O8m126eoo - Faro - Reveng 2020 User Guide

RevEng 2020 User Guide
July 2020
FARO RevEng 2020 User Guide
Legal Notices
Legal Notices
Release Notice
This is the July 2020 version of the RevEng User Manual. It applies to the FARO RevEng 2020
Software. FARO© Technologies Inc., July 2020. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means without
written permission of FARO Technologies, Inc.
FARO TECHNOLOGIES, INC. MAKES NO WARRANTY, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,

INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, REGARDING THE FARO REVENG 2020 AND ANY
MATERIALS, AND MAKES SUCH MATERIALS AVAILABLE SOLELY ON AN “AS-IS” BASIS.
IN NO EVENT SHALL FARO TECHNOLOGIES INC. BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR SPECIAL,

COLLATERAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH OR
ARISING OUT OF THE PURCHASE OR USE OF THE FARO REVENG 2020 DATA
ACCELERATOR OR THEIR MATERIALS. THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE LIABILITY TO FARO
TECHNOLOGIES, INC., REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ACTION, SHALL NOT EXCEED THE
PURCHASE PRICE OF THE MATERIALS DESCRIBED HEREIN.
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT

NOTICE AND DOES NOT REPRESENT A COMMITMENT ON THE PART OF FARO
TECHNOLOGIES INC. ACCEPTANCE OF THIS DOCUMENT BY THE CUSTOMER CONSTITUTES
ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT IF ANY INCONSISTENCY EXISTS BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND
NON-ENGLISH VERSIONS, THE ENGLISH VERSION TAKES PRECEDENCE.
Copyright Notice
© Copyright July 2020 FARO Technologies Inc..
This product includes third-party and open source resources. For license and copyright information
pertaining to the use of these resources, refer to the following document in the FARO Knowledge Base:
https://knowledge.faro.com/Essentials/General/3rd-Party_Open_Source_License_Information_for_FARO_
Products
FARO RevEng (2020) Page 2 of 69

Contents
Contents
Legal Notices 2
Copyright Notice 2
Contents 3
Chapter 1: Introduction 7
How To Use This Guide 7
Commonly Used Terms 8
About RevEng 2020 9
Chapter 2: Installation and Licensing 11

System Requirements 11
Hardware Requirements 11
Software Requirements 11
Installing RevEng 2020 12
Uninstalling RevEng 2020 13
About RevEng 2020 Licensing 13
Applying a license to your installation of RevEng 13
Creating a C2V license file 18
Chapter 3: Getting Started 19

Starting RevEng 2020 19
User Interface Layout 19
Menu 20
Tool bars 20
File Menu Commands 20
Settings 21
History 24
View 24
Info Panel 25
Project Panel 26
Navigational Controls 26
3D Viewer Contextual (right-click) Menu 27

Contents
Importing and Exporting Point Cloud Data and Meshes 27
Chapter 4: Home Menu 29

Selection Shapes 29
Contextual Right-Click Menus 30
Contextual Menu in Project Panel 30
Contextual Menu in the 3D Viewer 30
Chapter 5: Capturing Scans 33

Setting Up the FARO ScanArm 33
Scanning With The ScanArm 33
Using a Clip Plane 34
Scanning Using the Hard Probe 35
FARO ScanArm Driver Settings 36
Acquisition Contextual (Right-click) Menu 37
Setting the Reference Coordinate System with the Hard Probe 37
Cleaning Tool 38
Chapter 6: Scan Alignment and Registration 39

Manual Alignment Tool 39
Automatic Alignment Tool 40
Global Alignment Tool 41
Feature Alignment Tool 42
Transform Tool 43
Chapter 7: Generating and Editing Meshes 45

Generate Tool Overview 45
Repair Tool 48
Holes Tool 49
Smooth Tool 52
Remesh Tool 53
Mirror Tool 54
Offset Tool 55
Texture Tool 56
Chapter 8: Measuring Meshes 59

Contents
Measure Tool 59
Mesh Comparison Tool 60
Chapter 9: Model Tools 61

3D Shapes Tool 61
Cross Sections Tool 62
Curves on Mesh Tool 64
Sketch NURBS Tool 65
NURBS Curves Color Coding 67

Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction
This guide will assist you in using FARO RevEng 2020. If you have any questions or need further
instructions, contact your Customer Service Representative by Phone, Fax, or E-Mail. You can also reach
the Customer Service Applications and Training group via e-mail at the following addresses:
l support@faro.com
l applications@faro.com
l training@faro.com
Visit the FARO Customer Service area on the Web at https://knowledge.faro.com to search our
Knowledge Base, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
This section covers information about this documentation, and it includes overview of RevEng 2020.
Topics include:
l How To Use This Guide below
l Commonly Used Terms on the next page
l About RevEng 2020 on page 9
How To Use This Guide

The RevEng 2020 User Manual contains detailed information about RevEng 2020’s tools and commands.
Use this manual as a reference for working with the software and attached hardware. The instructions in
this manual assume that you have a working knowledge of computers and their operating conventions,
including how to use a mouse and standard menus and commands.
Listed below are some of the visual and typographical conventions used in each of the sections.
Indicates command names, directory names, menu

Bold text names, buttons, tabs, key names, acronyms, and
modes.
Indicates alphanumeric characters or values you

monospaced text enter in a field on the screen. For example, “Type
0.005 for the tolerance setting.”
It is important that you understand the meaning of the following words before proceeding.
Indicates that you are initiating an action. For

choose or select
example, “Select File > Insert > Image.”

Indicates that you press and release the

corresponding mouse button or keyboard key.
Also used when referring to the hardware device
left-click, right-click,
buttons. For example, “After selecting a file from
click, or press
the Open File dialog box, click OK to open the
file” or “Press ESC at any time to cancel a
command.”
Indicates that you press and hold the left mouse

button down and move the mouse. Release the
drag
mouse button to finish. This word is often used
when changing the size of a window or toolbar.
WARNING: A WARNING notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating procedure,

practice, or event that, if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in personal
injury or death. Do not proceed beyond a WARNING notice until the indicated conditions
are fully understood and met.
NOTICE: A NOTICE denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating procedure, practice, or event
that, if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in damage to the product or loss
of important data. Do not proceed beyond a NOTICE until the indicated conditions are
fully understood and met.
NOTE: A NOTE denotes additional information that aids you in the use or understanding of the
equipment or subject. Specifically, they are not used when a WARNING or NOTICE is
applicable. They are not safety related and may be placed either before or after the associated
text as required.
Commonly Used Terms

Following are definitions for common terms used throughout RevEng 2020.
Face - Flat surface delimited by edges.
Point cloud - A set of 3D points that represent an entire object or part of an object.
Triangles - Triangles of varying shapes and sizes are connected to create the mesh that forms the shape
of the scanned object.
Rendering - The process of creating a 3D visual representation of an object by applying lighting and
shading.
Registration - The alignment of two or more scans of an object to form the representation of the entire
object.
Mesh model - A representation of the surface of an object that uses triangles connected along their edges.

About RevEng 2020

RevEng 2020 is a fully-featured 3D mesh generation tool that allows you to scan object data with which
you can generate high-quality 3D meshes to use for purposes such as reverse engineering, industrial
metrology, 3D printing, etc. Following is the basic workflow for RevEng 2020:
1. Scan an object to create scan data (or import existing data).
2. Prepare the scans for mesh conversion.
• Edit and clean up the scans (find statistical outliers).
• Transform the data by properly positioning it on the axes.
• Smooth the surfaces of the scans.
• Register/align multiple scans.
3. Generate the mesh model.
4. Edit the mesh model.
• Fix the mesh to eliminate problems such as small components, small holes, spiked vertices,
and skinny elements.
• Fill holes in the mesh.
• Decimate (simplify) the mesh.
• Smooth the mesh.
• Transform the mesh’s position, or mirror the mesh.
• Identify and trace curves on the mesh.
• Identify planes on the mesh.
• Adjust the mesh’s offset.
• Fit features such as planes, spheres, cylinders, and cones.
• Align the planes.
• Export the mesh (with or without texture).
5. Generate CAD primitives on a mesh model.
• Fit 3D shapes (planes, cones, cylinders) to the mesh.
• Fit NURBS surfaces to the mesh.
6. Import the resulting mesh into design or CAD software for further manipulation.


