10.1.1.194.3526

THREE DIMENSIONAL BODY SCANNING SYSTEMS WITH

POTENTIAL FOR USE IN THE APPAREL INDUSTRY

By

SU-JEONG HWANG, B.S., M.S.

A paper (A-1) submitted to the Graduate Faculty of

North Carolina State University

in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

Raleigh

2001

THREE DIMENSIONAL BODY SCANNING SYSTEMS WITH

POTENTIAL FOR USE IN THE APPAREL INDUSTRY

By

SU-JEONG HWANG, B.S., M.S.

A paper (A-1) submitted to the Graduate Faculty of

North Carolina State University

in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

Raleigh

2001

APPROVED BY:

ABSTRACT

THREE DIMENSIONAL BODY SCANNING SYSTEMS WITH POTENTIAL

FOR USE IN THE APPAREL INDUSTRY

Su-Jeong Hwang, January, 2001

The technology of three dimensional human body scanning systems is used in

various applications, such as movies special effects, anthropology, hospitals, militaries,

and made to measure garments in apparel. The purpose of this study was to understand

the principles of the scanning system and to determine currently available 3D body

scanning systems that have feasibility for use in the apparel by an analysis and

comparison of the systems.

Nineteen companies have been investigated. Cyberware, Hamano, Vitronic,

TecMath, TC2, Telmat, Wicks and Wilson, and Hamamatsu are currently appropriate for

use in the apparel industry for measurement of human body size.

The principle of the 3D body scanning systems is based on optical triangulation

by non-contact methods using either laser or light projection systems. The body scanner

scans the surface of a three-dimensional object, projecting either laser or light, and using

vision devices to capture the shape of the object. The data from the scan is extracted by a

software program.

Cyberware, Vitronic, Hamano, TecMath, and Vitronic use a laser and TC2, Wicks

and Wilson, Telmat, and Hamamatsu use a light source and various techniques for

capture. TC2 and Wicks and Wilson use similar methods by using white light sources,

however Hamamatsu uses a near infrared light LED with PSD method.

By comparison of the scanning systems, I found that light projection types of

scanners, such as TC2 and Triform, are usually faster in scanning time but slower in

extraction of the measurement data than the Laser types. The Hamamatsu BL scanner,

using near infrared LED, and SYMCAD are faster in extraction time than the body

scanning systems which use a moir technique method.

Three dimensional body scanning systems have advantages of accuracy and high

speed in the measuring process compared to the traditional tape method. It will be a

beneficial technology for the apparel industry in the development of mass customization.

Rapid 3D body scanning and data analysis can accurately specify uniform sizes to reduce

time, errors, and cost. However, problems have been found on missing data due to the

shading effects and inconsistency in body positioning.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables iii List of Figures iv Introduction 1 Objectives and Research Method 5 Principles of 3D Body Scanning Systems 6

Definition of Terms 6

Principles 7 Light Scanning Principle 9 Laser Scanning Principle 11 LED with PSD Principle 12 3D Body Scanning Systems 13

Light Based Systems 14

Shadow Scanning Systems 14 White Light Scanning Systems 18 Light Emitting Diodes (LED) 21 Other Light Based Scanning Systems 23

Laser Based Systems 25

Laser Scanning Systems 25 Other Laser Based Scanning Systems 33

Other Scanning Systems 33

A Dimension 3D System 33 A Surface Tracing System 34

Advantages of Body Scanning Systems 35

A Comparison of Scanner Specifications 36

Scanning Time 36 Physical Dimensions of Scanning Systems 37

Vision Device 39 Operating Requirements 43

Conclusion and Suggestions 49 References 52

iiiList of Tables

Table I. 3D Scanning Systems by Type 14

Table II. Comparison of Scanning Time 36

Table III. Comparison by Booth Size, Volume, and Data Size 38

Table IV. Light Source and Vision Devices 40

Table V. Comparison of the Computer Requirements 43

ivList of Figures

Figure 1. A flow process of 3D body scanning systems 8

Figure 2. Additive and subtractive moir methods 10

Figure 3. The shadow moir system developed by Hong Kong Polytechnic University 11

Figure 4. Strip scanning mode in laser scanning systems 12

Figure 5. LED with PSD systems 13

Figure 6. Loughborough Anthropometric Shadow Scanner (LASS) 15

Figure 7. Format of LASS shape matrix 16

Figure 8. Shadow grid lines seen in SYMCAD 17

Figure 9. SYMCAD Body Card information based on ISO 8559 17

Figure 10. TC2s triangulation between projector camera and subject 19

Figure 11. TC2 scanning process with six views 19

Figure 12. Triform from Wicks & Wilson 21

Figure 13. Hamamatsu BL scanners 8 scanning head 22

Figure 14. A shadow moir scanner at Hong Kong Polytechnic University 24

Figure 15. PULS scanning systems arrangements 24

Figure 16. WB in Cyberware 26

Figure 17. Contour 28

Figure 18. Vitus Pro 3D scanner 29

Figure 19. PEDUS optical foot scanner 30

Figure 20. VOXELAN image process 31

Figure 21. VOXELAN multiple sections 32

Figure 22. Measurement of a horizontal section and a longitudinal section 32

1

THREE DIMENSIONAL BODY SCANNING SYSTEMS WITH POTENTIAL

FOR USE IN THE APPAREL INDUSTRY

Introduction

A very important first step in determining correct sizing or creating customized

garments is obtaining accurate measurements of the specific human body. Historically,

tailors and fashion designers have used measuring tapes to obtain the physical

measurements of the bodies they created for. This method has been time consuming,

invasive, and often inaccurate, based on who took the measurements and how they took

them. Until just recently, only tailors and couture houses actually still used real body

measurements to create or alter the clothing they produced. Mass production strategies of

the past 50 years encouraged the move from garments made to fit to garments made to

size. Unfortunately, the sizing systems that have developed through the years are

neither standardized nor related to the average humans body measurements.

Most people have a problem with fit in the clothing that is currently available in

the marketplace, in one way or another. Many have learned to make do with the

garments available for purchase by avoiding certain features that always cause a fit

problem with their different than average figures or by obtaining the service of tailors or

alterations specialists. Others have simply learned to do without. Regardless, there is a

very large population of dissatisfied consumers today. This underlying dissatisfaction

provided impetus to the birth of the paradigm of mass customization.

In the apparel industry, the ability to customize garments for fit is directly tied to

the availability of a comprehensive, accurate set of measurements for each interested

2

consumer. Regardless of how one might perceive fit to be good or bad, it is impossible

to even get close to meeting the consumers perceptions of good fit without a set of

accurate measurements to begin with. To obtain accurate physical measurements, a basic

knowledge and set of skills are required that are not often found in the average

salesperson at a retail clothing outlet. In addition, most consumers are unwilling to take

time to be measured or subject themselves to the intrusion. A 1988 anthropometric

survey of US Army personnel required 4 hours to physically landmark, measure, and

record the data of one subject (Paquette, 1996). This demonstrates how time consuming

the traditional measurement process is.

The development of three dimensional body-scanning technologies may have

significant potential for use in the apparel industry, for a number of reasons. First, this

technology has the potential of obtaining an unlimited number of linear and non-linear

measurements of human bodies (in addition to other objects) in a matter of seconds.

Because an image of the body is captured during the scanning process, the location and

description of the measurements can be altered as needed in mere seconds, as well.

Second, the measurements obtained using this technology have the potential of being

more precise and reproducible than measurements obtained through the physical

measurement process. Third, with the availability of an infinite number of linear and

non-linear measurements the possibility exists for garments to be created to mold to the

three dimensional shapes of unique human bodies. Finally, the scanning technology

allows measurements to be obtained in a digital format that could integrate automatically

into apparel CAD systems without the human intervention that takes additional time and

3

can introduce error. Ultimately, it may enable the industry to produce mass customized

garments.

According to a study using laser holography in the measurement of human bodies

(Shentu, 1995), the laser scanning system was fast, easy, and accurate, and also had the

ability to record data on the computer. This study demonstrated potential in other

applications, such as size points recognition, sampling methods, high speed measurement

methods, and oriented size application for design, draping, and garment design.

The technology of three dimensional (3D) body scanning has been used most

extensively by the military to rapidly and accurately scan, extract measurements, and

automatically select sizes for issuing garments to military recruits. Plans are for the

scanning process to be integrated into the recruit issue line so that it will take less than

one minute to scan and size each recruit.

