Computer Vision-Based 3-D Scanning for Object Replication

Rutgers ECE Senior Capstone Design - Spring 2013

Welcome to our Project Archive.

This webpage was created to serve as an electronic archive to the work performed during the Spring semester of 2013 for the Rutgers University Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Capstone Design.

Project Abstract

The Microsoft Kinect for Windows has proven to be a valuable tool in the field of computer vision. The Kinect is comprised of an infrared laser projector and depth sensor. The depth data of a scene is run through a bilateral filter and vector mathematics is used to define the coordinates, connecting lines, the vertices, and edges to form a three-dimensional mesh. The software displays the raw depth data and infrared camera image, this allows the user to filter out objects closer or further than a specified depth, and exports the reconstructed three-dimensional mesh. That mesh is then sliced into horizontal layers and converted into G-Code, a machine language that maneuvers the three-dimensional printer where to extrude the ABS plastic to create a physical replica of the reconstructed object.

Final Report and Summary Video

The final submitted report can be found here: KinectScan Final Report

A one minute YouTube video that displays how the project works can be found here: YouTube Video

Authors and Contributors

This project was design, created, and implemented in over 300 hours of work by: Ryan Cullinane (@covertPZ), Cady Motyka (@cmotyka), and Elie Rosen (@erosen). All of which completed their undergraduate degree from the Rutgers Electrical & Computer Engineering Program in May of 2013.

Try our Code

To run the program: 1. connect a Microsoft Kinect Device to your personal computer. 2. Download the project from the links at the top. 3. Navigate to the "Release" folder. 4. Run the application "KinectScan.exe".

KinectScan Instructions

To create a 3-D mesh of the current scene press the "Record Frame" button. To clear a mesh, you may either take another capture or press the "Clear Canvas" button. The sliders may be used to configure how far the Kinect should look back and to create a bounding box to crop a scene. This must be performed before recording a frame. When a desired mesh is captured, fill in the model name box and press "Export Model". The model will export which can then be opened in 3-D software such as MeshLab.

3-D Print a Mesh

To print the mesh it must first be ran through Netfabb to correctly fill in the volume, the output from this web-based application will make sure that the 3-D scan is oriented correctly and manifold.

Run the new object through a 3-D printer G-code compiler such as Slic3r or MakerWare which will allow for the mesh to be printed on a 3-D printer.

Enjoy!

Photos from our semester long project can be found here: SkyDrive Gallery