Chapter 2: Installation and Licensing
This section covers installing and licensing RevEng 2020.
Topics include:
• System Requirements below
• Installing RevEng 2020 on the next page
• About RevEng 2020 Licensing on page 13
System Requirements
Following are minimum, and recommended hardware and software requirements for RevEng 2020.
Hardware Requirements
RevEng 2020 - Minimum Hardware Requirements

• Intel® Pentium® Core™ i7-4600M, Quad Core 2.9GHz processor
• 16 GB DDR3 RAM
• Graphics resolution - 1600 x900
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX (or Quadro) with 8 GB DDR5
• Standard three button PS/2 or USB mouse
• 256 GB Solid state hard drive
RevEng 2020 - Recommended Hardware Requirements

• Intel® Pentium® Core™ i7-4900M, Quad Core 2.8GHz processor
• 32 GB DDR3 RAM
• Graphics resolution - 1920 x1080
• NVIDIA Quadro K5100M with 8 GB DDR5
• Standard three button PS/2 or USB mouse
• 512 GB Solid state hard drive plus 1 TB SATA 6 hard drive
Software Requirements
Supported operating systems include:
• Microsoft® Windows® 7 (64 bit)

• Microsoft® Windows® 8 or 8.1 (64 bit)
• Microsoft® Windows® 10 (64 bit)
NOTE: Windows® 10 64 bit Professional is recommended.
• Internet Explorer version 7.x, or higher (depending on the version supported by the operating
system)
• Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® 6.0 or later (to read or print manuals)
Installing RevEng 2020

The RevEng 2020 installation file includes the software, hardware drivers, and the RevEng 2020 User
Guide Portable Document Format (*.PDF) file. You must install Adobe Acrobat Reader from
https://www.adobe.com to view or print the user guide.
Note: If a previous installation of RevEng 2020 exists on the target computer, uninstall it before you
install a later version, or select the Clean install option during the installation.
To install RevEng 2020:
1. Download the RevEng 2020 installation file to a local folder on your computer.
2. Double-click the installation file.
3. Select the destination target folder for RevEng 2020. The default folder is C:\Program
Files\FARO\RevEng_(version).
4. Check Main Files to fully install the product, or select other options as follows:
l VS Runtime - Mandatory runtime components for RevEng 2020. Clear this option if another version
of RevEng is installed.
l File associations - (Optional) Associate RevEng files (.reveng) to open with RevEng 2020.
l Clean install - Removes installed versions of RevEng 2020.
5. Click Next.
6. Choose other tasks to perform during the installation and click Next to proceed through the
installation wizard panels. (For example, you can create a desktop shortcut for the application).
7. Verify all of the installation settings and then click Install.
8. When the installation completes, the Completing the FARO RevEng Setup Wizard dialog
appears. Select the Launch FARO RevEng checkbox to launch RevEng 2020 following the
installation.
9. Click Finish.

Uninstalling RevEng 2020

If you are installing an updated version of RevEng 2020, selecting the Clean install option during
installation removes previous instances of RevEng 2020. If you need to manually uninstall RevEng 2020,
follow these steps:
1. Use the Windows search function to search for Add or remove programs.
2. Uninstall FARO RevEng 2020.
3. Delete the following folder: C:\Program Files\FARO\RevEng_(Version)
About RevEng 2020 Licensing

RevEng 2020 requires the installation of a license. Your licensing option is determined when you
purchase RevEng 2020. Two licensing options are available:
1. Licensing with a hard lock key - The product key is recorded into the hard lock key. Insert the
hard lock key into to a USB port on your computer.
2. Licensing with a product key - Start RevEng 2020 and enter the product key into the dialog box.
• The product key is validated over the Internet. Following validation, the product key is
permanently stored on your computer.
• If your computer is not connected to the Internet, contact FARO’s customer service team to
request a validation file.
• Product keys can be used up to three times. If you install RevEng 2020 on a new computer,
contact FARO’s customer service team to deactivate the product key from your old
computer.
Contact FARO’s customer service team if you need to switch your licensing option, or if you experience
an issue while licensing RevEng 2020.
Applying a license to your installation of RevEng

When you start an unlicensed version of RevEng 2020, the licensing wizard displays. Select from the
following options:
I have a license
Choose from the following:
• Product key - Click this button to type in your product key.
• Hard lock key - Click this button for instructions on using the hard lock key.
I don’t have a license
Choose from the following:
• Trial - Run the trial version of the software for 30 days.
• Purchase - Get additional information from the FARO website on purchasing the software.

If you plan to use RevEng 2020 on more than one computer; especially computers on different networks,
a hard lock key allows you to easily move the license between computers. Product keys are more
convenient for single computer installations.
Select Network License if you are managing multiple licenses over a network. Network Licensing below
Select Transfer Key to transfer the license from another computer on the network. Transferring Network
Licenses on page 17
Managing your licenses

The License Manager dialog allows you to manage multiple licenses. Launch the License Manager
from Settings > General settings > License manager.
Following are descriptions for items included in the License Manager dialog.
Scope - The icon in this column indicates whether the license is a local, network or hard lock
license. Hover over the icon to see additional information.
In Use - A check mark displays in this column if the license is currently used by an instance of
RevEng 2020.
Product - Lists the product for which the license is valid.
Type - Indicates whether the license is a trial, temporary (time-limited), or perpetual license.
Days left - Days remaining before the license expires.
Key ID - The identification number for each license. (This is not the product key.)
Hostname - The name of the computer on which the license resides.
Start trial - Select to use a trial license.
Add license - Select to enter a product key. This operation requires an Internet connection.
Update licenses - Select to update existing licenses stored on your computer or an attached hard lock
to a new version of RevEng 2020. An Internet connection is required.
Transfer key - Select to transfers a single-user license from one computer system to another.
Transferring Network Licenses on page 17
Collect license information - Select to creates a C2V file required by customer service for modifying
a license, or activating the software for the first time on a computer that does not have Internet access
(offline activation). Make sure you apply the license you are given before you generate the C2V
with this option. Send the exported file to support@faro.com.
Update from file - If you do not have an available Internet connection, contact FARO’s customer
service team to update your license.
Network Licensing
RevEng 2020 allows you to manage multiple licenses over a network. This option is available for users
who want to employ a separate computer to host a network license without installing RevEng 2020 on
that computer.

Network licenses are hosted on a license server computer and shared to client computers over the
network. They can be locked to a USB hard lock or the licensing server computer.
When you start RevEng 2020 on any computer in your network, the software searches the network for
available licenses. When RevEng 2020 discovers a license, it uses the license during the session. Closing
RevEng 2020 releases the license so that it is available to other RevEng 2020 installations on the
network.
Installing the Sentinel HASP Licensing Software on the License Server

RevEng 2020 licenses are managed with Sentinel HASP licensing software from SafeNet. To set up a
computer as a license server, you must install the Sentinel licensing software on that computer. Sentinel
installs with RevEng 2020; however, if you do not want to install RevEng 2020 on the license server,
then you must manually install Sentinel licensing software.
To install the Sentinel licensing software on the license server computer:
• Click HASP Network License Manager on the USB menu and follow the prompts,
OR
• Run haspdinst.exe –install from a command shell. You can obtain this file from the FARO
Technical Support Center site.
To verify the proper installation of the Sentinel licensing software, open an Internet browser on the
license server and enter the following address:
http://localhost:1947/
This URL opens the Sentinel Admin Control Center. If the Sentinel Admin Control Center does not
appear, installation was unsuccessful and you must retry the installation.
Enabling Remote Access on the Server

To access network licenses, remote access must be enabled on the license server computer:
1. Open an Internet browser on the license server computer and enter the address
http://localhost:1947/ to open the Sentinel Admin Control Center.
2. In the Options window, select Configuration to display the configuration tab set.
3. Click the Access from Remote Clients tab.
4. Select the Allow Access from Remote Clients check box.
5. Click Submit.
Network Licenses Attached to a USB Dongle (Port Lock)

You can obtain a special network port lock from FARO Customer Service. Plug the port lock into any
computer on which the Sentinel HASP drivers are installed. This computer acts as the license server and
shares the licenses over the network (after enabling remote access). Activation of the licenses is not
necessary.
To add network licenses to a port lock:
1. Purchase network licenses linked to a product key.

2. To transfer the licenses to the port lock, attach the port lock to any computer with RevEng 2020
installed and follow the steps to validate the product key and activate the licenses.
3. When prompted to lock the licenses to the computer or the attached port lock, select to lock the
licenses to the port lock.
4. If you used a computer other than the license server to activate the licenses, remove the port lock
from the computer and re-attach it to the license server.
Network Licenses Attached to a Key Code

You can lock network licenses to the license server computer using a product key. Install and start
RevEng 2020 on the server and then follow the steps to validate the product key and activate the
licenses. If you do not want to install RevEng 2020 on the license server, you can use the FARO Remote
Update System tool to activate the licenses on the server instead.
To activate licenses with the FARO Remote Update System tool:
1. Start the FARO Remote Update System (Start > All Programs > FARO >RevEng_2019_x >
FARO Remote Update System).
2. On the Collect Key Status Information tab, click the Collect Information button. The system
will generate a C2V file.
3. Save the C2V file to your local hard disk.
4. Send the C2V file and your product key to support@faro.com.
5. After a short processing time, you will receive an email with an activation file (V2C). Save this
file to your local hard disk.
6. Restart the FARO Remote Update System and click the Apply License File tab.
7. Select the V2C file you received from FARO Customer Service and click Apply Update. The
license will activate and be bound to the computer.
8. Open http://localhost:1947/ with an Internet browser on the server to verify the proper activation
of the license. In the Options window, select Products to display the available licenses.
Detaching Network Licenses

If your license server hosts network licenses that are attached to the computer with a product key (not to
a USB hard lock), you can detach a network license and temporarily bind it to a client computer. The
license can then be used locally on the computer, without a network connection. When the detached
license expires, it automatically unbinds from the client computer and is restored to the license server.
The license server and the client computer must be configured to allow detaching of network licenses.
To enable license detachment on a server or client computer:
1. Open http://localhost:1947/ with an Internet browser on the server or client computer.
2. In the Options window, select Configuration to display the configuration tab set.
3. Click the Detachable Licenses tab.
4. Check the Enable Detaching of Licenses check box.