In 1998, the Civilian American and European Surface Anthropometry Resource

program (CAESAR) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base initiated the largest scale

anthropometric survey performed in over 30 years. It is the first international survey of

its kind to utilize body-scanning technology. The Cyberware WB4 whole body scanner

was used in this study (CAESAR, 1999). The collected data will be used by multiple

industries, including the military, automotive, and apparel.

Textile Clothing Technology Corporation ([TC]) of Cary, North Carolina, a non-

profit organization funded in part by the government, has focused a significant amount of

research and development time and effort on 3D body scanning and measurement

extraction. This organization is committed to aiding in the development of technologies

that will support the American apparel industry. It is this commitment that encouraged

4

research in body scanning technologies that could support the developing paradigm of

mass customization ([TC], 2000).

Three-dimensional body scanning technologies are already being used in the

apparel industry. Levi-Strauss has placed a scanning system in their San Francisco,

California store and has experimented with the production of made-to-measure jeans.

Brooks Brothers has used measurements extracted from scanned bodies to produce their

own customized shirts. They measure customers within a few seconds and then send the

measurement data to their factory to produce the garments in a few days. Integrating the

scanning process and revising production systems can help reduce inventory levels and

cut order lead-time.

In the apparel industry, designing, spreading, cutting, and pressing have been

automated by use of computer systems. According to Mittelhauser (1997), many large

apparel producers have implemented these technologies. Computer-aided-design (CAD)

and computer-aided-manufacturing (CAM) systems have significantly increased

productivity and efficiency within the industry. Integration of 3D body scanning

technologies with existing CAD/CAM systems is essential.

Three-dimensional scanning technologies may support the development of 3D

virtual shopping where consumers can see themselves in selected clothing, via the web.

Virtual displays at point of sale and catalogue shopping may also be perpetuated by this

technology. In addition, business-to-business (B2B) applications may be enhanced by

enabling more accurate garment visualization and inspection. The company

realityBUY.com has joined forces with ASP, idealpath Inc. to develop such a virtual

showroom (Business Wire, 2000).

5

The purpose of this study was to uncover all of the 3D body scanning systems

currently available and to determine the underlying principles that allow these systems to

work. Specifications of each system were compared in order to provide some direction

for further research into the integration of these systems with current apparel CAD

technology.

Objectives and Research Method

The objectives of this study were to a) search all currently available 3D body

scanning systems, worldwide; b) understand the underlying principles of each of the 3D

body scanning systems; c) assess the ability to integrate these systems with other

technologies used in the apparel industry by comparison of the scanning time, volume of

the scanner booth, vision device, and computer system; d) gather specific information on

the required system environments, such as the computer operating system, the software,

the hardware, and data formats; and e) suggest further study of system integration in the

apparel industry. Nineteen companies that had developed body-scanning systems were

investigated between December, 1999 and December, 2000. The companies were

Cyberware, [TC], Telmat, Wicks and Wilson, Hamamatsu, Vitronic, TecMath, 3D

Scanners, Immersion, Hamano, Puls Scanning system, LASS (Loughborough

Anthropometric Shadow Scanner), Cognitens, Carl Zeiss, Faro Technologies, Science

Accessory, Turing C3D, CAD Modeling, and Polhemus. A survey was mailed to each of

the companies, twice, to gather information related to system specifications and

capabilities. Six of the companies responded to the survey by email, mail, and/or fax.

6

Information on the remaining companies was obtained in person, from their web sites, or

through previous related articles and papers.

Principles of 3D Body Scanning Systems

Definition of Terms

Body scanning systems have been developing in different fields such as optical

engineering, computer science, and anthropometry. They use technical terms and

abbreviated words that are already commonly used in specific areas or projects.

However, many of the terms related to3D body scanning systems are not yet familiar to

the apparel industry. Therefore, the following terms are provided to help understand the

3D body scanning systems.

3DM: Software program developed by Clemson Apparel Research. 3DM reads

image files, is written in C++, uses open GL and W-Windows libraries, and runs on both

an SGI workstation running Unix and on a PC running Windows NT (Pargas, 1998).

3D ScanWare: The unique interface between the hardware components developed

by Dimension 3D-System.

ARN: Apparel Research Network.

CAR: Clemson Apparel Research

CCD: Charge-coupled device. This is a head part of the vision devices in a

scanner.

HUMAG: Human Measurement, Anthropometry and Growth Research Group, is

the body scan research component at Loughborough University.

7

LASS: Loughborough Anthropometric Shadow Scanner. Loughborough

University in U.K. has been developed the shadow scanning system.

LED: Light Emit Diodes.

PMP: Phase Measuring Profilometry. It employs a phase-stepping technique

using moir-based light-projection system for commercialized for the custom apparel

design and manufacturing systems. It improves overall image resolution (Paquette,

1996). It has been developed by [TC] in Cary, North Carolina.

PSD: Position-Sensitive Detector.

SGI: Silicon Graphics Inc. is a major pioneer in VRML, which is useful in

developing web sites.

Principles

An early model of a 3D body scanning system was found that Japanese

researchers had developed consisting of a mechanical sliding gauge to trace the

horizontal and vertical curves of a human body. The early non-contact measuring device,

a silhouetter, produced a 2D photo of a body contour. It consisted of a booth with large

grid wall, a series of florescent light tubes, and an instant camera.

In 1984, Wacoal developed a computerized silhouette analyzer that could

electronically process data on the contours of an object (Yu, 1999). It was a very similar

idea to 3D body scanning systems in terms of using a non-contact method with light

sources.

Current three-dimensional body scanners capture the outside surface of the human

body by using optical techniques, in combination with light sensitive devices, without

physical contact with the body, in the majority of cases. Body scanning systems consist

8

of one or more light sources, one or more vision or capturing devices, software, a

computer system, and a monitor screen in order to visualize the data capture process.

The primary types of body scanning systems are laser and light. Surface tracing systems

also exist. However, these are not currently used for capturing the shape of human

bodies. Both white light and laser scanning systems follow four main process steps (see

Figure 1).

First, an object is illuminated and scanned by mechanical motion of the light

sources, either white light or laser. Second, CCD cameras detect the reflected patterns

from the object. Third, the displacement of the structured light pattern is used to

calculate the distance from the subject to the CCD camera. Finally, software inverts the

distance data to produce a three-dimensional representation. According to Kaufmann

(1997), in the final step of the software inversion, a certain amount of redundancy is

needed in the measurements to overcome shadowing of arms and ears. For the apparel

Figure 1. A flow process of 3D body scanning systems

(Operating systems) (4) Software inversion data

(3) Calculation

(Vision Devices) (1) Light illumination (2) Camera detection

Printer

Screen

Computer

Memory frame

Floppy disk

Customized card CAD system

Object

CameraLight Projector

9

industry, measurement data from the 3D body scanning systems could be stored in a

customized card and integrated to CAD systems used by the apparel industry.

Most 3D body scanning systems currently available differ slightly by the source

of light or their methods. They can be explained as three different principles, which are

light based scanning systems, laser scanning systems, and LED with PSD systems.

Light Scanning Principle

Most white light 3D body scanning systems with grid lines have been developed

from the shadow moir technique. Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Triform from

Wicks & Wilson, and [TC] are examples of white light scanning systems, which have

developed their own body scanners with this technique. The white light sources are

usually referred to as Halogen lamps.

In the moir technique, a grid plane, camera, white light source, and operating

system are used. The use of grid lines is a main difference from other scanning

principles. While a human body is being scanned, we can usually recognize the

horizontal grid lines on the object.

According to Lovesey (1974), moir techniques had two different methods, which

were additive moir methods and subtractive moir methods. In additive moir methods,

the object surface and a reference plane are illuminated at an angle by a straight- line grid

projector and moir fringes are formed between the distorted body lines and the straight

line on the reference (see Figure 2a). In subtractive moir methods, a point of light casts

a shadow of a coarse grating on to an object and the fringes are formed between the

distorted shadow, as seen from the camera position and the grating that is illuminated by

light reflected from the body (see Figure 2b).

10

The subtractive moir method has reported a disadvantage of divergence errors

(Lovesey, 1974). For this reason, most current light based scanning systems seem to be

developed from the additive moir methods with a straight line from a grid projector.

According to a study by Arai, Yekozeki, and Yamada (1991), the gird

illumination type of moir method is operated more easily than the grid projection type.

Even though it is more difficult to automate the grid illumination type, they strongly

suggested that this method be used in automatic measurement systems since it is more

precise and compact than the grid projection type.

