AUTOMATED ACQUISITION AND VISUALIZATION OF TEXTURIZED 3-D MODELS WITH SCALABLE RESOLUTION Wolfram Schoor, R¨ udiger Mecke, Dirk Berndt, Marc Hofmann Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation (IFF) Sandtorstrasse 22, 39106 Magdeburg, GERMANY Phone: +49 391 4090 147, Fax: +49 391 4090 115 Email: wolfram.schoor@iff.fraunhofer.de Abstract This case study presents an automated method for digitizing complex free-form sur- faces. Hardware and software components developed at the Fraunhofer IFF allow gen- erating texturized virtual models from physical objects. Both the 3-D geometry and the surface texture (color information) are measured with high spatial resolution. The method can be applied to a variety of object measurements, for instance, in the fields of quality control, cultural heritage and medical imaging. Selected results for different real-world objects are also presented. 1 Motivation Virtual three-dimensional models are constantly being used in different processes and product cycles. In the ideal case, these 3-D models are generated by CAD and can be easily converted or customized specifically for the user. Usually, the 3-D data is unavailable and has to be modeled, which is costly and time-consuming. Reverse engineering is an alternative method of transferring physical objects to virtual models, yet conventional reverse engineering systems are involved and susceptible to geomet- ric errors. Adapting a light sectioning sensor to an articulated measuring arm considerably expands the measuring range while retaining high geometric precision and noticeably reducing subsequent processing steps for the final surface model. A color camera mounted on the measuring arm is used to record high resolution texture images to generate high-quality colored 3-D models based on the measured geometry. The method developed is a base technology that can be employed to automati- cally generate virtual 3-D models in different fields of application. The research presented in this case study is being incorporated in the Virtual Excellence Network for Virtual and Augmented Reality (ViVERA) in which ten research institutes and universities have pooled their resources in order to conduct research in the fields of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). 1 ViVERA aims to establish a network of VR and AR design expertise, define new areas of development, gather existing experience, transfer that experience to new applications and produce prototype demonstration models for those applications. 1 For more information on ViVERA see http://www.vivera.org.