Note: On the license server, you can specify the number of reserved non-detachable licenses and the
maximum detach duration.
5. Click Submit.
To detach a license and bind it to your client computer:
1. Open http://localhost:1947/ with an Internet browser on the client computer
2. In the Options window, select Products for an overview of all available local and network
licenses. Detachable network licenses appear with a red arrow.
3. Click the Detach button to access the Detach License dialog.
4. Select the expiration date on which to restore the license to the pool.
5. Click Detach & Attach to temporarily bind the license to your client computer. The license
returns to the network license pool when it expires.
To return a detached license before it expires:
1. Open http://localhost:1947/ with an Internet browser on the client computer.
2. In the Options window, select Products for an overview of all available local and network
licenses. A green arrow identifies detached network licenses.
3. Click the Cancel License button and confirm your selection on the following dialog to return the
license to the network license pool.
Transferring Network Licenses

To transfer (rehost) a valid RevEng 2020 HASP license from one computer (source computer) to another
computer (recipient computer):
1. On both computers, do the following:
• Start RevEng 2020.
• Click Settings > General Settings > License manager.
• In the License Manager, select Transfer key, and then select Transfer key with RUS tool.
2. On the recipient computer (the computer to receive the license), do the following:
• From the RUS dialog box, click the Transfer License tab.
• In the Save recipient information to field, select a destination folder for the information file
(ID) and then click Collect and Save Information.
3. Transfer the resulting ID file to the source computer (the computer which currently contains the
license).
4. On the source computer, from the RUS dialog box:
• Under Generate the license transfer file, select the license to transfer.
• In the Read the recipient information file from field, browse to the folder that contains the
ID file.

• In the Generate the license transfer file to field, select the location for the license transfer
file (H2H) and then click Generate License Transfer File.
5. Transfer the H2H file to the recipient computer.
6. On the recipient computer, from the RUS dialog, click the Apply License File tab.
7. Select the H2H file created in Step 4 and click Apply Update.
License Server Administration

The Sentinel Admin Control Center provides various functions to manage and monitor the usage of
network licenses and to diagnose problems. For more information, refer to the Sentinel Admin Control
Center help.
Updating Your License

Use the Update licenses option located in the RevEng 2020 License Manager (Settings > General
Settings > License manager) to check for any pending license updates. When you run this command,
RevEng 2020 downloads any pending updates or orders, and automatically updates your port lock.
Offline activation
If you do not have an available Internet connection on the host computer, use one of the following
methods to obtain a product key.
• Email - From a computer with internet access, email license@faro.com with your product key as
the subject, and the C2V file as an attachment.
• Web portal - From a computer with internet access, go to

http://license.faro.com/Portal/activation. Enter the required information and attach the C2V file.
Creating a C2V license file

You will need to create a C2V license file for FARO customer service if you are deleting a license,
modifying a license, or activating the software for the first time on a computer that does not have Internet
access (also known as an “offline activation”). Apply the license provided to you by Support before you
generate a C2V.
To create a C2V file:
1. Start RevEng 2020.
2. Click Settings > General Settings > License manager.
3. In the License Manager dialog, click Collect license information.
4. Save the C2V file.
5. Send the file to support@faro.com.

Chapter 3: Getting Started
This section provides essential information for using RevEng 2020.
Topics include:
• Starting RevEng 2020 below
• User Interface Layout below
• Settings on page 21
• History on page 24
• View on page 24
• Importing and Exporting Point Cloud Data and Meshes on page 27
Starting RevEng 2020

Click Windows Start and find the RevEng 2020 program icon. Click the icon to start RevEng 2020. If
the RevEng 2020 program icon is not in the Start menu, click All Programs > FARO > RevEng 2020
and select the FARO RevEng 2020 icon.
The software notifies you if updates are available.
User Interface Layout

The following elements make up the user interface:
! Menu - Menu on the next page

" Tool bars - Tool bars on the next page
# Project Panel - Project Panel on page 26
$ 3D Viewer (work area) View on page 24
% Settings Settings on page 21
Info - Info Panel on page 25
& Info panel
View options - View on page 24
History - History on page 24

Menu
The menu includes the modes available in the software. Modes are as follows:
File - Perform functions for files, such as Open, Save, etc.
Home - Edit scan data and mesh models with basic selection tools.
Capture - Capture scans with the FARO ScanArm.
Align - Align or register point clouds and mesh models.
Mesh - Generate and improve watertight meshes.
Measure - Measure and compare meshes.
Model - Apply modeling tools to the mesh.
Tool bars
The tool bar lists tools that are available in the selected menu mode, such as selection tools for editing
point clouds and tools for improving a mesh.
NOTE: Selecting different modes in the application menu changes the set of tools in the tool bar.
File Menu Commands

Project commands include commands for managing the project. Options include:
New - Close the current project and create a new one.

Open - Open a saved project. All point clouds, scan groups, and meshes associated with a project are
accessible from the associated modes of the software.
Save - Save the current project and overwrites the previous project.
Save as... - Save the current project as a new project.
Import - Import data into the current project.
Export - Export data from the current project.
Settings
Select Settings to change default application parameters for RevEng 2020. Settings is located in the right
of the tool bar. Select the setting type in the left panel, and then select options for the setting type in the
right panel.
Settings are available for the following categories:
• General Settings - General Settings below
• Scanner Settings - Scanner Settings on the next page
• Viewer settings - Viewer Settings on page 23
Click Reset all to reset all settings to their default values. Click Close to save the settings that you
changed and close the settings panel.
General Settings
Select General to modify settings that affect the overall behavior of the software.
Language
Select the default language in which the software displays.
Software License - Click the License manager button to view and change licensing options for RevEng
2020. For more information, see Managing your licenses on page 14.
Units of measure
Unit of measure for length
Select the units of measure to use in the software. Options are:
• Meter
• Millimeter
• Micrometer
• Yard
• Foot
• Inch
Default measurement unit used for importing meshes

Select the default measurement units to use for imported meshes. Select Ask for a measurement unit
on mesh import to be prompted to specify measurement units each time you import a mesh.
Default measurement unit used for importing point clouds
Select the default measurement units to use for imported point clouds. Select Prompt for a
measurement unit on point cloud import to be prompted to specify measurement units each time
you import a mesh.
Auto save settings
• Enable auto save - Automatically save the project in the increment you enter in Interval for
auto saving (in minutes).
• Save the project after each scan - Save the project following each scan.
• Save project after generating a mesh - Save the project each time you generate a mesh.
Style settings - Select the Application theme dropdown and choose a dark or light background for the
interface.
Interface scaling - Resizes the user interface. Select the desired setting by using the + or - buttons.
Restart the application after you change this setting.
Telemetry - Enable the transmission of anonymous software usage data. No personal data is collected.
This data is used to analyze errors, and to collect tool usage statistics which can be used to identify
future software improvements.
Scanner Settings
Use ScanArm Settings to customize the parameters used by RevEng 2020 to communicate with the
FARO ScanArm.
Configuration files
Path to the touch probe’s configuration file - Enter the path to the .xml file that contains the
configuration for the hard probe.
Path to the touch probe’s calibration file - Enter the path to the .xml file that contains the
calibration for the hard probe.
Path to the laser probe’s configuration file - Enter the path to the .xml file that contains the
configuration for the laser probe.
Acquisition settings
Enable the angle-based point filter - Removes points with high normal deviation during the
acquisition process.
Split the acquisition in different point clouds when paused - Select this option to add a new point
cloud each time the ScanArm is paused.
Filter angle - Use the + or - buttons to adjust the threshold angle for the angle-based point filter.
Acquisition frame rate - Updates the visualization of the point cloud at the specified frequency.
Higher settings result in quicker display updates in the 3D viewer, but they also consume more of
your computer’s graphic resources.

Viewer Settings
Use Viewer Settings to modify rendering and interaction options for the scanned image.
Rendering settings
Color mode (which colors to display):
Select the preferred policy for coloring data in the 3D viewer:
• Native - Show the color information stored in the data, or the texture (if available).
• Assigned - Show the data with a uniform color that is assigned to the project items in the
Project panel.
• Uniform - Show all data with a default uniform color.
Rendering options
Enable shading (scene light) - Enables the shading effect in the 3D viewer.
Face-based - Switch between flat rendering of the mesh faces or a smooth shading.
View mesh edges (wireframe): - Show the edges of the mesh model, revealing its triangular
structure.
Highlight mesh boundaries - Highlight the mesh boundaries in a purple color.
Use splat point-rendering: - Toggle this option on to enable the splat rendering mode for point
clouds. When this option is enabled, points display as circles, which makes the object appear
smoother in the 3D viewer. If this option is not enabled, the points of the point cloud display with
basic dots sized according to the value provided in Point size.
Reference axis
Select the following options for viewing 3D axes:
Reference axis: - Show the reference system axis.
Local axis: - Show the local axes, which are located directly inside the image. Local axes appear at
the barycenter of the image.
Global axis: Show the global axis, which is located directly inside the image. Global axes appear at
the world reference origin.
Reference axis position: Place the reference axes in one of the four 3D Viewer corners.
Interaction options
Rotation mode - Select the rotation center used by the navigation interaction between the center of
the scene (CamFixed), and the center of the object (ObjFixed).
Enable inverted mouse wheel zoom (in-out) - Choose the mouse wheel zoom interaction for objects
in the 3D Viewer.