Figure 3 shows the arrangement of a shadow moir body scanning system

developed by Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The following equations were used in

the development of their system.

ngd

ngL

Zn=OR

RQOCQP = ngd

ngLZn =

Figure 2. Additive and subtractive moir methods (Lovesey, 1974)

Subject

Camera

Reference plane

Straight line grid projector

(a) Additive moir method (b) Subtractive moir method

Subject

Small lightsource

Camera

Transparent grid

11

The camera is used to produce a good resolution of fringes. It is necessary to

arrange the distance between camera and grid because it is related to production of a

bigger L and wider fringe interval (Yu et al., 1997).

Usually light based 3D scanning systems, which partially or fully adapt moir

techniques, show problems on surface reflectance and noisy fringes. There are still

limitations on accuracy of measurements due to the use of light reflectance and its

translucency in the moir method (Kafri, & Glatt, 1990). A similar problem of forming a

sharp shadow is also found with human skin because of its translucency (Yu et al., 1997).

[TC] had a similar problem, as well. They use matt black paint or a large black cloth

during the scanning process to avoid unwanted light reflectance.

Laser Scanning Principle

Laser scanning systems are distinguished from white light scanning systems,

which use moir principles. Usually, laser scanning systems, such as Cyberwares WBX

WB4 and Voxelan, do not show horizontal grid shadow lines on an object and do not

C

Q

h

XY

I

Z2 Z1

k

R

Ls=Lc=L Lc

O -g-

SP

P

d

Z

P = points of intersection h and k

I = image plane

P= a point on l lies on a moir fringe

k = light projection line

h = line of sight observation intersect

g = space between two grid lines

n = line family of intersection of rays

from S and C

Figure 3. The shadow moir system developed by Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Yu et al., 1997)

12

require a closed dark room to capture the shadow. The scanning process follows a non-

contact sensing method in which a sheet of laser light is projected onto an object. The

resulting 3D-curve stripe is observed through one or more imaging sensors, such as CCD

cameras (see Figure 4). In this system, a scanning control software is also required.

Optical laser triangulation is a reliable non-contact technique used in rapid

prototyping of industrial parts or in a various applications such as gauging, profiling and

3D surface mapping (Clark, 1997). According to several researchers (Clark, 1997;

Dalton, 1998; Yu, 2000), laser based scanning systems were reported to have good

resolution, low measurement noise, and high accuracy. However, laser scanning systems

are more expensive than other scanning systems.

LED with PSD Principle

The Light Emit Diodes (LED) with Position-Sensitive Detector (PSD) method is

used in the Hamamatsu body scanning system. An infrared LED is pulsed and passed

through a projection lens to be reflected from an object onto a photograph. The light is

then collected by a second lens and focused onto a detector (see Figure 5). A centroid, a

point in the system, has the same dimension of points weighted mean of coordinates. The

CCD Camera

Stripe projector

Object

Figure 4. Strip scanning mode in laser scanning systems

13

weight is determined by the density function of the system. In this system, a position

sensitive detector (PSD) is used to determine a centroids position.

As shown in Figure 5, the light reflected from the object strikes the photodiode,

and the PSD. Photoelectrons generated in the photodiode diffuse toward both

electrodes. A combination of mechanical scanning, multiple sensors, and electro-optic

scanning processes are used to produce a three dimensional image of an object, because a

segmented PSD provides only one distance at a time (Kaufmann, 1997).

3D Body Scanning Systems

Three-dimensional scanning systems can be found in a variety of areas such as

statistical analysis, modeling, animation, medicine, anthropometry, and apparel. Leading

systems can be found from Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany,

France, and the United States. Table I lists scanners by the type of technology used to

capture the image.

Object

PSD driver signal processing circuit

LED driver

S/H A/D

Analog Signal

Digital Signal

Figure 5. LED with PSD systems (Kaufmann, 1997)

14

Table I. 3D Scanning Systems by Type

Light Based Systems Laser Based Systems Other scanning Systems Company Product Company Product Company Product

Hamamatsu BL Scanner Cyberware WBX, WB4 Immersion

Micro Scribe 3D

Loughborough University LASS TecMath

Ramsis, Contor, Vitus Pro, Vitus Smart

CAD modeling SCANFIT

[TC] 2T4,3T6

Vitronic

VITUS/smart 3D body scanner, PEDUS 3D foot scanner, HighTechPerfection

Dimension

3D-System

Scan book, 3D Scan Station, 3D Scan Station Body

Wicks and Wilson Limited

TriForm BodyScan, TriForm3 (Torso Scan), TriForm2 (Head scan)

Hamano Voxelan

TELMAT

SYMCAD 3D Virtual model Polhemus FASTSCAN

Turing Turing C3D 3D Scanners

REPLICA, Model Maker, REVERSA, Re Mesh, RI Software, PROFA

Puls Scanning System GmbH Puls Scanning System

Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Shadow moir body scanning system

CogniTens Optigo 100 system

Light Based Systems

Shadow Scanning Systems

LASS. One of the earliest 3D body scanning systems was a shadow scanning

method developed by Loughborough University in the U.K. The LASS shadow scanner

was used in the Human Measurement, Anthropometry and Growth Research Group

(HUMAG). Anthropometric surveys throughout Britain have been undertaken to describe

the body sizes and shapes of adults. The LASS, 3D automatic body measuring system

was aimed at the automation of clothing sizing and design and applications in

manufacturing industries and medicine (HUMAG, 2000).

15

The Loughborough Anthropometric Shadow Scanner (LASS) differs from other

conventional structured lighting approaches in that they rotate an object. However, the

principle of shadow scanners is similar to the most conventional structured lighting

systems in that the camera faces the scene illuminated by a halogen light source and the

camera captures images as an operator moves the light so that the shadow scans the entire

scene. This constitutes the input data to the 3D reconstruction system (Bouguet &

Perona, 2000).

The Loughborough Anthropometric Shadow Scanner is an automated,

computerized 3D measurement system based on the triangulation method. The subject

stands on a rotating platform and is turned 360 degrees in measured angular increments.

A slit of light from each of 16 projectors falls onto the body in a vertical plane that passes

through the center of the rotation (see Figure 6).

A column of cameras is used to read the image of projected light. From the

camera image of the edge of the light slit, the height and horizontal radii of the body at

the vertical plane can be easily calculated. The measured data are 3D surface coordinates

of a body in cylinder coordinate form. Image captured from 14 TV cameras are then

TVs TVs 8 Projectors 8 Projectors

Turntable

Object

Figure 6. Loughborough Anthropometric Shadow Scanner (LASS)

16

processed electronically. The resolution of measurements in the vertical and the radial

directions are 1mm and 1.6mm respectively, according to the camera resolution (Jones et

al., 1995; Yu, 1999).

In the study of the format for human body modeling from 3D body scanning

(Jones et al., 1995), they used a shape matrix for the representation of 3D shapes of the

human torso. The shape matrix is a text (ASCII) file containing 16x 16 y and one z

(height) co-ordinate values on each line (see Figure 7).

N M RY DX DY X (1,1) Y (1,1) X (1,2) Y (1,2) X (1,16) Y (1,16) Z (1) X (2,1) Y (2,1) X (2,2) Y (2,2) X (2,16) Y (2,16) Z (2) . . . X (N, 1) Y (N, 1) X (N, 2) Y (N, 2) X (N, 16) Y (N, 16) Z (N) N= the number of row M= the mode of file, usual 0 RY, DX and DY= transformation information of cross section in X-Y plane

The data from the body scanning system can be expressed by using any number of

cross-sections or any number of points in the shape matrix format to facilitate the transfer

of data.

Telmat. SYMCAD Turbo Flash/3D is Telmats 3D body scanning system,

developed in the framework of a partnership with the French Navy (Soir, 1999).

According to Daanen (1998), SYMCAD is categorized as a shadow scanner. As

illustrated in Figure 8, during the scanning process, horizontal grid line shadows are seen

on a human body as are usually seen in shadow scanners.

Figure 7. Format of LASS shape matrix (Jones et al., 1995)

17

Figure 8. Shadow grid lines seen in SYMCAD (Telmat, 2000)

Figure 9. SYMCAD Body Card information based on ISO 8559 (Telmat, 2000)

18

The system has a size selection table based on ISO 8559 and the coordination of

integrated garment ensembles or packages. Telmat has demonstrated how measurements

could be stored and delivered to the ultimate user with their SYMCAD Body Card. The

Body card can contain critical measurements based on the ISO standard (see Figure 9).

This card has the ability to store all individual body measurements captured using the

system. The resulting measurement data can be integrated into apparel CAD systems

such as Gerber Technologys Accumark system or Lectra Systems Modaris software.

