Design of an Automated 3D Scanner

3D scanning is the process of generating a computer aided design model from an existing physical part. It can be achieved by different methods whether using: LASER, camera, and many advanced optical techniques. In this paper, we will concentrate on camera scanning technique, which is known as Photogrammetry. The input is a set of photographs, and the output is a 3D model of a real-world object. By using a camera and acquiring many images with predefined positions and orientations. 3D reconstruction from 2D images using Structure from Motion algorithm produces the point cloud and eventually the complete textured mesh. This system is specialized in 3D scanning of small objects. It involves the design of a fully automatic closed system of controlled scanning conditions in terms of lighting and angles of captured images.