History
Click History to display a panel that shows previous operations. Press Undo/Redo to undo/redo previous
commands, or use Ctrl+Z/Ctrl+Y keys. You can access a specific action in the command history by
double-clicking an element in the list. Undoing an action in the list removes that action, and all actions
performed following it.
Clear history clears the list and removes the commands from computer memory.
View
Select View from the right side of the tool bar to configure options for how the model displays in the 3D
viewer.
NOTE: Navigational controls are always available.
Select from the following options:
Color Mode
Use the dropdown to select the color mode for displaying the object in the 3D viewer.
Native - Use the color information stored in the data or the texture, if available.
Assigned - Use the uniform color assigned to the object from the Project panel.
Uniform - Show all data with a default uniform color.
Standard pose
View the model in one of the following positions:
• Back

• Front
• Bottom
• Top
• Left
• Right
Wireframe
Show the edges of the mesh model, revealing its triangular structure.
Highlight boundaries
Highlight the mesh boundaries in purple color.
Face-based shading
Apply face-based shading which colors every triangle by interpolating the color of each vertex. The
following photo illustrates face-based off/on.
Light - Enable lighting which renders the image with a light source and display shading. Press and hold
Ctrl + right click and drag the light to reposition it in the 3D Viewer. The following image displays
lighting enabled/disabled.
Center scene - Centers the object image in the 3D Viewer.
Frame scene - Frame the entire scene at the barycenter.
Info Panel
Select Info from the right side of the tool bar to show information about items in the 3D viewer.
Information includes the following:
Scans - The number of scans in the scan group.
Points - The total number of points in the scan or scan group.

Selected points - The number of selected points.
X, Y, Z ranges - The axis coordinate positions of the image.
Project Panel
The Project panel lists the scans, meshes, and features associated with a project. You can right-click
objects listed in the Project panel and select from available actions that appear in the context menu.
A square that shows the object’s assigned color appears next to each object. You can change the object’s
assigned color by double-clicking the square and selecting another color from the palette.
Navigational Controls
Navigation controls allow you to move the image around in the 3D viewer so that you can explore it.
You can use your mouse with the keyboard, or the keyboard only.
Keyboard navigation controls
• Arrow keys - Rotate the scene
• + / - keys - Zoom in/out
Mouse-based navigation controls
Rotate arbitrarily - Freely rotate the image by pressing and holding the middle mouse button and
dragging the image in the direction that you want to move it.
Rotate around the x-axis - Rotate the scene around sides by pressing and holding Alt +
middle mouse button and dragging the image.
Rotate around y-axis - Rotate the scene around the upward or downward by pressing and
holding Ctrl + middle mouse button and clicking and dragging the image.
Rotate around z-axis - Rotate the scene clockwise/counter clockwise by pressing and
holding Shift + middle mouse button and clicking and dragging the image.
Zoom in/out - To zoom in/out of the scene, scroll the middle mouse button backward and forward.
You can configure this interaction in settings. See Viewer Settings on page 23.
Pan - To translate the scene, press and hold the middle mouse button + right-mouse button or
Alt + right-mouse button and drag the image.
Move light position - To translate the light position, press and hold Ctrl + right-mouse button
and drag to move the position of the light in the 3D Viewer.

NOTE: The rotation center can be the screen center or the object center. You can configure this option
in Settings.
3D Viewer Contextual (right-click) Menu

Right-click anywhere in the 3D viewer to display the contextual menu. Available options are:
Save scene - Saves the object as a mesh or a point cloud.
3D Pose - Select the positional view for the object.
Color options - Select from the following options.
Native vertex colors - Displays the object in its native color with face-vertex shading enabled.
Native face colors - Displays the object with face-vertex shading disabled.
Assigned color - Displays the object in its assigned color.
Take screenshot - Take a screenshot of the current rendered scene and save it to a file. You can adjust
the width and the height of the screenshot before you save it. You can save screenshots in .jpg, .png, or
.tif formats. Specify the format by using the appropriate three letter file extension when you enter the file
name. For example, to save the screenshot in .jpg format, type <filename>.jpg as the file name.
Importing and Exporting Point Cloud Data and Meshes

RevEng 2020 supports importing and exporting popular types of point data and meshes.
Select import options from the acquisition tool menus, or drag and drop supported file types over the 3D
viewer.
Point cloud import types

You can import point cloud data of the following types:
• Point Cloud .pc

• Point Cloud ASCII .asc
• Point Cloud XYZ .xyz
• E57 format .e57
• Point Cloud PTS .pts
• Point Cloud PTS with Normals .npts
• Vertices .vtx
• .pcd
• .pwn
• .ply
Mesh import/export types

You can import or export meshes of types:
• .stl
• .obj
• .ply

• .off
• .om

Chapter 4: Home Menu
This section covers options available in the Home menu. The Home menu includes tools for making
selections on images and meshes, and performing actions on the selections via the right-click context
menu.
Topics include:
• Selection Shapes below
• Contextual Right-Click Menus on the next page
Selection Shapes
Use shapes to select parts of an image or mesh in the 3D viewer. You can delete, copy, or modify the
selections.
NOTE: Available selection shapes vary for meshes and scan groups.
Following are shapes and their descriptions:
Rectangle - Click and drag a rectangle over points to select.
Ellipse - Click and drag an ellipses shape over points to select.
Polyline - Use multiple clicks to create a polyline path over points to select. Close the polyline
by connecting the first and last points of the polyline.
Curve - Click and drag a curve over points to select.
Boundary - Use the Boundary tool to automatically select boundary regions in an area. This
tool simplifies selecting complex regions that are difficult to select with other selection tools.
Press Esc to cancel any interaction in the 3D Viewer. Press the Ctrl key and click points to deselect
them.
The following selection options are available:
Pass through/Visible only - Pass the selection through the object and select all triangles, or
select only visible triangles.

Front-back/Front only - Choose whether the selection affects every triangle (front-back) or
only triangles with normals that point in the viewer direction.
NOTE: Changing these options does not affect current selections. To use the options, clear the current
selection and make a new one.
Contextual Right-Click Menus

Right-click menus provide convenient access to applicable tools and actions, and they are available
throughout the software.
Contextual Menu in Project Panel

From the Project panel, right-click a scan group or mesh to display the contextual menu. Select from the
following options:
Delete - Delete the item from the project.
Rename - Rename the item.
Export - Export the item to a supported mesh format.
Clone - Create a copy of the item.
Convert to point cloud - Convert the selected mesh or scangroup to a point cloud. The resulting point
cloud appears in the scanner acquisition tool.
Recompute Normals - Recomputes the normal vectors of the point cloud and attempts to improve their
orientation. This operation can be time consuming for large point clouds.
Contextual Menu in the 3D Viewer

From the 3D viewer, right-click an area of a mesh to display the contextual menu. Select from the
following options:
Center scene - Center the image in the viewer.
Frame scene - Center and frame the entire scene in the viewer.
Take screenshot - Take a screenshot of the image and save it in .png or .jpg format by including the
desired extension in the filename.
Clear selection - Clear any selected points.
Invert selection - Invert the direction of selected features.
Select component - Select the entire component connected to the currently selected area.

Dilate selection - Incrementally expand the selected area within the selected component.
Erode selection - Incrementally decrease the selected area.
Delete selected - Delete a selected feature.
Remove details - Remove features from the selected region, based on surrounding geometry.
Blend colors - Blend the colors within the selection to make the color uniform.
Invert normals - Invert the normal direction of every selected face from the mesh.


Chapter 5: Capturing Scans
This section covers scanning items with the FaroArm. After you scan an object, you can edit the data
acquired during the scan and generate a watertight mesh.
Topics include:
• Setting Up the FARO ScanArm below
• Scanning With The ScanArm below
• Cleaning Tool on page 38
Setting Up the FARO ScanArm

If your FARO ScanArm is not installed and configured, do the following:
1. Assemble the FARO ScanArm.
2. Install the drivers.
3. Connect the device to your computer.
4. Configure the ScanArm in RevEng 2020 under the Capture menu.
NOTE: For more information on hardware setup and driver installation, please refer to the
documentation included with your FARO ScanArm.
Scanning With The ScanArm

Use the Scan tool to scan objects with the FARO ScanArm. After you scan an object, you can edit the
data and generate a mesh model.
To use the FARO ScanArm Scan tool:
1. From the menu, choose Capture.
2. Click Connect to activate the FARO ScanArm and begin the scanning process.
3. Select Scan to use the laser probe to scan an object by continuously acquiring 3D points from the
object’s surface.
4. Select one of the following options under Capture method:

n Raw data - Collect raw point data, omitting any enhancements to the scanned data.
n Ordered data - Acquire and filter the points in a grid. This option improves how the object
displays, and improves the quality of the scan and alignment. Adjust the threshold for improving
the image with the Resolution setting.
5. Click Enable sound to receive audible status information during the scan. A clicking sound occurs
as the ScanArm gathers points. Other audible alerts indicate when acquisition starts and stops, and
when the ScanArm is positioned too far or too close to the object.
6. Configure a clip plane, if desired. For more information, see Using a Clip Plane..
7. Use the laser probe to scan an object by continuously acquiring 3D points from the object’s surface.
Press the Start measurement button to begin scanning.
8. Capture data with the FARO ScanArm:
• Start the scan by pressing the green button.
• Pause the scan by pressing the green button again. Press the green button to resume the
scan with a new point cloud.
• Stop scanning and create a point cloud by pressing the red button.
Following the scan, a point cloud appears in the list.
9. Use the selection shapes to clean up extraneous points from the point cloud.
NOTE: Compensate the hardware prior to scanning an object.
Using a Clip Plane

You can add a Clip plane to exclude surrounding areas from the scan. For example, if you are using a
scanning platform such as a FARO 8-axis, you can scan the rotary plate as a clip plane to exclude it.
The following options are available for editing the clip plane:

l Offset - Determines the distance of the plane from its original position along the normal direction. If
you use this option, you must modify it prior to starting the scan.
l Invert plane normal - Inverts the normal of the plane, determining points to discard during the scan.
To define a clipping plane by scanning it:
1. Click the Scan clip plane button.
2. Scan the clip plane with the laser probe.
To define the clipping plane with the hard probe:
Select one of the following Compensation options:
• None - Does not account for the size of the hard probe when defining the position for the clipping
plane.
• Auto - Automatically compensates the size of the hard probe to properly position the clipping plane.
• Measure inside - Uses the outside edge of the hard probe to calculate the clipping plane from within
a hole, or inside a cylindrical object.
• Measure outside - Uses the outside edge of the hard probe to calculate the clipping plane from
outside a tube shaped (cylindrical) object.
• Sample-end click - Specify the inside/outside compensation following probing an object by moving
the probe in the compensation direction and pressing the back button.
Click Probe clip plane and acquire points from the clipping plane as instructed in the software.
Scanning Using the Hard Probe

Use the hard probe to capture single points which you can use to manually define a point cloud or fit a
3D shape.
1. Select Capture from the menu.
2. Select Probe.
3. From the Feature dropdown, select one of the following:
• Point cloud - Sample a surface.
• Point - Probe a single 3D point in space.
• Line3D - Fit a 3D line in space. You must acquire at least 2 points.
• Plane - Fit a plane in space. You must acquire at least 3 points.
• Sphere - Fit a sphere in space. You must acquire at least 4 points.
• Cylinder - Fit a cylinder in space. You must acquire at least 6 points.
• Cone - Fit a cone in space. You must acquire at least 7 points.