TELMAT acquires pieces of information in 1/25th of a second. It takes 30

seconds for the cameras to move along the beams and acquire data for the whole body.

After computational calculations are made on the formed scanned image, the system is

able to generate 70 precise body measurements. It takes less than 15 seconds for the

system to extract this data. Among the data recorded are traditional measurements used

by clothing professionals, such as neck, waist, chest, bust, and hip circumferences.

White Light Scanning Systems

[TC]. The Textile Clothing Technology Corporation (TC) has a 2T4 and a 3T6.

One of the body scanners, The 3T6, has been used at North Carolina State University for

developing apparel applications.

The [TC] systems use white light. They developed a phase measuring

profilometry (PMP) technique for commercialization. PMP is similar to Moir light

projection techniques, but differs from Moir data-capture approaches in that it employs a

phase-stepping technique. According to Paquette (1996), this phase measuring

profilometry (PMP) method was thought to improve overall image resolution.

19

The PMP technique uses a white light source to project a contour pattern on the

surface of an object. A charge-coupled device (CCD) camera linked to a computer

detects the resulting deformed grating. The superimposed projection grating lines

interact with a reference grating, forming the fringes. As irregularities in the shape of the

target object distort the projected grating, fringe patterns result. The PMP method

involves shifting the grating preset distances in the direction of the varying phase and

capturing images at each position (see Figure 10).

Object

Projector grating and lens

Camera CCD array and lens

Intersection point (x, y, z)

Sensor head

Figure 10. [TC]s triangulation between projector camera and subject ([TC], 2000)

Figure 11. [TC] scanning process with six views ([TC], 2000)

20

A total of four images are taken for each sensor, each with the same degree of

phase shift of the projected sinusoidal patterns. Using the four captured images, the

phase of each pixel can be determined. The phase is then used to calculate the three-

dimensional data points.

As shown in Figure 11, the intermediate output of the PMP process is a data cloud

of points for each of the six views (right front, left front, and rear in both the upper and

lower part of the body). The individual views are combined by the exact orientation of

each view with respect to one another. Scanning a calibration object of known size and

orientation is an essential step in this orientation. This is known as system calibration

([TC], 2000). The points that result from the data set are the raw calculated points

without any smoothing or other post-processing. In order for measurements to be

extracted, the data must be further processed by filtering, smoothing, filling, and

compressing. The PMP method enables faster data acquisition than laser scanning or

shadow scanning, but is unable to provide color information. According to Shentu

(1995), when analyzing human body images, the 64 color RGB file could be reduced to

the two colors of black and white allowing smaller file sizes and easier data analysis.

Even though it seems unnecessary to have color information, according to Bruner (2000),

the new 2000 model [TC] will focus on having colors to meet the demand in the market.

Wicks & Wilson, Limited. Triform is a non-contact 3D-image capture system

from Wicks and Wilson Limited in the United Kingdom. White light (in the form of a

halogen bulb) and a variation of the Moir fringe technique are used to capture the 3D

shape of an object. The 3D shape is a colored point cloud on the monitor screen that

looks similar to a photograph of the subject (see Figure 12).

21

Triform has already been tested in a large garment sizing survey in the UK

organized for Marks and Spencer. They anticipate that it will increase sales, enable

virtual displays at point of sale and in catalogue shopping, and can provide a wider range

of garments than a normal storeroom. Virtual garment try-on will also be possible in the

future. This technology is expected to have application in E-commerce for Internet

shopping, in the medical field to assist surgeons in case management and planning, in

multimedia and image manipulation, and in garment sizing for the apparel industry.

Light Emitting Diodes (LED)

Hamamatsu. The Hamamatsu Body Line (BL) scanning system uses near

infrared LED (Light emitting diodes) to obtain scan data. The system was developed to

extract three dimensional body data using fewer body landmarks and having less missing

data than other previously developed systems. Light is pulsed through a projection lens

onto the subject. Near infrared light is reflected from the subject being scanned and is

Figure 12. Triform from Wicks & Wilson (Wicks & Wilson Limited, 2000)

22

collected by the detector lens. The detector lens is a combination of spherical and

cylindrical lenses that generate a slit beam on the Position Sensitive Detectors (PSD).

According to Kaufmann (1997), the lateral-effect photodiode, also known as a position-

sensitive detector (PSD), is used to determine the position of the centroid and two PSDs

are used to compensate for shadowing of one of the detectors. Eight sensors are mounted

on a U shaped rail. Measurements are extracted from the 3D point clouds for a specified

set of measurements (see Figure 13). Size selection tables have been developed based on

ISO 8559.

Hamamatsu originally developed the BL scanner for the womens upper torso

using tight undergarments in Japan. Hamamatsu has a branch office in USA to develop

software program and has been supporting schools in the UK, Germany and Japan to aid

in the development of their body scanning system. The Hamamatsu scanner is being

used in the University College of London for human modeling research. They have also

Figure 13. Hamamatsu BL scanners 8 scanning head (Hamamatsu, 2000)

23

worked with the Natick Soldier Center to compare their Body Lines system with the

Cyberware system used at Natick.

According to a study comparing the Hamamatsu BL scanner and the Natick

Cyberware Scanner (Paquette et al., 1998), the Cyberware Natick scan system generally

resulted in measurement values less than those obtained with traditional anthropometry

(TA). The Hamamatsu BL scanning system, however, tends to produce either similar or

larger circumference measurements than those observed for TA. The software performed

best on chest and hip circumference but it still has difficulty with neck circumferences.

Considering measurement variability, the results of the study indicate that the

Hamamatsu BL system tends to produce the widest dispersion of measurement values. In

the commercial apparel CAD system, Asahikasei uses this technique for body scanning,

and virtual fitting.

Other Light Based Scanning Systems

Other light based scanning systems include the 3D moir body scanner from the

Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the PULS scanning system, Scan fit (CAD

modeling), and the Optigo 100 system. Usually light structure scanning systems are

cheaper than laser scanning systems. However, according to Yu (1999), data from light

based scanning systems is less precise because the light spot is larger.

Figure 14 shows the 3D moir body scanner developed by the institute of Textiles

and Clothing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The shadow moir technique is

based on the theory of moir topography. The system contains a light source, two

identical grid planes with thirty line pairs, a set of projection lens, an image formation

24

lens and digital camera. Contour moir fringes show the 3D shape of the object (Yu et

al., 1997).

The PULS scanning system developed in Germany consists of a light source, a

CCD camera, a PC screen, and four mirrors. A CCD camera is connected to a personal

computer and Camera projection is done between the mirrors. This projection area is

changeable to each room situation because mirrors can be arranged (see Figure 15).

Photographs of the human body in front and side views are taken simultaneously by a

patented mirror arrangement. The use of mirrors is different from other light structure

scanning systems and may provide flexibility in limited space.

Figure 14. A shadow moir scanner at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Yu et al., 2000)

CCD camera Mirror

MirrorAction area

Mirror Mirror

CCD camera

Action area

Mirror

Mirror

Mirror Mirror

Figure 15. PULS scanning systems arrangements (PULS, 2000)

25

CAD modeling in Italy developed the SCANFIT body scanning system following

the National Institute for Technology, Energy and Environment Innovations (E.N.E.A).

The company has FORMAX which are patented anthropometrical test models for babies,

boys, girls and teenagers. SCANFIT uses an optical, non-contact method with a light

panel, a base, a 3D camera, and a computer. It extracts measurements within 10 seconds

and identifies the type of volume of the human body, such as slim and regular.

The Optigo 100 system from CogniTens, Inc. was developed for high accuracy

reconstruction of large 3D objects. It uses one halogen projector and three CCD cameras.

An image can be rendered as a point cloud and used for measurement extraction. Even

though human body scanning was not a target industry for their products, it can be

modified for apparel.

Laser Based Systems

Laser Scanning Systems

Cyberware. Laser scanning methods are used in the Cyberware WB4, WBX,

ARN Scan, Fast Scan and Vitus systems. The scan subject wears form-fitting briefs or

bicycle/running shorts during the process as the scanner projects a line of laser light

around the body. The laser line is reflected into cameras located in each of the scan

heads. Data is obtained using a triangulation method in which a strip of light is emitted

from laser diodes onto the surface of the scanning object, and then viewed simultaneously

from two locations using an arrangement of mirrors. Viewed from an angle, the laser

stripe appears deformed by the objects shape. CCD sensors record the deformations and

create a digitized image of the subject. The cameras positioned within each of the four

scanning heads record this surface information when the heads move vertically along the

26

length of the scanning volume. The separate data files from each scanning head are

combined in the software to produce a complete integrated image of the scanned object

(Paquette, 1996). Unlike other scanning system methods, the laser scanner generates

RGB color values, a process of identifying color-coded landmarks for data extraction

after scanning.

