3dmodeling

I'm off to Basecamp!!!

After months of wishing I could attend this amazing event, last week my work schedule cleared and I looked online once again in hopes of finding a cheap air ticket. To my amazement an unheard of last minute deal was there to be had! In all the excitement of learning new skills I am now all booked and ready for a fantastic trip out to Colorado this Friday. Ahh!! :D

 So what is Basecamp?

Basecamp is a conference for SketchUp fanatics like myself who love to learn more about the latest plugins and new techniques for building 3D Models. The top dogs of the industry will be presenting and I will be there to absorb it all in! To top it off Basecamp also happens to be located in a stunning location in the mountains of Colorado. I mean, how could I not go? This is like my heaven! Haha! 

I will be tweeting updates of my trip so follow along if you want to see what it's all about! I can't wait to learn some new and exciting things in 3D Modelling! 

3D Basecamp 2016

Practicing my imaging rover skills! ;)

Once again we come to the end of another month. Isn't this year going faster than ever? Or is it just me? This month I have been focusing on three main areas, photography of course, 3D Modeling for Interior Designers / Architects, and also touching base and experimenting with the latest technology in surveying. 

This month I trialled Trimble's V10 and I had a great time doing it! It was fast and easy to use. The system has 12 built in cameras, as well as gyrometers and accelerometers which basically means that while you edit the images you can take centimeter accurate measurements at the same time! A little better than Photo Match right? Trimble has also made it easy to marry this piece of technology with SketchUp so that you can easily build to-scale 3D Models from the panorama photographs. Amazing! 

This is a great tool to use in conjunction with 3D Modeling. I will write an update with my test results soon :)

What would you do if you had all the money in the world? How would you live your life differently?

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Ask yourself -

"If I had all the money in the world, how would I live my life differently?"

Well, some people might just answer that with, "I want a big house, flash car, flat screen TV, swimming pool (insert endless list of material things) and to sit on my bum and drink and eat, party and get taxied around all day, oh and have people do everything for me." But most people, (I would like to think) would start doing what makes them happy everyday, things that make others happy. They would fulfill their dreams of traveling the world or getting a degree, starting their own company, help others less fortunate, or to finally be able to start and bring up a family.

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For me, it might sound strange, but if I had all of the money in the world, I would still want to do exactly what I am doing. I might be able to achieve my goals a little quicker, which would be nice, or be able to fly home when I wanted to see my mum, but alas you also have to try and enjoy the journey while you are living it. And flying back and forth to Scotland would not be an ideal solution for my odd homesickness.

My journey, the short version- It started with photography which then led to an interest in Interior Architecture and Design. Drawing Floor Plans led to space planning and the combination of all these things, has then driven me towards 3D Modeling and now; 3D Laser Scanning. Pause. This is when I laugh. 

My family industry/business background is laser scanning, surveying, manufacturing. It is ironic that with all of my ideas to pivot away from this industry, follow my own path, that was completely and utterly removed from said industry, to have actually looped full circle and found myself back to where I started. But this makes me very happy. I was lucky enough to go out and explore the world, find my own path, and not be pushed into something I didn't want to do. Growing up, I saw the technology as exciting but the industry, dare I say it? Boring. Dinner table conversations were about surveying, quarrying, mining, distances, measurements; so you can understand, this is not exciting or inspirational conversation to a teenager.

It wasn't until I could start to relate the technology to something that really interested me. Architecture, Interior Design and Photography. It would seem, the world is indeed, a small place and everything and everyone is intertwined. I feel that as technology advances, the world is going to become a much smaller place, where all industries connect and people, relate. This in turn helps with that odd homesickness. :)

"If I had all the money in the world, how would I live my life differently?"  

I read the question again. If money were no object, I would allow myself to be educated as much as possible, not just in the terms of receiving a degree and to get that well paid job. For the degree is only a piece of paper and that well paid job is not guaranteed, and at the end of the day, you might despise it anyway. But I want to be educated for me, my benefit, for what I want to learn; my passions and my personal goals. A short course, a training session, a workshop, a convention. I think degrees are fantastic and I would probably do another, but they should be catered for the individual, not for the system. (More on this in a later blog.) The trick, is to keep on advancing yourself at every opportunity. I think the best thing we can get out of life, is knowledge. If I hadn't have been involved in those said 'boring' dinner conversations growing up, I probably would not know as much about laser scanning technologies as I do now. And surprise surprise, I have started to use this knowledge. Discovering what I really would change if money were no object has made me realize, I live to be educated, inspired, excited and passionate about what I do. Do not take anything for granted, learn from every situation, from every person, from every job you do, no matter what it is or who they are. For what you learn or who you meet along the way, will probably inevitably, help you in your future. 

 

 What would you do if you had all the money in the world? How would you live your life differently?