• Circle - Fit a circle in a given plane. To perform this action, you must select a reference plane
and acquire at least 3 points.
• Line2d - Fit a 2D line inside a given plane. To perform this action, you must select a reference
plane and acquire at least 2 points.
• RoundSlot - Fit a round slot inside a given plane. To perform this action, you must select a
reference plane and probe each side of the rounded slot in sequence. You must acquire at least 3
points on each side to obtain the corresponding circle.
• RectangularSlot - Fit a rectangular slot inside a given plane. To perform this action, you must
select a reference plane and probe each edge of the slot in sequence. You must acquire at least 2
points per edge to fit the corresponding line.
• Ellipse - Fit an ellipse inside a given plane. You must select a reference plane and acquire at
least 6 probed points.
4. Click Start measurement to begin the measurement.
You can right-click a point cloud to display the contextual menu. Acquisition Contextual (Right-click)
Menu on the next page
Using the FARO ScanArm, you can:
l Acquire a point by pressing the green button;
l Stop the acquisition by pressing the red button.
After you complete the acquisition, the resulting data (point cloud or feature) is added to the list in the
Tool panel.
FARO ScanArm Driver Settings

The following options are available in the FAROScanArm driver:
Probes - Launch the RevEng 2020 Driver tool to select, compensate, and configure the probe to use
for the scan. For more information on this tool, click the Help ? button in the upper right-hand corner of
the window.
Note: The FARO ScanArm Tool automatically switches to the correct probe configuration.
Hardware Configuration - Launch the FaroArm Driver tool to view hardware information and
modify options. For more information on this tool, click the Help ? button in the upper right-hand corner
of the window.
Scanner Control - (Available only when using the laser probe) Adjust optics-related options.
Diagnostics - View mechanical and thermal conditions of the FARO ScanArm.

Temperature - Monitor the temperature while using the FARO ScanArm.
Hole calibration - Calibrate the hard probe with the hole calibration procedure.
Sphere calibration - Calibrate the hard probe with the sphere calibration procedure.
Acquisition Contextual (Right-click) Menu

From the point cloud list in the Project panel, right-click a point cloud to display the contextual menu.
Available commands are:
Delete - Remove the selected point cloud from the project.
Rename - Rename the selected point cloud.
Export - Save the selected point cloud outside the project.
Clone - Clone (copy) the point cloud.
Select small data - Automatically select data that contains the specified minimum number of points
which you can delete.
Convert to point cloud - Convert the data to a point cloud.
Recompute normals - Begin the normals computation process for the selected point clouds.
Merge - Merge two or more point clouds to form a single point cloud.
Promote - Change the registration method of the selected data.
Demote - Demote a previously promoted scan group.
Setting the Reference Coordinate System with the Hard Probe

Prior to scanning an object using the ScanArm, you can use the touch probe to define a custom reference
system to virtually move the origin of the axis to a specified point in the image. Define the new reference
system with a 3-2-1 alignment process.
To set the reference coordinate system with the touch probe:
1. Select Capture from the tool bar.
2. Select Hard Probe.
3. Select Plane from the dropdown box and acquire 3 points from flat parts on the object.
4. Select Line 2D or Line 3D. and acquire a line to provide an orientation inside the plane. You can
acquire a 3D line in space, or a 2D line in a plane, cylinder, or cone axis. Lines require that you
acquire at least 2 points.
5. Select Point and acquire a single point that corresponds to the origin of the new reference system.
You can also define the origin by probing a circle (the center of the circle defines the origin of
the axis).

6. Click Default Coordinate System in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to open a dialog
that allows you to define the new reference system.
7. Enter the following information in the Define coordinate system dialog.
Plane - Select the plane and the axis representation for it.
Line - Select the line and the axis representation for it.
Origin - Select the point or the circle that you used acquired for establishing the origin of
the coordinate system.
8. Click Ok to confirm.
NOTE: Click Reset to revert to the default coordinate system.
Following this configuration, the new coordinate system appears highlighted, as "Custom
Coordinate System" in the upper right-hand corner of the 3D Viewer. Each new acquisition
transforms into the new reference system.
Cleaning Tool
The Cleaning tool automatically detects surface imperfections such as roughness or orange peel, and
allows you to remove other unnecessary details from the surface of the scan. This tool is available when
one scan group is selected.
Configure the following options for the Cleaning tool:
Outliers selection - Automatically select erroneous data points that fall outside of the tool’s specified
Selectivity value. A higher value includes more points.
Smoothing - Apply smoothing to the points in the image. Choose a Smoothing strength value (1.0
to 10.0) of samples on which to apply smoothing. The following image displays the object with no
smoothing/moderate smoothing.
Click Apply filter after configuring parameters.

Chapter 6: Scan Alignment and Registration
Use the Align tool to arrange acquired scans and meshes to accurately represent the entire object.
Topics include:
• Manual Alignment Tool below
• Automatic Alignment Tool on the next page
• Global Alignment Tool on page 41
Manual Alignment Tool

Use the Manual alignment tool to align 3D objects by specifying alignment points. This tool is
available when multiple items are selected.
Three windows display in the Manual Align tool:
• Fixed viewer (top-left)
• Floating viewer (top-right)
• Joint viewer (bottom) - Displays the alignment result
To manually align scans:
1. Select two or more scan groups or point clouds.
2. From the tool bar, click Align.
3. Select one fixed scan group (point cloud).

Fixed scan groups (point clouds) are the reference of the alignment. The selected image appears
in the top-left and the bottom viewers, colored in red when the Show texture option is disabled.
4. Select one or more floating scan groups|point clouds.
Floating scan groups are images that you register with the fixed scan group (point cloud) to add
further details to the surface of the object. Floating scan groups|point clouds appear in the top-
right and the bottom viewers, They are colored in green when the Show texture option is
disabled.
If a floating scan group (point cloud) contains the image that you want to use as the fixed
image, you can convert a floating scan group|point cloud to fixed by clicking the Promote
icon.
5. In the image you selected for the Fixed View, click on a distinguishable feature (such as a corner
or point) that is also clearly recognizable in the image you selected for the Floating View. The
number 1 displays on the image, and serves as the first registration point.
6. Click the same feature in the image in the Floating View. The software attempts to register the
images.
7. Select at least 3 areas.
NOTE: If you want to re-select areas in the images, delete selected areas by clicking the Clean icon
in the bottom-right of the viewer panel.
8. Click Register.
When the registration completes, the Joint view displays the registered images, and the average
error of the alignment displays.
Automatic Alignment Tool

Use the Automatic alignment tool to align scans based on geometrical information.
Note: Scan groups (or point clouds) must be promoted to direct. Right-click the scan groups or point
clouds that you want to alig,n and select Promote to Direct from the context menu.
Three windows display in this tool:
• Fixed view (top-left)
• Floating view (top-right)
• Joint view (displays the alignment result at the bottom)
To automatically align scans:
1. Select two or more scan groups or point clouds.
2. From the tool bar, click Align.
3. Select one fixed scan group (point cloud).

Fixed scan groups (point clouds) are the reference of the alignment. The selected image appears
in the top-left and the bottom viewers, colored in red when the Show texture option is disabled.
4. Select one or more floating scan groups|point clouds.
Floating scan groups are images that you register with the fixed scan group (point cloud) to add
further details to the object’s surface. Floating scan groups|point clouds appear in the top-right
and the bottom viewers, They are colored in green when the Show texture option is disabled.
If a floating scan group (point cloud) contains the image that you want to use as the Fixed
image, you can convert a floating scan group|point cloud to fixed via the right-click context
menu.
5. Click Register which is available when one fixed scan and one or more floating scans are
selected. When the registration completes, the Joint view displays the align images, and the
average error of the alignment displays.
6. If the registration operation fails, try using a selection tool to select a feature of the object that is
clearly visible in both the fixed and floating views.
7. Click Ok.
Global Alignment Tool

Use the Global alignment tool to register scan groups or point clouds by applying an optimization
algorithm based on the geometrical features of the data. This tool is available when multiple scan groups
or point clouds are selected.
To perform global alignment:
1. Align the scans with the automatic alignment or manual alignment tools.
2. Configure the following options for the Global alignment tool:
Global registration method:
The Optimization method computes the registration with an algorithm based on the geometrical
features of the scan groups.
Max distance
Enter a value for the allowable variance of the resulting scan groups or point clouds.
Advanced parameters
Three advanced options are available:
• Maximum iterations - Enter the maximum number of iterations performed by the algorithm
before it reaches convergence.
• Samples per scan - Enter the number of samples to use during the registration process.
• Consider surface orientation - Accounts for the normals of the surfaces during the
registration process.
Click the Register button, to start the registration process.