The U.S. Army Natick RD &E Center uses the Cyberware system to develop and

analyze body shapes for armor coverage and for other military uniform clothing. The

ARN-SCAN, also called Natick-SCAN (NS), was created using toolkits developed by

Cyberware.

The WB4 system is controlled by Cyberware's Cyscan software which performs

basic graphic displays as shown in Figure 16. The software is written in C++ and Tcl/Tk.

The scan data is convertible to VRML for web-based applications (Cyberware, 2000). It

was designed and manufactured as a portable tool for highly versatile and accurate

Figure 16. WB in Cyberware (Cyberware, 2000)

27

scientific applications and has proven invaluable in collecting the data necessary to

develop the measurement extraction capabilities required for accurate recruit sizing.

However, the scanner has expensive features not necessarily needed on the recruit issue

line and requires skilled personnel for its setup and operation. For this reason, Cyberware

developed the WBX version of the scanner in 2000.

The WBX version of the scanner collects all of the data required for clothing

measurement extraction with a substantial reduction in complexity, size and cost. The

WBX system reduced 50% of the cycle time from 40 seconds to 20 seconds. It also

reduced the cost by 57%, from $350 thousand to $150 thousand (ARN, 2000). It has a

simpler assembly and operation than the WB4 system and includes a task optimized

motion system. The WBX was tested at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego

during February 2000.

Both scanners are non-contact optical laser scanning systems of the surface of the

subjects. Cyberware manufactures and develops 3D body scanning systems for the

apparel industry, garment designers, anthropologists, automotive designers, furniture

designers, computer game developers, and medical applications.

TecMath. TecMath is a German company that does consulting in ergonomic

product design, vehicle design, work place design, anthropometric databases, and

statistical analysis. They also support clothing and shoe design, Made-to-Measure, and

ergonomic anthropoids, as well. The company develops software and hardware related to

ergonomics and garment measuring systems in their division of human modeling. This

company developed the RAMSIS, Contour, Move, and Vitus systems.

28

The RAMSIS system is directed at virtual product design and ergonomic analysis.

It was developed in response to the German Automotive Industry and is now used by

60% of the automotive industry worldwide. The system is integrated with CAD systems

such as CATIA, IDEAS and has applications for anthropometric databases, posture and

movement prediction, interior design, package and seat design, workplace design, and

medical design as they relate to ergonomic analysis. RAMSIS is TecMaths ergonomic

tool that takes only 1.3 seconds to scan an object. Contour and Vitus are TecMaths

measurement tools and Move is an optical infrared marker system with automatic

tracking of movement (see Figure 17). Contour and Vitus have been used to develop fit

of army clothing and to select sizes from tables which contain basic body dimensions for

companies, such as KAKA, DoB, and Bundeswehr (TecMath, 2000).

Contour is a camera based measuring system and a 2D scanner that calculates

body dimensions at a relatively low price and in less than 2 minutes. It automatically

classifies clothing sizes and interfaces with pattern design systems, such as Gerber

Technology and GRAFIS. The Contour system consists of lighting tubes, a calibration

Figure17. Contour (TecMath, 2000)

29

plate, a CCD camera, and a frame grabber. It operates on a Windows 95 platform and a

standard PC.

Vitronic. Vitronic produces Vitus Pro, Vitus Smart, and the PEDUS 3D foot

scanner. The company focuses on the development of the MtoM shop for the mass

customization on the Internet. Obtained measurement data from Vitus Pro is used for

antropometric research, rapid prototyping and ergonomic research design with RAMSIS

in TecMath. Vitus Smart provides necessary measurement data for made-to-measure

clothing production and can be integrated into retail stores. Like all Vitus products, Vitus

Smart operates with the light stripe method.

As shown in Figure 18, Vitus automatically calculates body dimensions. The

measurement method used is optical triangulation with laser, using an eye safe laser

(class 1) and CCD cameras, traveling vertically. It has an automatic calibration facility

and an option for color texture. Vitronic has developed their own software for

Figure 18. Vitus Pro 3D scanner (Vitronic, 2000)

30

visualization and manipulation of 3D scans. It allows visualization of up to 16 million

3D points, processing of textures, and data export in various formats, such as VRML and

JPG. It is a fast and precise measurement system that interfaces to CAD systems for

clothing design.

The PEDUS, 3D optical foot scanner, is specialized for measuring feet within

seconds to produce the best fitting shoe sizes for customized manufacturing (see Figure

19). It makes it possible for individual customers to order made- to- measure shoes.

With smart cards, they can keep records for customer information. All relevant

customer data is available in the web-aided database and is administered by retailers,

manufacturers or service enterprise.

Hamano. VOXELAN is Hamanos non-contact, optical 3D scanning system that

scans the body with a safe laser. It was originally developed by NKK in Japan and later

taken over by Hamano Engineering Co., Ltd. in 1990. The VOXELAN has been used for

various purposes, in addition to measurement of the whole human body. The

VOXELAN: HEV-1800HSW is used for whole body measurement, the VOXELAN:

HEC-300DS is for face detail, and wrinkles are measured with the VOXELAN: HEV-

Figure 19. PEDUS optical foot scanner (Vitronic, 2000)

31

50S. They provide very precise information in a range of resolutions from 0.8mm for the

whole body to 0.02mm for wrinkles.

Luminance data is obtained from the measured shape data with exact one-to-one

correspondence. As shown in Figure 20, measurement points can be defined on the

image displayed on the screen. Plaster figures are generated from the measured shape

data as cyber space representations. An object is measured from the composition of the

front and back data. A birds-eye view of a wired form of the object can also be obtained.

(a) Image display from luminance data (b) Shading display (c) Wired frame display

Figure 20. VOXELAN image process (Hamano, 2000)

32

Multiple sections can be represented on the same coordinates (see Figure 21).

The perimeter and area of a cross section of an object can be measured, as well as a

diameter across its sides and a diameter across its front and back. The measurements of a

longitudinal section can be obtained in the same manner as for the measurements of a

cross horizontal section (see Figure 22).

(a) A horizontal section (b) A longitudinal section

Figure 22. Measurement of a horizontal section and a longitudinal section (Hamano, 2000)

(a) Display of multiple sections (b) Display of multiple sections on the same coordinates

Figure 21. VOXELAN multiple sections (Hamano, 2000)

33

From the measurements, solid shapes of the objects are mapped with the colors

corresponding to the heights varying from the reference position. Moreover, contour

mapping is superimposed on them by using a moir display function. VOXELAN

software operates in a Windows 95 or NT platform and has DXF and IGES data formats,

which are used in most CAD system.

Other Laser Based Scanning Systems

The systems mentioned above are well known 3D body scanners developed to

extract measurement and image data from the human body. Other 3D scanning systems

have also been developed which may have application for the apparel industry, although

currently indirect. For example, Polhemus developed FastScan to aid in the movement of

objects. The resulting point cloud and virtual image data files can be integrated into

many CAD systems used in industrial design. 3D Scanners in London has developed

products for modeling objects. Their products, Model Maker and Reverse, are well

known for measuring and modeling in the automobile industry.

Other Scanning Systems

A Dimension 3D System

Dimension 3D-System. Dimension 3D-System in Hanover (Germany) was

founded in 1997 and has developed 3D ScanBook, 3D ScanStation, and 3D ScanStation

Body. These scanners are used for multimedia applications such as computer games,

screen design, Internet, and CD-ROM applications. The 3D ScanBook and ScanStation

have not been used for measurements, however 3D ScanStation Body has been developed

recently for computer graphics, animation and measurements.

34

The principle of 3D Scanners in the Dimension 3D-System is different from other

laser or white light activate scanning systems because the body scanning system uses a

digital camera and turntable as hardware basis and takes a shape as the silhouette

approaches. Images provided by the camera are combined in a 3D model using

Dimension 3Ds intelligent 3D ScanWare. The 3D ScanStation Body works with the

very advanced volume edit process from video images. The scanning systems contain all

components necessary for the automatic generation of a model from video images and

triangle mesh generation with arbitrary and final automatic texturing. This process is

done within seconds (Dimension 3D-System, 2000).

A Surface Tracing System

Immersion. Other methods may also be applied to scan three dimensional

objects. A company called Immersion developed a line of Micro Scribe scanners that

trace the surface of an object. These have not been used to extract measurement data but

have been used in modeling.

