Using RS4

Application Software Tips

and Tricks (public)
Commercial Support Team
Portable Measuring Arms product line
2017-03-15
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Computer Specifications
3. Point sampling (RDS)
4. Using RS4 with PC-DMIS
5. Using RS4 with 3DReshaper Meteor
6. Using RS4 with PolyWorks

2
Introduction
• The RS4 scanner is the fastest laser scanner we have ever built. This means it can create
huge point clouds (>50 million points) in just a few minutes. This risks slowing your
computer down very badly.

• The aim of this document is to guide you to set-up the computer and application software, so
that you can obtain the most from this technology.

3
Computer Specifications
• RS4 must always be used with RDS v4.2 or later.

• We strongly recommend that the RS4 is used with the most powerful laptop
possible.

• The Product Line achieved best results with the following configuration:
• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit
• RAM 32GB
• Intel i7 Dual/Quad-Core @2GHz or higher (i5 minimum)
• Graphics card: NVIDIA Quadro M2000M or M3000M with 4GB dedicated memory
• Storage: 500Gb hard disk (SSD preferred)

4
Point sampling (RDS) – choose the right setting
• Note the RS4 Point Sampling options in the RDS Control
Panel: 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%.

• Pick a suitable one, depending on the application. Are you

scanning for inspection or reverse engineering? (relative
page follows).

• With 100% density (7520 points/line), you’ll be collecting

752,000 points/second!

• If the part has complex geometry, holes, corners, edges and

requires scanning from multiple directions for about 5
minutes, then you’ll be easily reaching 225,600,000 points. It
will be wise to select a lower density / point-sampling…

Density points/second points/1 min points/2 min points/5 min

100% 752,000 45,120,000 90,240,000 225,600,000
75% 564,000 33,840,000 67,680,000 169,200,000
50% 376,000 22,560,000 45,120,000 112,800,000
25% 188,000 11,280,000 22,560,000 56,400,000

5
Are you scanning for Inspection or Reverse Engineering?

6
Point sampling (RDS) for Inspection

Surface inspection: 3,000,000

points – too many perhaps?
YES, indeed!

Surface inspection: 50,000

points or less, should be
more than enough!

7
Point sampling (RDS) for Reverse Engineering

Reverse Engineering: detailed coverage

needed – use high-density scan near holes,
along edges & corners but less-density over
any flat regions.

Reverse Engineering: combine scanning

& probing whenever possible. Use laser
scanning on free-form surface areas. Use
probing for all geometric features.

8
RS4 with PC-DMIS
Commercial Support Team
Portable Measuring Arms product line
RS4 with PC-DMIS 2017: Point sampling (RDS)

• RS4 must be used with PC-DMIS 2017R1

Service Pack 1 (released 2017-03-14) and later
versions.

• In general, it is recommended that you

scan with point sampling set to 25-50%
(as the scan will be primarily used for
inspection purposes).

10
RS4 with PC-DMIS 2017 - Scanner Settings
Recommended / Default Settings shown
• Select Pointcloud Data Collection Parameters button from the
QuickCloud or Pointcloud toolbar.

• Line Filter – it is strongly recommended to enable the Line Filter

when scanning using the RS4.

The ‘Default’ setting is recommended for most parts. Use the

‘Small Details’ setting for greater resolution.

11
RS4 with PC-DMIS 2017 - Scanner Settings, Incidence Angle
• Incidence Angle – 75 default value. Recommended for removing stray scan points outside the angle
of the scan line.

• While scanning, the angle is calculated between the estimated surface normal and the scan direction
of the laser sensor. Scanned points which have an incidence angle greater than the entered value are
filtered out. The default value is 75 degrees. The smaller the value, the more points are filtered out.

Shiny stainless sphere scanned without filter Shiny stainless sphere scanned with 70 filter

12
RS4 with PC-DMIS 2017 - Scanner Settings, Pointcloud Display
• Pointcloud Display – ‘Points’ is the default and recommended for most applications. If desired,
use ‘Mesh’ display. Note: scan operations may be slower when using the Mesh mode.
Recommended settings are the following: Max Triangle Size 4
Grid Size 1
Stitch Patches 

• When scanning as Mesh Display and ‘Stitch Patches’ is selected, multiple scan passes are
blended and the overlapping data is removed (portable arm interface only). Prior to ‘Stitching’
setting, multiple scan passes were overlaid on top of each other. The overlapping scan passes
must be within a distance lower than the point density in order to be stitched.

