Scanning Best Practices with the Freestyle2

Tips for Successful Scanning

Scanning with Freestyle 2 is easy, but there are some guidelines which will help you get the best results.

• Plan how you will scan the objects of interest before you begin, taking the following recommendations into consideration:
• The longer a single scan takes, the longer the processing time will be. Try to keep scan times as short as possible—under 5 minutes is best.
• It is better to have one scan that captures all objects of interest than to have several scans. Fewer scans means less registration.
• Move the handset slowly and constantly, avoid jerky movements. Fast and jerky movements may lead to inaccurate data or tracking may be lost.
• Accuracy and tracking may be improved if you avoid excessive twisting movements while scanning:
• Make sure that the objects of interest are within the specified maximum range and minimum range of the handset.
• Objects or surfaces may have an increased noise or reduced data if they are directly illuminated by bright sunshine.
• Use markers for high accuracy tasks
• If the number of features is low or badly distributed, try to move the handset's field of view to areas with more structures.
• Scanning areas with few features or without texture can be difficult. Add markers or other artificial targets for better results.
• If the lighting conditions are bad, use the flashlight to get better results.
• If you are not able to scan dark areas, treat these with developer spray.
• If you are not able to scan shiny areas, treat these with anti-glare spray.
• Try to move the handset in circles or loops. This helps with loop-closing.
• When scanning all sides of an object, start and stop at “less interesting” positions. For example, when scanning a person, start and stop at the back.
• Try to finish a scan at the place where you began. This helps with loop-closing.
• Objects must not move while they are captured.