Some other scanning systems include Cognitens Optigo 100, Carl Zeiss, Faro

Technologies, 3D scanners and Turing 3D, none of which have applications currently for

use in the apparel industry, though they have similar modeling systems for three

dimensional objects. While these systems currently appear to have little application for

the apparel industry, who knows how they may be used as virtual enterprises develop and

e-commerce grows.

35

Advantages of Body Scanning Systems

Compared to traditional measurement methods using measuring tapes and

calipers, laser scanning systems have the advantage of speed. For example, the ARN

Scan takes 17 seconds in the initial scanning phase and results in a digitized cloud of

300,000 data points to map the body surface. Within 30 seconds, the ARN Scan software

extracts accurate measurements from the data cloud (Morton, 1999). Other advantages of

3D body scanning beyond speed are the accuracy and reproducibility of the data, as well

as the availability of new or revised measurement extraction at any time.

After the scanning process, the ARN Scan system automatically selects the

correct size for the recruit or indicates the need for a made-to-measure garment, if the

body is outside of the standardized sizing tables. ARN implemented this system for the

military at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at San Diego, California (Morton, 1999).

Most recruits body shapes change drastically because of diet and exercise during their

training and the scanning system makes it possible to find the correct size for their

changing shapes, quickly.

The disadvantages of 3D scanning technology, compared to traditional

anthropometry or tape measurement methods, are the costs of the technology and the

problem with missing data because of shading. The armpits and crotch areas are often

shaded (Danen & Jeroen, 1998; Yu, 1999). Other problems are related to light absorption

by the hair and skin, movement artifacts, and data processing handling.

36

A Comparison of Scanner Specifications

Scanning Time

Rapid scanning time is one of the remarkable advantages for most 3D body

scanning systems over the traditional tape measurement method. Speed is important in

the reduction of human body movement artifacts and enables the extraction of precise

data from many people in a very short period of time.

Table II. Comparison of Scanning Time

Light Projection Systems

System Scan Time Process & Extraction Time Total

[TC]3T6 system 10 sec 30 sec 40 sec [TC]2T4 system 10 sec 30 sec 40 sec Hamamatsu BL 7 sec 40 sec 47 sec TelmatSYMCAD 7.2 sec 15 sec 22.2 sec Wicks & WilsonTriForm 16 sec 60 sec 76 sec Wicks & WilsonTriForm Body Scan 16 sec 4 min 256 sec

CogniTensOptigo 100 6 sec - - - - - -

Laser Projection Systems

System Scan Time Process & Extraction Time Total

CyberwareWB4 17 sec 30 sec 47 sec CyberwareWBX 17 sec 30 sec 47 sec VitronicVitus 10 sec 30 sec 40 sec VitronicVitus Smart 19sec - - - 19sec VitronicPEDUS 10sec - - - 10sec TecMathRamsis 1.3 sec - - - - - - HamanoVoxelan 4 sec - - - - - - PolhemusFastscan 30 sec - - - - - -

As shown in Table II, scanning and data extraction time varies between laser and

light scanning systems. The range of scanning time is from 1.3 seconds to 30 seconds.

Fast scanning time is considered important for reduction of errors from the sway in

37

human subjects. According to Daanen (1998), increasing the scanning speed increases

the expense of vertical resolution and the electromechanical demands.

After scanning the human body, most scanning systems need extra processing

time to obtain final results of measurement data. As shown in Table II, the range of

process and extraction time is from 15 seconds up to 4 minutes. It takes slightly longer

than scanning time because the process and extraction data time involves a calibration

procedure and is computationally intensive. The lengthy calibration procedure time is

related to operating systems including software program.

Recent 3D body scanning systems are improving in the total scanning speed and

accuracy. For example, Vitronic developed a new version of 3D body scanning systems

called Vitus, Smart 3D body scanner, and PEDUS 3D foot scanner all with increased

scanning speeds. The rest of 3D scanning companies are developing fast, accurate, and

robust scanning systems. It is obvious that rapid measurement is a major advantage in

automatic 3D scanning systems over the traditional methods used manually.

Physical Dimensions of Scanning Systems

Booth size. The size of each scanner booth varies significantly from one product

to the next. This is a fairly important consideration to the apparel industry since the

anticipated placement of these systems will be in retail establishments where floor space

is extremely valuable. Table III shows each system compared by booth size, scanned

volume, and data file size of a scanned object.

38

Table III. Comparison by Booth Size, Volume, and Data Size

Light Projection Systems System Booth Size (W x D x H in meters)

Volume (W x D x H in meters)

Data Size (Mb)

[TC]3T6 system 3.3 x 5.9 x 2.4 1.1 x 2 x 1.1 6Mb

[TC]2T4 system 1.2 x 6.3 x 2.4 1.1 x 2 x 1.1 4Mb

[TC]2T4s system 1.2 x 4 x 2.4 1.1 x 2 x 1.1 4Mb

Hamamatsu BL 1.59x1.67x 2.75 0.89 x 0.5 x 2 0.3Mb

TelmatSYMCAD 3.0 x 1.5 x 2.4 0.8 x 1.3 x 2.2 0.25Mb

Wicks & WilsonTriForm Body Scan 2.5 x 1.5 x 2.4 0.75 diameter x 2 (cylinder) 10Mb

PULS

1.0 x area of action ( 2.0x 2.0 ) x area of projection (3.45 x 3.45) x 2.25

1.0 x 1.0 x 2.15 0.374 Mb

Laser Projection Systems System Booth Size (W x D x H in meters)

Volume (W x D x H in meters)

Data Size (Mb)

CyberwareWB4 3.8 x3 x 2.9 2x1.2x1.2 cylindrical 0.8Mb (comp)

CyberwareWBX 3.8 x 3 x 2.9 2x 1.3 x0.5 (Elliptical) 0.8Mb (comp)

VitronicVitus 3.1 x 2.5 x 1.85 2.1x 0.8 x 1.2 3Mb

VitronicVitus Smart 2.2 x 2.25 x 2.85 0.95 x 1.0 x 2.03 - - -

VitronicPEDUS 0.59 x 0.8 x 0.48 0.17 x 0.36 x 0.1 - - -

TecMathRamsis 2.0 x 1.1 x 2.8 0.8 x 0.8 x 2.2 - - -

HamanoVoxelan - - - 11 x 0.74 - - -

PolhemusFastscan - - - 2 x 2 x 2 - - -

The BL scanner from Hamamatsu has the smallest booth size to measure the

human body using LED. The PULS scanner has flexible spaces with two dimensions of

the system. The dimensions consist of areas of action and projection. The area of action

39

includes a light background and platform, with an integrated, digital weight scale.

Standing position for the client is taken in this area and it is not changeable like other

scanners. However, the area of camera projection between the mirrors is changeable to

nearly each room situation. The WB4, WBX (3.8 x 3 x 2.9), and Vitus (3.1 x 2.5 x 1.85)

laser scanners and the 3T6 (3.3 x 5.9 x 2.4) light scanner all require bigger spaces. Most

companies are trying to reduce booth size. For example, Vitronic developed a

specialized foot scanner, PEDUS (0.59 x 0.8 x 0.48) so that they could reduce the space

of the booth, extracting only necessary measurements.

Data file size. File size becomes an important issue to consider when evaluating

data management, storage, transmittal, and use. As e-commerce capabilities develop and

intensify, smaller, more manageable files will be essential.

The range of data file size of a scanned human body is from 0.25Mb to 10Mb.

Triform needs 10Mb and [TC] needs 6Mb to transfer or store the data of a scanned

object. However, SYMCAD (0.25Mb), PLUS (0.374Mb) and BL Scanner (0.3Mb) have

the smaller data file size of scanned object. This means their data files can easily be

transferred via electronic mail or standard 1.44 Mbytes floppy disks.

Vision Device

Although the basic triangulation technique is similar for most of the 3D body

scanners, they differ in the method of light projection and image capture. A scanning

head contains the projection system and imaging system from one viewpoint. Non-

contact optical techniques are used in the 3D body scanning systems to capture the shape

of the subject according to specific vision devices.

