* InteliPixel, 3D scanning technology from InteliSum
When I started my career almost three decades ago, I worked in the project control department of a major engineering firm. One of my company’s projects was the revamp of a huge petrochemical plant in Texas. The building I worked in had an entire floor full of 3D scale models of every unit of the industrial plant. In order to retrofit the new facilities into the old, the engineers had to know precisely what existed already, and that’s what the models represented. If this project were to be done today, it’s likely that those space-hogging physical models would be replaced by a few ordinary PCs hosting virtual 3D models embedded with intelligence.
When I started my career almost three decades ago, I worked in the project control department of a major engineering firm. One of my company’s projects was the revamp of a huge petrochemical plant in Texas. The building I worked in had an entire floor full of 3D scale models of every unit of the industrial plant. In order to retrofit the new facilities into the old, the engineers had to know precisely what existed already, and that’s what the models represented. A typical model might be of a flare unit, the “smokestack” on top of a building where excess gases are safely burned.
If this project were to be done today, it’s likely that those space-hogging physical models would be replaced by a few ordinary PCs hosting virtual 3D models of the refinery that are embedded with intelligence. An engineer could click on any single point of the virtual model and get very sophisticated information about that exact point on the real object, in this case, the unit of the petrochemical plant. He could see the exact XYZ coordinates of that point relative to the entire object; view a digital photograph consisting of pixels containing color and grid location; and view GPS data consisting of longitude, latitude and altitude. All together, this data creates an incredibly realistic view of a real physical object or place.
By putting this model into a CAD system, the engineer could look at his virtual object from any possible angle. He could zoom in, zoom out, rotate and tilt the object. And he could deconstruct it and design the revamp changes, all without leaving his desk.
This technology is already a boon to the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, but it could be applied to hundreds of other trades as well, such as interior design, automotive design, crime scene forensics, accident reconstruction, and plastic or reconstructive surgery. The list of potential applications is endless. I suspect that in a few short years, this will be commonplace technology in many of our industries.
InteliSum is the company behind this really cool and innovative imaging technology, called InteliPixel technology. The 3D scanning technology includes a 28 megapixel camera and patented software that embeds each pixel of a 3D scan with intelligence. I won’t even pretend that I fully understand how this magic happens, but I do comprehend that this is paradigm-busting technology for the world of 3D imaging. InteliSum modestly calls it “the next technology iteration for digital cameras.” I’ll do my best to describe it here.
InteliPixel technology uses three types of data elements to create a “Life Dimensional” picture (LD3). (InteliSum intends that someday, LD3 format files will be an industry standard for 3D images, just as MP3 has become a standard format for audio files.) The three data elements in an LD3 image, combined at every pixel, are:
* XYZ coordinates from a LiDAR scan. (LiDAR, short for Light Detection and Ranging, measures the properties of scattered light to map the physical features of an object.)
* RGB color pixels from a digital photo.
* GPS data which provides absolute positioning of an object.
These three data elements are captured through InteliSum’s patented 3D camera system, which uses a modified survey quality scanner to collect its LiDAR information. Mounted to the scanner is a camera that captures digital pixel information. A GPS unit also is integrated with the scanner and digital camera to provide accurate latitude, longitude, and elevation data at the LD3 camera location. Using this unique scanner/camera/GPS device results in an information image where each pixel is intelligent (RGB + XYZ + GPS).
Once InteliPixel technology has captured and combined these pixels to form a Life Dimensional 3D model, a sophisticated software rendering and stitching algorithm then creates an LD3 data file that can be used by customers to perform desktop surveys and other tasks. Working with such realistic 3D images allows customers to save significant time and money.
Watch this online video to understand the impact that this technology can have on projects. In this example, the Utah Department of Transportation used InteliPixel technology to perform a design level survey of an old highway bridge that needed to be replaced. By capturing an extremely precise and intelligent 3D image of the old bridge and the area where a new bridge would go, engineers could design and build the replacement with minimal impact on traffic. In fact, the new bridge was assembled in an off-traffic area next to the roadway, and the old bridge was removed and replaced over a weekend. Amazing!