Stitch Patches
enabled while
Overlap
scanning as Mesh
(no stitching)

13
RS4 with PC-DMIS 2017 - Pointcloud Graphic Display Settings
Recommended / Default Settings shown
• From the PC-DMIS menu, select
Edit | Graphic Display Window | OpenGL

• Graphic Card – It is recommended to use the NVIDIA

graphic card with PC-DMIS scanning (instead of the
computer onboard Intel graphic display).
Set Antialiasing to 4x.

If the NVIDIA does not appear as the ‘Video accelerator’,

follow the directions on the next page (NVIDIA Control Panel
Settings). Always keep the driver of your NVidia card up-to-
date (http://www.nvidia.com).

• Pointcloud (the following are the default settings)

– Always visible
– Smooth
– Point size: 2 (pixels)

14
RS4 with PC-DMIS 2017 - NVIDIA Control Panel Settings
1. Right-click on desktop, pick: NVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D settings.
2. Global presets tab: Dassault Systemes CATIA V6 compatible.
3. Program Settings tab: click ‘Add’.
4. Then browse and choose main PC-DMIS program:
C:\Program Files\Hexagon\PC-DMIS 2017 R1 64-bit\PCDLRN.exe
5. Click on the Apply button.

1. 3.
2.

15
RS4 with PC-DMIS 2017 - Colormaps – Lighting Settings
• From the PC-DMIS menu, select
Edit | Graphic Display Window | Lighting,Materials…

• Colormaps –  to enable shaded colormap. Then click ‘Save System

Defaults’.

shaded Not shaded

16
RS4 with PC-DMIS 2017 - Scanner Probe Visualization
It is recommended to hide the laser probe graphic for a better scanning experience.

1. Position your cursor on the laser

probe in the Edit Window. Press
F9-Edit.
2. In the Probe description area,
double-click the probe name.
1.
3. Uncheck ‘Draw this component’.
Click OK.
4. Click OK.

Alternately, the probe can be hidden

from the Graphic Items toolbar:

2.
3.

3.
17
RS4 with PC-DMIS 2017 – Windows Layout for Scanning
Recommendation: Maximize the Graphic Display Window area, keep the minimum number of toolbars
Settings toolbar

QuickCloud
toolbar

Edit Window
set to
Summary View

Graphic Display
Window

QuickMeasure
toolbar

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RS4 with PC-DMIS 2017 - Windows Layout for Probing
Recommendation: Maximize the Graphic Display Window area, keep the minimum number of toolbars

Settings toolbar

Edit Window
set to Graphic Display
Summary View Window

QuickMeasure
toolbar

Quick Start
Window

Status
Window

19
RS4 with PC-DMIS 2017 - Automatic Zoom while scanning

• PC-DMIS 2017 R1 has improved the zoom and rotation while scanning with Portable arms. The
scanned part will rotate in the Graphic Window by following the sensor orientation, even when not
scanning. Automatic zoom can be turned on/off from: View > Other Windows > Probe Toolbox.

• More points are displayed while scanning and previous scan passes are now shaded, providing better
visibility for the user. Scan data now flows more smoothly into the Graphic Window.

Example version 2016 Example version 2017 R1

Pointcloud display while Pointcloud display while
scanning scanning

20
RS4 with
3DReshaper Meteor
Commercial Support Team
Portable Measuring Arms product line
Using RS4 with 3DReshaper Meteor

• If you are running 3DReshaper Meteor V2016 MR1 or earlier,

it is recommended to use less than 100% Point Sampling
(RDS Control Panel):
• usually 25% (when scanning for inspection)
• and 50-75% (when scanning for reverse engineering).

• If you are using a laptop, be sure that you select the most
powerful graphic card, in case of having two graphics cards
installed.

• Always keep the driver of your NVidia card up-to-date

(http://www.nvidia.com).

22
Using RS4 with 3DReshaper Meteor

• Note: The software has no limit concerning the point clouds and mesh size. The memory management
is fully optimized to allow big object handling; the only limitation is the memory of your computer.