Feature Alignment Tool

Use the Feature Alignment tool to perform an alignment between a mesh that includes a plane that you
configure in the Cross sections tool, and an axis-based plane. This tool is available when you select one
or more meshes that have at least one defined plane feature.
The two plane features are defined as follows:
• The first plane is the floating feature which is a mesh with a feature assigned in the 3D shapes
tool.
• The other plane element, the fixed feature, is a generic plane based upon the XY, XZ, or YZ
axes, or a feature assigned in the 3D shapes tool.
You can concatenate up to three pairs of plane features to compute a specific transformation, depending
on the order of the pairs.
To use the Feature Alignment tool:
1. Select one or more meshes that contain features assigned in the Cross sections tool.
2. From the Align menu, select Feature alignment.
3. From the Meshes list dropdown, select the mesh to transform.
4. The mesh that you selected in the dropdown appears in the Floating Features List. Click the
mesh to display it in the 3D viewer.
5. From the Fixed Features List, select from three standard plane features (XY, YZ, and XZ), or from
other meshes that contain features.
6. Click Align to begin the alignment operation.

7. The alignment pair appears in the Feature Pairs list.
8. Edit the feature pairs with the following actions:
Delete pair - Deletes the selected pair.
Move pair up - Changes the order of the pairs by moving the selected pair up.
Move pair down - Changes the order of the pairs by moving the selected pair down.
Click OK to keep the changes and exit the tool.
Transform Tool
The Transform tool transforms the position of the point cloud to the axis that you select. After you
configure parameters for the transformation, apply them by clicking the Apply transform button.
Note: The transformation applies to the original point cloud. Multiple transformations do not accumulate.
Configure the following options for the Point Cloud Transformation tool:
Transformation Options
The following pre-configured transformation options are available:
• No transform - Leave the point cloud in its original position relative to the axes.
• Bounding box to origin - Move the point cloud, so the minimum point of the bounding box
corresponds to the origin of the reference axis.
• Centroid to origin - Move the point cloud so the center of the bounding box corresponds to the
origin of the reference axis.
• Custom Transform - Customize settings for the transformation.
Transformation Parameters - The following parameters allow you to specify each

component of the transformation:
• Translate X: Displacement along the x-axis;

• Translate Y: Displacement along the y-axis;
• Translate Z: Displacement along the z-axis;
• Rotate X: Rotation angle, in degrees, around the local x-axis;
• Rotate Y: Rotation angle, in degrees, around the local y-axis;
• Rotate Z: Rotation angle, in degrees, around the local z-axis.
View options - Select items visible in the 3D Viewer:
Show global axis - Shows X, Y, and Z axes.
Show bounding box - Shows the point cloud’s bounding box in the viewer.
Show other data - Shows the positions of other data in the project.
You cannot modify point clouds while using this tool.

Chapter 7: Generating and Editing Meshes
This section covers profiles and options that you can use for generating meshes from point clouds or scan
groups. After you scan an object, you can proceed with generating a watertight mesh.
Topics include:
• Generate Tool Overview below
• Repair Tool on page 48
• Holes Tool on page 49
• Smooth Tool on page 52
• Remesh Tool on page 53
• Mirror Tool on page 54
• Offset Tool on page 55
• Texture Tool on page 56
Generate Tool Overview

The Generate tool generates a mesh from a set of point clouds or scan groups. This tool is available
when point clouds or scan groups are selected.
You can select predefined profile types for your object. These profile types include settings and
parameters that generate the best quality mesh for the object’s type. You can also create custom profiles.
Mesh improvement tasks run during mesh creation. Optimal settings are pre-configured for profiles,
however, you can customize the tasks. Click Show to see the operations included in a profile.

Pre-configured profiles are available for the following types of objects:
• Technical - For items such as mechanical parts that may be used for reverse engineering
purposes. This profile produces a highly-detailed mesh with a tolerance of 0.025, and a
maximum triangle count of 500000. This profile applies a high level of decimation to
significantly reduce the number of triangles. This profile applies minimal smoothing, and fixes
small holes.
• Design - For detailed objects that have complex textures, surfaces, and curves. The Design
profile uses similar settings as the Technical profile, except that it includes stronger smoothing
and tolerance settings, and less decimation.
• Small artistic - For smaller items such as jewelry and figurines. This profile produces a very
highly-detailed mesh necessary for smaller objects. This profile applies light smoothing and uses
a low tolerance setting (0.005).
• Sculpture - For statues and sculpture models. This profile produces detailed, lightweight meshes
for larger artistic objects. Smoothing and generation tolerances are applied to produce clean and
topologically-perfect 3D meshes.
When you choose the Custom profile or press the Customize button, you can create a mesh generation
pipeline that includes configuration settings that you define. Options include the following:
Basic settings
Enable GPU processing - Use your system’s Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to facilitate
the mesh generation process. Enabling this option is recommended; however, if RevEng
2020 behaves unexpectedly, disable the option and compare your system requirements to
the recommended requirements for the software.
Enable global alignment - Include an alignment operation that can improve the quality of
the mesh.

Enable filtering - Use a Voxel grid to filter the input points to remove duplicates and
improve the distribution of the points on the surface. Adjust the resolution setting for the
expected level of detail.
Enable thinning - Reduce the spread of the points around the input surface. Select this
option to reduce surface noise and obtain a "thinner" point cloud representation. Do not
select this option if the data appears clean and you don't want to alter the existing input
points.
Generate texture - If the scan data contains color information, enabling this option
computes a texture atlas following mesh generation.
Surface reconstruction settings
Resolution - Choose the level of resolution detail for the point cloud filtering. Choose
Automatic to have the software analyze the data and compute the value, or manually
calculate a value from the expected level of detail of the scanner's sensor.
Density - Configure the triangle density of the generated mesh by specifying a number
between 1 and 100. A lower value produces a lighter mesh with a lower level of detail that
processes more quickly. Higher values produce denser meshes and slower computation
times.
Test these parameters with different values to find the best combination for your application. You can
also reduce triangle density by adding a post-processing decimation step in a custom profile.
Mesh processing pipeline
The bottom of the mesh generation panel displays options for configuring a mesh processing pipeline.
The available operations are:
Mesh fixing - Fixes the most common problems that result during the mesh generation process.
These problems include small components, small holes, spiked vertices and skinny elements.
Following are parameters for this processing step:
Iterations - Enter the number of times to apply the mesh fixing algorithm. Depending on the
complexity of the mesh, multiple iterations may be required to fix problems in the mesh.
Comp. size - The number of faces that define small components of the mesh. These
components are removed during the mesh fixing process.
Hole size - Enter the maximum size for holes to automatically fill. For larger holes, you may
want to customize how you fill them, so keep this setting relatively small.
Spike angle - Enter the minimum dihedral angle of spiked vertices to fix.
Fix skinny - Select this option to remove degenerate triangles (thin triangles with nearly
zero area).
Mesh decimation- Simplifies the mesh by reducing the number of triangles while attempting to
preserve surface geometry. Following are parameters for this processing step:
Percentage - Enter the percentage for reducing the number of triangles in the mesh.
Max distance - Enter the maximum distance variance allowable between the input and the
output mesh. Use smaller settings to retain the details of the original mesh.
Check distance - Select this option to force the decimated mesh to remain as close as
possible to the original mesh using the threshold you enter in the Max distance parameter.

Mesh relaxation- Smooths the mesh by using tangential smoothing to improve the mesh by
evenly spacing the vertices which improves the shape of the triangles. Following are parameters
for this processing step:
Iterations - Enter the number of times to apply the relaxation algorithm. 3 to 5 iterations of
this operation is recommended. More iterations can cause loss of detail on the mesh.
Move boundary - Select this option to allow the relaxation procedure to move the mesh
boundaries, which can create a better mesh. Leave this option deselected if the boundary is a
set alignment.
Mesh smoothing- Smooths the mesh’s surface while preserving geometrical features and
removing noise. Following are parameters for this processing step:
Strength - Enter the strength level (1 to 100) to use for smoothing the mesh’s surface and
removing noise. Use a higher strength setting to retain detail.
Sensitivity - Enter the amount (1 to 100) by which the algorithm influences the geometrical
features of the mesh. Adjust the sensitivity of the filter with respect to the noise level of the
mesh image. Higher sensitivity values can enhance details of the mesh, but they can also
produce noise. Finding the correct sensitivity setting can be a trial and error process.
Protection - Enter the level (1 to 100) to preserve the surface features during the smoothing
process.
Max distance - Choose the maximum allowable distance discrepancy between the output
and the original mesh.
Bound distance - Select this option to impose the output mesh to bind to the distance
threshold defined in the Max distance parameter.
Generate mesh - Starts the mesh generation process.
To customize the operations in the process:
• Remove an operation, by pressing the trashcan icon.
• Move the order in which an operation runs by pressing the up or down arrows.
• Add an operation by pressing the Add button.
• Click Save to save the custom profile. This button is enabled when the custom profile is
renamed. Click Remove to remove any saved custom profiles.
NOTE: Before you define a new custom profile, you can test the various steps with the corresponding
tools in the software. This allows you to identify the best configuration of parameters for your
data before you create the new profile.
Repair Tool
Use the Repair tool to automatically clean up the mesh by fixing common problems that occur during
mesh conversion. The Repair tool detects many problems that are difficult to find and repair using
manual tools. This tool is available when a single mesh is selected.
Configure the following options for the Repair tool:

Check Problems - Detects problems and colors the mesh faces that correspond to specific problems. Re-
click Check problems after you choose options, or adjust option thresholds.
Fix problems - Fix the problems detected during the check process.
NOTE: You may need to repeat the check|fix process multiple times until you achieve desired results.
Choose mesh fixing tools under Select the targeted problems.
Small components - (display in orange) Delete faces that are classified as small
components in the mesh. Adjust the threshold for this option by entering a value in the Small
components size field. You can specify the maximum number of triangles of components to classify
as small.
Small holes (display in red) - Fill all small holes with border sizes smaller than the
threshold that you specify in the Small holes field. This tool is useful for filling smaller holes. Larger
holes often require that you customize options in the Hole Filling tool to produce the best results.
Spiked vertices (display in yellow) - Remove and fix all of the triangles characterized
by a dihedral angle less than the threshold that you specify with the Spikes dihedral angle slider.
Skinny elements (light blue) - Remove degenerate triangles (thin triangles with nearly
zero area).
Click Ok to keep the changes, or Cancel to discard all of the changes.
Holes Tool
Use the Holes tool to find and repair holes in the mesh. This tool is only available when a single mesh is
selected.

To use the hole filling tool:
1. Find a hole that you want to fill. Holes display in the 3D viewer outlined in pink, however they
highlight in yellow as you drag the mouse cursor over them. Before you attempt to fill a hole,
position the model in the 3D viewer and zoom in so that you can clearly see the hole (and its
surrounding areas). This allows you to experiment with the hole filling tools until you achieve
the best results.
2. Identify the best Interaction mode and Surface shape settings for the hole.
3. Follow the instructions to complete the requested interactive operations within the 3D Viewer.
Interaction modes
The Hole filling tool can be used to fill different holes by selecting the Interaction mode from the left
panel. Each interaction mode is best suited for a particular hole filling scenario. Following are available
interaction modes:
Fill single hole - Fill an entire hole by clicking it. Large holes may take extended amounts
of time to fill. This tool is recommended for filling smaller holes that do not contain a lot of
geometric or topological detail.
Fill partial - Fill one side of a hole by clicking two points, and then click the side that
you want to fill. This tool is recommended for filling elongated holes that are surrounded by
diverse topological details. You may need to select and partially fill the hole in several parts to
achieve the best results.

Fill bridge - Create and fill a bridge between two boundaries by identifying four points.
Click and drag to identify the first two points on one boundary, and then click and drag the
second two points on a boundary (the boundary can be different from the first selection). The
bridge fills after you select the second set of points. Use this option to connect disconnected
areas prior to filling the surface.
Fill splitting - Separate the hole into two sides and fill it by clicking two points. This tool
is recommended for filling holes that are not elongated, but have complex topological geometry.
Select - Select one or more holes from the Select holes list. All of the holes in the mesh
display in the list, and they are listed in order of size (the number of vertices that each hole
contains). Various options are available, based on the number of holes that you select:
• If one hole is selected, click Clean to clean the boundary by approximating it with a curve.
Use the Number of samples and Tension parameters to customize this option.
• If two holes are selected, click Weld to weld the two boundaries.
• If at least one hole is selected, click Fill to fill all of the selected boundaries.
Use the Density setting to change the triangle density of the mesh surface to use for filling the
hole. Entering a higher number increases the triangle count.
Surface shapes
Configure shapes for the fill region prior to filling the hole. Depending on the size and shape of the hole,
you may have to try more than one option to match the surface that surrounds the hole.
Flat prismatic shape - Fill the hole using a flat surface.
Curved round shape - Fill the hole using a curved surface.
Highly curved shape - Fill the hole using a highly-curved surface.
Exact planar shape - Fill the hole with a user-defined plane. (This shape is only available
when the Fill whole mode is selected.) Click Fill to fill the selected hole with a plane fitted
from the vertices that compose the holes. Use Plane offset to determine (in millimeters) the
distance of the plane from the boundaries.
Plane position - Determines the boundary side on which to place the plane.
Click Ok after you complete the hole filling process, or Cancel to exit the mode..

Smooth Tool
You can use the Smooth tool to smooth sharp, jagged areas on the mesh’s surface. This tool removes
unnecessary details while maintaining the object’s original features. This tool is only available when a
single mesh is selected.
To use the Smooth tool:
NOTE: Options vary depending on the smoothing method that you select.
1. Select the method to use for smoothing the mesh in the Select method dropdown. The following
smoothing methods are available:
• FreeForm - Smooths the input mesh without preserving geometrical features.
• Tangential - Smooths the input mesh while maintaining consistency with the original
object. The Total strength parameter determines smoothing strength. The Maximum
distance parameter defines the maximum distance of the new mesh.
• Curvature driven - Applies curvature-based smoothing to the mesh. Curvature driven

smoothing preserves and emphasizes the object’s natural features, and offers more options for
applying smoothing that best suits the object.
2. Choose from the following options to apply to the smoothing operation:
• Move boundaries - Allows the mesh’s boundaries to move during the smoothing operation.
• Display deviations - Shows the deviations (as a mesh coloration) between the input and the
output mesh inside a certain range. The Deviation map range parameter determines
allowable deviation tolerance.
NOTE: Click Show to update the deviation visualization.
• Smooth in tolerance - (not available for Tangential smoothing) Limits the mesh input from
exceeding the distance threshold configured in the Maximum distance parameter.
• Total strength - Select the overall smoothing strength to apply to the surface.
3. If you selected the Curvature Driven method, also choose from the following options
• Improve edge orientation: - Improves the mesh topology by changing the edge orientation.

• Features sensitivity - Choose the amount (1 to 100) by which the algorithm influences the
geometrical features of the mesh. To see the features that this setting affects (and aid you in
determining the setting) turn off Face-vertex shading and hit the Show button.
• Feature protection - Choose the extent (1 to 100) to preserve the surface features during the
smoothing process.
4. Click Smooth mesh to apply the selected smoothing method, and its corresponding options, to the
mesh.
5. Click Ok to keep the changes.
Remesh Tool
Use the Remesh tool to recompute the topology of a mesh and optimize the mesh model, which reduces
its resulting file size. This tool is useful for larger objects. The following image shows remeshing
before/after.
To use the Remesh tool:
1. From the tool bar, select from the following options:

Simplify mesh (decimate) - Use the slider to reduce the number of triangles used in the mesh.
The actual count displays, along with the projected count that results after the reduction
percentage is applied.
Improve triangle shape - Improve the distribution of triangles on the mesh surface.
Decimate in tolerance - Forces the decimated mesh to preserve consistency with the original
mesh. This option uses the threshold setting configured in the Tolerance box.
Start decimation- Click this button to apply the configured settings to the mesh.
Uniform remeshing- Use the slider to adjust the triangle size and make the triangle sizes more
consistent.
Start remeshing - Applies the uniform mesh triangle size to the mesh.
Mirror Tool
The Mirror tool mirrors or cuts a mesh according to a plane that you define. This tool is available when
a single mesh is selected.
To use the Mirror tool, you must first define a plane. Select one of the following Plane modes:

• Plane by line - Define a plane by tracing a line inside the 3D Viewer.
• Plane by 3 points - Define a plane by clicking 3 points on the mesh model.
• Barycentric plane - Identify a plane by analyzing the apparent symmetries of the

object.
• Reference plane Use one of the reference frames (XY, YZ, XZ).
• Feature plane - Use a feature plane (previously defined with the 3D Shapes tool).
After a plane is defined in the 3D Viewer, select one of the following operations:
• Mirror - Create a duplicate of the mesh that is mirrored with respect to the defined plane.
• Trim - Trim the portion of the mesh on one side of the plane and keep the remaining portion. When
this option is selected, the 3D viewer displays a bounding box that contains the region that will be
removed. You can invert the region by clicking Invert normal.
Click Apply to apply the selected operation.
Finalize the tool by clicking Done or click Cancel to discard the changes and close the tool.
Offset Tool
Use Offset to generate an offset or shell mesh from the input mesh. Offset is only available when a single
mesh is selected.
To generate an offset of your model:

1. Set the Surface offset parameter according to the desired displacement. The offset values can be
positive (for outer shells) or negative (inner shells). A bounding box displays the offset amount with a
displaced plane in the offset direction.
2. Click Compute offset to generate the offset surface. To preview the result, enable Output mesh.
3. Adjust offset settings to achieve the desired result.
• Resolution - Adjust the level of detail in the offset.
• Surface Offset - Enter the distance to offset the resulting mesh from the original mesh.
• Surface remeshing - Re-compute the triangle disposition to generate a better mesh.
• Clean boundaries - Select this option to clean up mesh boundaries by normalizing them and
making them more uniform.
4. Adjust viewer options:
• Input mesh - Select this option to display the original mesh.
• Output mesh - Select this option to display the mesh that results from the options selected in the
Offset tool.
• Bounding box - Select this option to display the original mesh bounding box and the reference
plane. The position of the reference plane correlates to the value set in the Offset option.
5. Select one of the following commands:
• Compute offset - Compute the mesh’s offset surface.
• Compute shell - Compute the mesh’s offset surface and attempt to close the gap between the
original mesh and the resulting one. This operation is suitable only for small values of surface
offset..
Texture Tool
Use the Texture tool to export a color-textured mesh model in supported formats. This tool is available
when a single mesh is selected.