40

Table IV. Light Source and Vision Devices

Light Projection Systems System Vision device Direction Projection

Safe eyes

Resolution (R x H x V in mm) Light Source

[TC]3T6 system 6 Cameras

Move vertically Yes Pitch 1x2.5x2.5

[TC]2T4 system 4 Cameras

Move vertically Yes 1 x 2.8 x 2.8

[TC]2T4s system 4 Cameras

Move vertically Yes 1 x 2.8 x 2.8

Blue light or dark Room/ Color luminance data is

Grey scale image

Hamamatsu BL 2 PSC, 32 LED

per head, 8 projectors

Move vertically Yes 1x7.5x5

Light Emitting Diodes (LED)

TelmatSYMCAD

Standard Video Camera

Instant 3D capture Yes 0.8x1.4x1.4 Light strip

Wicks & Wilson

TriForm Body Scan

4 CCD and 4 projectors have mirror

system, producing 8

view per body.

Not applicable Yes Pitch1.5x1.5x1.5

Must be illuminated by the projected light from the camera unit-bright ambient light cannot be used and very large objects

require to be captured in sections.

PULS

1 CCD, 1 projector,

2Big mirrors, and 2small

mirrors

Yes

Laser Projection Systems System Vision device Direction Projection

Safe eyes

Resolution (R x H x V in mm) Light Source

CyberwareWB4

CCD, 8 laser

Horizontal projection/

move vertically

Yes 0.5x2 x 5 Laser(Class 1)

Color(8bit R,G,B color or B+W luminance data)

CyberwareWBX

CCD, 4 lasers

Horizontal projection/

move vertically

Yes 0.5x 2 x 3

Laser(Class 1) Color(8bit R,G,B color

or B+W luminance data)

VitronicVitus Smart

2 CCD cameras, 1 laser

Move Vertically

Yes 2x2x2

Laser (Class 1)

TecMathRamsis CCD cameras

Move vertically Yes

Lightning tubes calibration plate

HamanoVoxelan

2 vertical laser line move

horizontally

Two vertical laser line

move

Yes 3.4 x3.4x3.4 Laser

PolhemusFastscan Cameras

Vertical and horizontal No 1x1x1 Laser (Class II)

41

Vision devices used in 3D scanning include projectors, charge-coupled device

(CCD), light sources (LED, laser, etc.), and final screen resolution. As shown in Table

IV, most 3D body scanners (Cyberware, TecMath, Vitronic and Hamamatsu) project light

horizontally. In a horizontal stripe scanner, the scanning heads move parallel to the

longitudinal axis of the body. The Hamano VOXELAN scanner is the only one that uses

vertical laser stripes. The VOXELAN projects two vertical laser lines, which move over

the body in the horizontal plane. The camera is mounted steady. Some of the systems

([TC], Telmat and Turing) have no moving components. The [TC] and Telmat scanners

project structured light stripes on the body.

Cyberware, Vitronic, Tecmath, Polhemus and VOXELAN (Hamano) use lasers.

The advantage of a laser strip scanning system is that only one line needs to be analyzed,

unlike light projection ([TC], Telmat, LASS, Contigentis, PULS, and Hamamatsu).

When Laser strip scanning systems are used on the human body, the laser must be

classified as Class I for eye safety. Except for the Polhemus (Class II) system, not

currently used in body scanning, available 3D laser scanners are safe.

In the Cyberware, Vitronic and Hamamatsu systems, cameras or mirrors are

mounted above and below the projection system. This enables the capture of data for the

top of the head and the chin area. In the TecMath scanner the cameras are mounted only

above the laser projector. This means that the lower side of some body parts may not be

well represented.

The Hamano VOXELAN has cameras mounted at a fixed position between

rotating laser projectors. Body parts like the shoulders and crotch do not show up very

well, due to camera positioning. The [TC] 3T6 system uses six projectors and cameras;

42

three for the upper part of the body and three for the lower part. The front of the body is

captured by four cameras and the back by two cameras. As the viewpoint of the scanning

head is lower than the shoulder, the top of the shoulder may not show up very well.

Both Telmat and Hamano scan the subject twice. First, the front of the body is

scanned and then the back is scanned. Hamano merges the data by using markers on the

shoulders. Telmat merges the data by gluing the front and back scans on the shadow

scan of the body. The disadvantage of this procedure may be image distortion since there

is no control for posture differences during the front and back scans (Daanen & Jeroen,

1998).

In order to capture the whole body with structured light, the projector and cameras

have to be placed at a significant distance from the body, or multiple scan heads must to

be used. The first option increases the size of the total scanning system, unless mirrors

are used. Therefore, some companies such as [TC] use separate scanning heads for the

upper and lower part of the body. In the Cyberware scanner, the cameras are integrated

into a single unit. Mirrors above and below the laser project their images on a single

CCD device. Puls uses four mirrors and the primary advantage of this arrangement is

that fewer cameras are needed, however, the complexity of the analysis increases.

Missing data is a significant problem for most 3D body scanning systems.

Shading appears to contribute to this problem. Generally, an increase in the number of

cameras used, combined with strategic lighting, reduces the amount of missing data.

43

Operating Requirements

Computer systems for the body scanning process consist of operating systems,

hardware, and software. As shown in Table V, most scanning systems are operated in

SGI, Windows NT, or PC based environments.

Table V. Comparison of the Computer Requirements

Light Projection Systems System Hardware Software Data file format Integration

[TC]3T6 system

[TC]2T4 system

[TC]2T4s system

Windows NT

Body Measurement

System (Visual basic/C++/Open GL graphics)

Image file(.TIF) ASCII, Binary, VRML

Gerber MTM input file/Assyst input file/ PAD input file

Hamamatsu BL WIN 32

PC/NT(98,95,2000)

BL Manager software(visual

basic/C++ application)

.BLS containing XYZ Inventor(.IV),VRML(.WRL),

DXF,ASCII(XYZ)

TelmatSYMCAD

PC pentium based, NT or

WIN98

SYMCAD software,

SYMCAD body card

Data export format: .EXL and.TXT

Output type:3D-XYZ data could

File format-proprietary and IV,DXF, VRMI

Gerber Accumark MTM/Integrated size chart/data import from Microsoft Exel files

Wicks & Wilson

TriForm Body Scan

Windows NT Body Scanner software

TFM and VRML plus DXF, IGES, STL and

others VRML, DXF, IGES, STL

Laser Projection Systems System Hardware Software Data file format Integration

CyberwareWB4

Cyscan(C++ and Tcl/Tk)

CyberwareWBX

SGI/PC compatible Cyscan, Cydir

WB, DigiSize

Inventor(IV) VRML

VitronicVitus Smart Windows NT

Software-Vitronic C++

Binary with color, texture, PLY, ASCII,

VRML and Open Inventor(IV)

VRML, JPG

HamanoVoxelan

Windows NT /Windows 95

Voxelan software (MS-

DOS) DXF DXF for CAD

PolhemusFastscan

Windows NT/PC or

Worksatation

Included software DXF,ASCII, VRML

3D Studio Max(.3DS), ASCII, AutoCAD(.DXF), Points& 3D Faces, IGES, Lightwave Object, Matlab, StereoLithography(.STL), VRML(.WRL), Alias/Wavefront(.OBJ)

44

Data format is one of the main keys to determine feasibility of integration into

apparel manufacturing systems. According to Jones (1995), format of the data file for

exchange between different hardware and software platforms should be written in plain

text. In the CAD domain, two widely used text file formats are Initial Graphics

Exchange Specification (IGES) and Auto CADs DXF. However, most current CAD

systems developed for apparel pattern makers use DXF based on AAMA standards, often

distinguished as AAMA DXF files.

Companies in the direction of the mass customization are also looking for the

possibility of exporting measurement data to all major apparel CAD pattern programs

including companies including Gerber, Lectra, Assyst, and Scanvec for use in made to

measure and custom alteration application. For example, Vitronic,Telmat, [TC], and

Wicks & Wilson are developing software program for automatic size selection and mass

customization in apparel.

The development of software is very important for the 3D body scanning system

to extract useful data automatically, accurately and consistently. Each company

developed their own software programs such as Cyscan, Cydir WB, digisize

(Cyberware), BL scanner software (Hamamatsu), Voxelan software (Hamano), and Body

Measurement System ([TC]), SYMCAD software, Body cards (Telmat), Body Scanner

software (Wicks and Wilson), RAMSIS, and Contour software (Tecmath), and Vitronic

software (Vitronic).

The WB4 system is controlled by Cyberware's Cyscan software that performs

basic graphic displays. The software is written in C++ and Tcl/Tk. The scan data is

convertible to VRML for web based applications. The Cyberware and other research

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groups from Ohio University, Clemson Apparel Research, Anthrotech, HAAS Tailoring

Co., and Southern Polytechnic State University were participated in ARN task for

development for ARN scan. And also BRC worked to incorporate its software functions

into ARN scan, which is a derivative of Cyberwares Cyscan. Cyscan controls the WB4

and performs basic graphic displays.

