Case Study: Preserving the Past by 3D Scanning of James Chesterman’s Metallic Tape Measure

The point cloud created by 3D scanning. Over 1.3 million green dots that lie on the surface of the tape measure.

The blue shaded 3D mesh of the scanned tape measure, formed by over 1.3 million triangles.

The 3D mesh with the colour texture map shows the digital version of the tape measure.

A photo of the James Chesterman metallic tape measure used for 3D scanning. Brown leather case with brass clasp for winding the tape back in after use.

Scanned Point Cloud

3D Scanned Mesh

The final full colour scan

Photo of the tape measure

One of our experienced 3D scanning engineers, Robert, undertook a personal project to digitally preserve his great-grandfather’s James Chesterman’s Metallic Tape Measure. With over 10 years of metrology experience, Robert used a structured light scanner (150mm volume) with texture scan to capture the tape measure in full colour.

The 3D scanning process resulted in the capture of an impressive 42,000,000 points which we optimised to 1,400,000 triangles in the final mesh. The fine detail captured was exceptional, and the final model was output in OBJ format with a PNG colour texture map.

View the 3D Scan

View on our SketchFab page.

Overall, this project showcases our capabilities in 3D scanning and digital preservation. Our team of skilled engineers can use advanced scanning techniques to capture intricate details and create high-quality digital models for a variety of applications.

Related pages: 3D Scan To STL Mesh | 3D Scanning Services

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About Us

AB Technology started out as an independent CMM Inspection & Programming company based near Nottingham, UK. Over the last 25+ years, we have expanded our services to include 3D scanning and reverse engineering, serving customers of all sizes, across an array of industry sectors, both domestically and internationally.