• To prevent or minimize display lag/pause with NVIDIA Quadro card during laser scanning:
• When a big mesh/cloud is displayed, on some configurations there is some large pause or lag which
freezes 3DReshaper for few seconds. This issue can be resolved by changing the NVidia Quadro
profile used.
• To do this, close 3DReshaper. Go to "NVidia control panel" (can be reached by a right click on the
Windows desktop). Then, go to "3D Settings", "Manage 3D Settings". Under "Global presets",
choose "3D App - Visual Simulation". Then click on "Apply".
• If the problem is not solved, choose “Workstation App - dynamic Streaming" as an alternative.

23
Using RS4 with 3DReshaper Meteor – Measure Tuning settings

• Menu: Measure > Measure

Shape / Digitize.

• Enable «Point density

sampling» and type a suitable
number, depending on the size
of the smallest feature that you
wish to capture on the part.

• Click «Config» & disable the

«Place each patch in a new
point cloud» option.

• Optional: disable «Auto-view»

if the continuous movement of
the point cloud on the display
is not smooth.

24
RS4 with PolyWorks
Commercial Support Team
Portable Measuring Arms product line
RS4 with Polyworks: NVIDIA Quadro - Global settings
• Open NVIDIA Control Panel (using a right-click
of the mouse on the desktop)

• Pick [Manage 3D Settings > Global Settings]

• Select one of the following Global Presets by

order of preference & click [Apply]:
• Dassault Systemes CATIA v6 compatible
• 3D App - Visual Simulation
• Workstation App - dynamic Streaming

• Test the behavior of your system while live

laser-scanning. If the movement of the point-
cloud or mesh on the 3D display is not smooth
or causes a delay/lag, then use the next
alternative from the above options (close
PolyWorks before changing NVIDIA settings).

26
RS4 with Polyworks: NVIDIA Quadro – Program settings
• Open NVIDIA Control Panel (using a right-click of
the mouse on the desktop)

• Pick [Manage 3D Settings > Program Settings]

• You should be able to see “InnovMetric

PolyWorks” in the list of programs. If not, click
[Add] and browse for the program.

• Verify that following settings are set as shown:

• Antialiasing – FXAA should be OFF
• Antialiasing – Mode should be OFF
• Antialiasing – Setting should be NONE

• Click “Apply” to save any changes made.

27
RS4 with Polyworks: Setting the Graphic Display mode
• Open PolyWorks Inspect.

• Pick [Tools > Options > Display]

• Set Subsampling of Dynamic Display

to 1/16 or 1/64 so that less points are
shown while the scan is moving (while
panning, rotating or zooming).

28
RS4 with Polyworks: Colour Maps
• Open PolyWorks Inspect.

• Pick [Tools > Options > Display > Color

Maps]

• Verify or set the Reference object color

map for CAD Models to Colored Triangles

29
RS4 with Polyworks: Data Processing

• In the Options section of the scanner

plug-in (Dialog Zone), under “General”,
verify that “Parallel Processing” is
enabled.

• If your application “requires” scanning

with the Real-Time Meshing option turned
on, then
• enable the “Prioritize acquisition speed over
meshing” and
• set it to Medium or Low.
• This will ensure a smooth data acquisition
while meshing is performed in the
background with a lower priority.

30
RS4 with Polyworks: Point Density

• In the Options section of the scanner

plug-in (Dialog Zone), under the
“Surface Scan” group, set the best
values for the part you need to scan.
Ensure that Normal Vectors are
extracted.

• Min search distance = 0.2 - 1mm

(depending on part complexity).

• Max search distance = 10 times the

Min search distance.

• The setting under “Limit number of

points in data object” can be optionally
enabled if the computer’s performance
is uncomfortably low, to force keeping
a specific number of points.

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RS4 with Polyworks: Filtering – Filter Scan Lines
Filter Scan Lines

• In the Options section of the scanning plug-in,

you should be careful to set the best values
for the part you need to scan. Activate
[Filtering > Filter Scan Lines] , leaving the
value at 0.025mm (default).

