D mesh that could then be used in various Autodesk software for visualization or engineering work.
A representative from 3D Robotics prepares the IRIS for flight.
Customers and media look on while 3D Robotics representatives navigate the IRIS around the Garden of the Gods.
Tristan Randall of Autodesk explains the capture process, and then how the images will be converted into a 3D model using Autodesk ReCap.360 web service.
A 3D image created from the images taken with the GoPro and loaded into Autodesk ReCap.
The team from Autodesk also introduced the concept of Reality Computing to customers, media and all show attendees. Reality Computing is a new and emerging concept that unifies the digital and physical worlds, bringing together products and technologies to digitally capture existing conditions, manipulate and analyze captured data, and realize results back in our physical world.
“Reality Computing and Autodesk ReCap are changing how we think about and work with captured 3D data,” said Elmer Bol, director of product management for the Autodesk Reality Solutions group. “It’s not enough to just visualize point clouds – it’s about extracting value and meaning from Reality Data leading to better design efficiency, confidence during construction and trust in understanding the physical world without physically being there.”
Dr. Aaron Morris talks about reality computing and Autodesk ReCap during his presentation “Turning Things Into Data, Data into Things, and What Happens In Between.”