An Interview

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So. I am being Interviewed these days :)

I was recently interviewed about the Independent Study I am taking in my Interior Design program at Harcum College. In this course I will work closely with my SketchUp trainer, Dan Brown while looking into 3D laser technologies, 3D Scanning, 3D Modeling and 3D Printing. "The Good Stuff". The study itself has sparked a little interest after myself and Dan Brown scanned the Charles H. Trout Library on the Harcum College campus last week. After scanning the library we plan to use the data to build the library as a 3D Model in Trimble's SketchUp. 

Dan Brown (Sketchup Trainer / DB-3D) and myself, Elly Ball in the Charles H. Trout Library at Harcum College

Dan Brown (Sketchup Trainer / DB-3D) and myself, Elly Ball in the Charles H. Trout Library at Harcum College

Questions from Anders Back Director of Internal Communications and Publications at Harcum College

1) How did you become interested in 3D modelling in design? How long has this technology been available?

I have always had an interest with laser scanning technology. You could say, it runs in the family.  Although saying that, I never thought I would actually work within the industry. 

While taking Dan Brown's Sketchup class in the Interior Design program, I became more and more interested in 3D modeling; I started to really understand how laser technology could be used to aid my work and design. Because of my connection with the laser industry, I became more and more interested in the new software and technologies being made available. I then talked with Dan Brown and Heidi Techner (Program Director for Interior Design) about doing this Independent Study to really explore 3D modeling in more depth.

3D Laser scanning technology has been around for many years but it was not until the Faro Focus 3D, that it was suddenly more affordable and user friendly. This opened up many new markets for the industry, including Interior Design and Architecture. 

2) Is this the first time you have worked with this type of 3D Scanner?

No, I have worked with this type of laser scanner before, around 2011 when I was working at my father's company in the UK.  

3) Does it help to have a photographic background when using the Camera/ 3D Scanner?

A camera and the 3D scanner (Trimble TX5/ Faro Focus 3D) are similar but by no means the same. A camera only collects color information about what it sees, while a 3D scanner does more than this; it collects distance information. The 3D laser scanner used in my project measures horizontal and vertical angles plus distance +/- 1mm. At the rate of 1 million points a second the scanner quickly 'digitizes in 3D, the entire room/space in minutes. The instrument will then take a composite 360º photo overlay to overlay the 3D model and give it a 'virtual reality', the model produced is true to scale and accurate to a millimeter. 

Once a 3D model has been produced it can be exported to CAD programs like Trimble's SketchUp and used for multiple purposes within Architecture/ Design e.g Reverse engineering of a building, modifying the building and cutting and pasting '3D object' such as furniture into the model. This offers users a massive time and cost saving over existing methodologies. Conventional 2D floor plans and sections can then be produced automatically from the 3D model using CAD software.  

4) Do you have personal career goals in photography/ 3D scanning that include design work, or center around design work?

For the last 5 years I have worked as an Interior and Architectural Photographer and so my work has always centered around design work. But, I am always wanting to grow and learn new technologies, expanding my skills. This resulted in my entering into the Interior Design program at Harcum College. While working with Trimble's Sketchup and now the 3D scanner, I can confidently say that they will both be included in my personal career goals.  And yes, I have always had a fascination with property, buildings since a young age and so my career will most definitely steer within the lines of Design/ Architecture. 

Checkout the article on Harcum's website :

 http://harcum.edu/s/1044/edu/social.aspx?sid=1044&gid=1&pgid=2159&cid=4123&ecid=4123&crid=0&calpgid=880&calcid=3038

To see the captured 3D Scan Data check out the YouTube video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz9osAR3X_E&feature=youtu.be

Starting with SketchUp

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SketchUp ... "intuitive, current and FUN!" 

As well as a Professional Interior & Architectural Photographer, I am also an Interior Design student. As a student in this field, I have been introduced to the many programs and software of Computer Aided Design and modeling programs such as Trimble's SketchUp. I was eager to get to this stage after all the long hours of hand drafting and perspective drawing. I felt that as much as it was important to have the skills by hand, it is equally as important to have the skills in the digital world; to be able to manipulate designs and show prospective clients a vision so true and photo realistic that they won't believe that in fact, it is not a photograph. 

Photorealistic image created using SketchUp's Plugin, Podium.                                                     &nbsp…

Photorealistic image created using SketchUp's Plugin, Podium.                                                                              © Elly Ball 

Although I found the AutoCad programs extremely useful, I did not start to have fun until I worked with SketchUp. SketchUp is a 3D modeling program that is so user friendly you can learn how to draw basic design in 3D within a few hours. I loved how simple and straightforward it was. None of this "long way round everything, just to get somewhere", attitude of other modeling and CAD programs. It is intuitive, current and FUN! I can spend hours enjoying myself while working at the same time. 

                                                                      &nbs…

                                                                                                                                                                                       © Elly Ball 

After seeing how brilliantly SketchUp can convey a design and/ or vision, I now plan to learn more advanced techniques and continue my journey into the new and advancing technologies of 3D modeling. Stay tuned ;)