• What it does: A combination of smoothing

and decimation applied to each line, to
remove noise in segments of lines which
have no curvature. Points are filtered based
on a standard deviation criteria

• Goal: To get a smoother scan in flat areas &

to filter points at source and keep the best
ones

32
RS4 with Polyworks: Filtering – Filter Scan Lines
Filter Scan Lines

• When to use it: Where flat areas are present.

There are no small features (< 4 mm) to grab.
For reverse engineering and inspection when
scanning large areas.

• NOTE: Highest density does not mean the Raw scan

BEST if it contains noise. It only increases the
208,069 points
amount of points to process.
Filtered scan
27,509 points

You can see that the filtered scan has FAR fewer
points than the original, particularly in flat areas.
The remaining points are the highest quality points.

33
RS4 with PolyWorks: prevent data acquisition lag
Prevent data acquisition lag
when using real-time quality meshing

• When you scan with real-time quality meshing

enabled, your computer must rapidly manage data
acquisition and real-time meshing simultaneously.

• The intensive meshing calculations may result in a

lag in scan lines, especially when using an older
workstation in combination with a new generation
laser scanner that has a high point density output.

• The solution is to activate an option that lets you

reduce the computing resources allocated to the
meshing process when a scan pass is being
acquired, which increases the resources available for
data acquisition…

34
 RS4 with PolyWorks: prevent data acquisition lag
Prevent data acquisition lag
when using real-time quality meshing

This option lets you scan efficiently by maintaining your scanning

speed at the cost of a slightly slower mesh creation.

• Step by step:
• Choose Tools > Plug-ins & pick your scanner plug-in.
• From the Scanning options section, click the Options
button. The Line Scan Options dialog box is displayed.
The options are presented as pages.
• On the General page, locate the Data
processing section and select Prioritize acquisition
speed over meshing speed. The Meshing speed is
set to Medium.
• Click OK.
• Optional: Save this custom scanning profile by clicking
the (Save As) button in the Scanning options section.
• Click Start Scan and start scanning.

 The lag should now be reduced or resolved. Note that the display is subsampled and the real-time quality meshing is
performed less rapidly.
 If there is still significant data acquisition lag, return to the General options page and set the Meshing speed to Low. This
increases the speed of data acquisition by restricting the computing resources available for meshing to one CPU.

35
RS4 with PolyWorks: pick appropriate scanning profile

Use appropriate scanning profile

to optimally capture part details

• Real-world scanning often involves parts of different size

and levels of detail, which requires tuning scanning
parameters to obtain optimal results.

• You can save time and ensure using correct parameter

values by using the predefined scanning profiles that are
formulated for typical scanning scenarios.

• Selecting the appropriate scanning profile adjusts all of

the relevant scanning parameters simultaneously to
control the point density and triangle size, ensuring that
part details are captured as desired.

36
RS4 with PolyWorks: pick appropriate scanning profile

Use appropriate scanning profile

to optimally capture part details

Step by step: To select a scanning profile, proceed as

follows:

1) Choose Tools > Plug-ins and select your line-scanner

plug-in. The plug-in dialog box is displayed.

2) From the Scanning options section, select from

the Profile list the scanning profile that is appropriate for
your inspection project.
Hovering the mouse over a scanning profile displays the
suggested detail size for that profile’s resolution: Extra
Fine Resolution for details < 0.5 mm, Fine Resolution for
details > 0.5 mm, Standard Resolution for details > 1.0
mm, and Coarse Resolution for details > 2.0 mm.

3) Click Start Scan to begin collecting data.

NOTE: If you set specific scanning parameters to meet your particular needs, the scanning profile will appear as Custom.
Choose ”Save as” to give it a name and save it as a new scanning profile that contains the current value of all of the
scanning parameters. The new scanning profile will be added to the Profile list.

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RS4 with PolyWorks: save your preferred scanning profile
• Save your preferred scanning profile
after verifying all desired settings in the
scanner plug-in (Dialog Zone).

• Select “Save As…” and name it

appropriately.

• You may opt to save different profiles for

different complexity / detail-capture of
your part. You may then quickly switch
profile when passing over flat regions of
the part (settings for low density point-
cloud), or when passing over small
detail, edge, corner, or hole areas
(settings for high density point-cloud).

38
Thank you