Photogrammetry-based 3D scanning for supporting design activities and testing in early stage product development

Abstract

In the early stages of product development and design, physical prototypes are designed and built from varying materials with the aim of providing valuable experience and decision support for the project team. In the era of digitalization, 3D printing has become a common tool that can produce even complex organic shapes. However, methods for developing the required digital models based on the physical prototypes are still often considered a high investment in resources, reserved for later, converging development activities. In this paper, we close the loop from physical to digital, and back to physical prototyping by introducing a proof-of-concept 3D scanning method using open-source photogrammetry algorithms. The feasibility of the approach is determined from two case studies: a designer chair, and customized race steering wheel. The successful results show potential for low-cost, simple, and accurate digitalization in the early stage of product development and design, with the main challenges being the inherent limitations of photogrammetry and the often-required manual editing of mesh.