SYMCAD and [TC] both mention that they have the capability to integrate into

Gerber Technology Accumark MTM CAD systems. The Accumark Made-to-Measure

(MTM) system, a Gerber Garment Technology CAD package, employs a Windows PC

for custom order entry and an 800 workstation for direct conversion of size information

into custom-fit patterns and production markers. Batch processing allows a single step

process from order-entry to plotting and cutting (Dewitt, 1994).

The SYMCAD system is controlled using a PC Pentium with Windows NT or

Windows 98. Data file format is done with a proprietary format and IV, DXF, VRML

and the output type is a 3D XYZ data cloud. The system is integrated with size charts

and the garment size data can be imported from Microsoft Exel files. The SYMCAD

software is customized with the customers data and it is available in various languages.

[TC] runs their Body Measurement System using on Windows NT, which was

programmed using in C++, visual basic, and Open GL graphics. The Body Measurement

System that included software program was created by the Textile Clothing Technology

Corporation ([TC]) and was used for mass customization of apparel.

Automated measurement extraction offers an advantage over manual digitization

given the increased speed and reduced data processing costs it affords, especially for

large data sets. The data file format is an image file such a TIF, ASCII, Binary, and

46

VRML and can interface with most CAD system in apparel such as Gerber MTM,

Assyst, and PAD input files.

As shown in Table V, the BL Scanner software (Hamamatsu), Triform Body

Scanner software (Wicks &Wilson), and FastScan (Polhemus) can be integrated with the

DXF data file format that is used in most Auto CAD systems. The BL Scanner software

was developed by University College in London under sponsorship of Hamamatsu.

TriForm developed software that they have called BodyScanner software used

for capture and alignment. Additional software may be required by Triform to view the

body image. The operating system is mainly Windows NT4. For display, SVGA

supports true color mode, 1024x 768 resolution, with the size as large as possible (Wicks

and Wilson Limited, 2000). A single point cloud 3D image file is produced in one of

Wicks and Wilsons TFM formats. This data can also be output in a number of other

formats appropriate to the intended application such as DXF for CAD, STL for rapid

prototyping and VRML for Internet visualization.

Vitus and Vitus Smart are operated in the Windows NT environment that Vitronic

software has developed and programmed with C++. File formats are done with binary

and PLY. Export formats are ASCII, VRML and Open Inventor. The basic software

package allows for fast visualization and processing of the scan data with all PCs which

run windows. The data can be exported as VRML and JPG files for presentations and

further processing. Cyberware, [TC], and Triform also have VRML which will enable

integration with the web.

More software packages are available and have been developed in research

centers. Examples are a): the ARN-SCAN software developed under the DLA-ARN

47

program, b) DataSculpt by Laser Design, c) SHAPE ANALYSIS developed by Beecher

Research Company, and d) 3DM developed by CAR (Clemson Apparel Research).

Software such as SHAPE ANALYSIS (Beecher) and TECMATH-VITUS has been

written to manually extract anthropometric measurements from pre-marked digitized

images. Clemson Apparel Research (CAR) has been working software development for

3D whole body scans.

Clemson University developed the 3DM software package in 1991. It takes 3D

whole body image files in text format and provides the user with a function to display,

manipulate, segment, analyze, and measure the image. It is written in C++, uses OpenGL

and X-Windows libraries, and runs on both an SGI workstation running Unix and on a

PC running Windows NT (Pargas et al., 1998).

According to Pargas (1998), the 3DM software has the benefits of the accuracy,

consistency, and reliability of body measurement and improves quality of garment fit. It

also increased measurement speed. For automatic measurement extraction, 3DM proceed

to extract measurements based on the identified landmarks. 3DM is currently being

refined for Tom and Linda Platt, Inc. of New York City for use in the design and

development of high-end fashion womens garments. It has also been considered for use

with the scanner under development by [TC].

The 3DM reads image files generated by any scanner that generates points in the

form (x, y, z) where x, y, and z are the point coordinates in 3D. This includes files

generated by a Cyberware WB4 scanner and [TC] Body measurement system Scanner.

The software allows a user to edit a 3D image, display and manipulate the image,

48

manually identify, select and segment regions, manually select landmarks on the body,

and using the landmarks, extract anthropometric measurements specified by the user.

Dimension 3D-System developed 3D ScanBook for Window 9X, 3D ScanStation

for Window 9X or Window NT, and 3D ScanStation Body for Window NT. The

geometry of 3D format files can be provided and exported as a volume model or point-

cloud. The following data formats are available: Open SPX, VRML1, VRML2,

Wavefront OBJ, 3DS, Softimage and DXF without texture (Dimension 3D system,

2000).

This company provides two kinds of software, which are Open SPX Applet and

Open SPX Plugin for the 3D online shop. 3D scanners create true-life 3D models within

minutes with the 3D Plugin for Netscape Navigator and Internet 3D models and the 3D

models can easily be presented on users screen. Both software programs are free to use.

Open SPX applet requires neither download nor installation. We can just add the Applet,

call to html-source, and get started. Netscape 4.x or MS Internet Explorer 4.0 is required.

3D scanners in this company are mainly used for image scan with 3D data (Dimension

3D system, 2000).

Dimension 3D's scanning technology and Dimension 3D Open SPX Plugin are

used for online shopping such as Alcatel(mobiles), Xverse (Clothing), Otto(shoes), and

Mc Neill(Schoolbags). As an example of virtual shopping online, Xverse displays

various styles of pants and T-shirts by using the Dimension 3D Open SPX-Plugin.

Even though the Dimension 3D has not yet used for measurement data, three

dimensional body scanning systems with the development of software program shows

other potential for use on line.

49

Conclusion and Suggestions

This research attempted to search all currently available 3D body scanning

systems in order to find out if the scanning systems could be used for the apparel

industry. Even though there are problems yet to be solved that will impact the adoption

of this technology, clearly, this technology has promise as a tool in efficient measuring of

human bodies for mass customization of apparel. The three dimensional scanning

systems have the advantages of speed, accuracy and consistency of measurement. In

addition, technical measurements are simply extracted without professional knowledge of

traditional measurement methods.

The currently available 3D body scanning systems are based on optical

triangulation by non-contact methods, which would attract people to use body scanners.

However, most halogen light scanning systems have limitations due to missing data on

under arms or chins, as well as surface reflectance and noisy fringes. One possible

explanation is that light properties of translucency and reflection cause missing data. Use

of mat black tape or special clothing might assist in the reduction of light reflection from

shinny skin. Vision devices such as CCD and light projectors are also important to

reduce the missing data due to shading effects. With the development of software

programs, increases in number of cameras used, and the refining of light projection

techniques, the limitation might be overcome.

The scanning time in any type of 3D body scanning systems was much faster than

in traditional measurement methods. Even though light projection systems reported

faster scanning times than laser scanning systems, the total scanning time including

50

calibration and extraction did not show significant differences. These results might be

related to their calibration software programs.

In this study, most companies said that they developed their own software

program package. C++ was commonly used to develop software program in the

Cyberware, Vitus, [TC] and BL scanners. However, different data file formats were

found. Cyberware used inventor file formats. Hamamatsu used BLS, a proprietary

format containing ASCII and Intensity value. [TC] used ASCII, Binary, VRML, and

image file formats. Wicks & Wilson used TFM, VRML, DXF, IGES, and STL formats.

Vitronic used Binary, PLY, ASCII, VRML and open inventor formats.

[TC] and SYMCAD showed high potential for integration into apparel CAD

systems with Gerber Accumark MTM input file. Vitronic, Hamamatsu, Wicks & Wilson,

and Polhemus might also have the ability to integrate with DXF files for AutoCAD,

which is commonly used in the industry. However, ASCII files have been suggested for

the process of integration since DXF files are differently defined in many apparel CAD

companies.

As I consider these various types of the data file formats used currently in three

dimensional body scanning systems, a great deal of work remains to be done related to

integration of extracted measurements into apparel CAD systems. First, I emphasize that

development of extraction software programs for apparel is essential to improve accuracy

and consistency of measurement data. Second, clear measurement definitions and

standards between apparel industries and companies developing 3D body scanning

systems are strongly suggested for the development of the software programs in order to

extract critical measurements, to match correct sizes, and to improve accuracy and

51

consistency. Third, the new measurement method has to be simple to use for people in

the apparel industry. And finally, reducing or eliminating the landmarking process,

missing data, and inconsistencies related to movement artifacts are still goals held by

most of the developers of this technology.

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