NOTE: The project must include scan data with color information. The tool computes the texture map
images based on the original scan data.
To generate a colored texture atlas for your mesh model:
1. Select a Texture type:
• Texture Atlas - Provides an automatic parametrization of the mesh. Use this mode if you want
to edit the resulting texture image with image editing software.
• Triangle Map - Provides fast and simple mapping between mesh colors and texture. Use this
mode to quickly create a texture that you won’t need to edit later.
2. In Texture resolution, enter a value for the resolution of the texture image. Higher values correspond
to larger images, and they retain more of the original color detail.
3. From the list of available scans, select the color scans to use for reproducing the colors in the texture
atlas
4. Click Generate texture.
5. Export the resulting mesh with texture from the File > Export menu.
6. Choose one of the following formats:
• OBJ File - This is the current industry standard for storing a textured mesh file. For .OBJ
textured models, 3 or more files are created in the destination folder. They include:
• .obj file that contains the mesh geometry and the corresponding parametrization
• .mtl file that contains a description of the material and the name of the texture image
file
• .png file that contains the texture image itself
NOTE: When saving or copying a textured .obj project, copy all of the files and keep them together.
• PLY File - The software exports a textured mesh model to .PLY format by using a special
extension. To ensure compatibility, .OBJ format is recommended rather than .PLY.
• OM File - (Native mesh file format for RevEng 2020.) Use .OM to export all available data in
the most compact way.
7. Click Done, or click Cancel to undo all changes and close the tool.


Chapter 8: Measuring Meshes
This section covers information measuring meshes to ensure accuracy.
Access mesh editing tools by selecting a mesh and clicking Measure from the tool bar.
Topics include:
• Measure Tool below
• Mesh Comparison Tool on the next page
Measure Tool
Use the Measure tool to measure point cloud and mesh data.
To measure an area on the point cloud or mesh:
1. Click the starting point for the measurement on the image or mesh.
2. Click the ending measurement point.
The tool displays coordinates for each point, along with the distance between the points. Press Esc
to clear the measurement.
Enable Global measures to see other information about the mesh, including:
Vertices - The number of vertices in the selected meshes.
Faces - The number of faces in the selected meshes.
Diagonal - The length of the diagonal of the bounding box of the selected data.

Area- The total area of the selected meshes. Click Update volume and area to display this
measurement.
Volume - The total volume of the selected meshes.
Unit - The indicated unit of measurement.
Mesh Comparison Tool

Use the Mesh Comparison tool to compare dimensions between two meshes and create a report that lists
deviations. This tool is useful for comparing an edited mesh to an original mesh.
To use the Mesh comparison tool:
1. Enable this tool by selecting two meshes, using Shift + click or Ctrl + click.
2. In the tool panel, configure the following options:
Reference mesh|Compared mesh - The reference mesh is the mesh to use as the positional
reference by which to compare the Compared mesh. Click the Swap meshes button to swap the
reference/compared meshes.
Show reference mesh - Displays the reference mesh in the 3D viewer. Clear this checkbox to
display the Compared mesh.
Maximum distance - The threshold for determining the maximum allowable distance for the
convergence of the meshes.
3. Click Compute distances to compare the meshes. If you change any of the settings following the
creation of the report, click Update to reflect the changes.

Chapter 9: Model Tools
This section covers information for adapting your mesh model. Access model tools by selecting a mesh
and clicking Model from the tool bar.
Topics in this section include:
• 3D Shapes Tool below
• Cross Sections Tool on the next page
• Curves on Mesh Tool on page 64
• Sketch NURBS Tool on page 65
3D Shapes Tool
Use the 3D shapes tool to fit or define features that characterize a mesh. This tool is available when a
single mesh is selected. You can define the following features:
• Plane
• Sphere
• Cylinder
• Cone
Compute each feature by fitting selected triangles of the mesh. You can also manually define each
feature.
To use the Feature Fitting tool:
1. Select a mesh.
2. From the Model menu, click the 3D shapes tool.
3. In the Select a shape dropdown, select the method to use for defining the feature. Options are:
Plane - Define a plane by clicking and dragging a line over the desired area on the mesh. The
resulting plane passes through the line and is orthogonal to the screen.
Sphere - Use a sphere shape.

Cylinder - Use a cylinder shape.
Cone - Use a cone shape.
4. If you chose to use the Plane shape, select an Interaction mode for drawing the shape.
Select mesh triangles
Trace a line with the mouse
Select three points on the mesh surface
5. After choosing the method for making selections, configure the resulting behavior for the
selections.
Pass through|Visible elements - Pass through elements include triangles that are
behind the visible selected triangles.
Front back|Front only - Select all triangles (front-back), or only triangles with
normals that point in the viewer direction.
NOTE: Changing these options does not affect the current selection. Make a new selection to apply
the settings.
Press and hold the Ctrl key while making selections to deselect objects.
6. Use the right click menu to make other changes to the selection.
7. Click Import|Export to import or export one, or more selected features. If you select to export
multiple features, you are prompted to enter file names for each feature.
8. Click Done to keep the changes or Cancel to undo all of the changes and close the tool.
Cross Sections Tool

Use the Cross sections tool to section a mesh model with multiple planar sections and export them as
poly-lines. This tool is available when a single mesh is selected.

To select features with the Cross sections tool:
1. Choose one of the following tools to define the working plane:
• Plane by line - Define a plane by tracing a line inside the 3D Viewer.
• Plane by 3 points - Define a plane by clicking 3 points on the mesh model.
• Barycentric plane - Identify a plane by analyzing the apparent symmetries of the

object.
• Reference plane Use one of the reference frames (XY, YZ, XZ).
2. Configure the following options:
• Offset - The displacement distance for the defined sectioning plane along its normal direction.
• Sections - The number of sections to generate.
• Spacing - The distance between two consecutive planes.
• Direction - The position of the sectioning planes with respect to the user-defined plane. Choose
between Centered, Forward or Backward.
3. Click Extract sections to compute the cross sections. The new polylines appear under List of sections.
4. Click Export sections to export the sections as poly-lines in IGS file format.

5. Click Done to confirm the cross sections and exit the tool, or click Cancel to discard the changes and
exit the tool.
NOTE: Cross sections are only visible within the Cross Sections tool.
Curves on Mesh Tool

Use the Curves on Mesh tool to define and edit curve control points on the mesh. This tool allows you
to acquire features that are difficult to obtain from the geometry of the mesh’s surface and extract specific
curves to CAD. This tool is available when a single mesh is selected.
You can perform the following curve functions on the mesh.
• To add a curve - Add a curve by clicking the mesh in the area to add the curve (defining an
open curve). On an existing curve, click the first control point of the curve (defining a closed
curve). Double-click the final point to generate the curve.
• To add a point - Click near the middle of an existing curve to add a control point.
• To split a curve - Shift+click a control point to duplicate it. If the curve is open, this adds two
distinct curves. If the curve is closed, it opens.
• To delete a control point: - Alt+click a control point to delete it.
• To move a control point - Click and drag a control point to move it.
• To extract a feature - Ctrl+click in the desired area of the mesh to add a new curve.
The following options are available to define and modify curves:
Cost Type - Choose the algorithm to use for computing the curve. Options are as follows:
• Curvature - Creates the curve by using the geometrical details of the mesh’s surface.
• Color - Creates the curve by using the surface’s color.
Threshold - Set the sensitivity of the algorithm used to compute the curve’s features.
Point spacing - Set the mean distance between control points of automatically-generated curves.
List of curves - Lists defined curves that you can select/deselect. Details for each curve include the
curve’s name, the number of points, length, and type (O if open, C if closed).

Export as polyline - Export all the selected curves in .igs format.
Delete curve - Delete all selected curves.
Sketch NURBS Tool

Use the Sketch NURBS tool to draw Non-Uniform Rational Basis Spline (NURBS) objects that precisely
represent curves and surfaces on a mesh. You can export the objects into a STEP file. This tool is
available when a mesh is selected in the Project panel.
You can generate a NURBS model from your mesh by identifying the NURBS region with 4 NURBS
curves. The number of identified curves and surfaces displays in the top left of the viewer. Use the
interactive tools to draw an area on the mesh model and divide the portions into regions. Each region
defines the boundary of a NURBS surface that fits the mesh model after you click Compute surfaces. To
facilitate reverse engineering, you can continue modifying the model after you fit the NURBS surfaces.
NOTE: For best results, start with an optimized mesh model that contains minimal noise and
unnecessary artifacts. Use the mesh editing tools to isolate the working area of the mesh and
optimize the area with the Mesh Smooth tool Smooth Tool on page 52 and the Remesh tool
Remesh Tool on page 53 . Remove unnecessary detail with the Remove detail command
located under the Home menu..
To use the Sketch NURBS tool:
1. Select a mesh from the Meshes list.
If a NURBS model of the mesh is already present in the project, you can select both the mesh
and the NURBS model to re-open it. This is useful for modifying an existing NURBS model.

2. From the Model ribbon, select Sketch NURBS.
3. Choose an Interaction mode:
Browse NURBS model - Explore the entire model without any interactive editing.
This mode is useful for checking parts of the model without changing its design.
Sketch curves with mouse - Sketch or edit NURBS curves on your mesh model. Use
the following keyboard combinations to start or edit the curve:
• Start the curve by single-clicking a point, and then click points following the mesh’s surface
to form the curve. Double-click to finalize the curve.
• Shift + click to split or join curves at the endpoints
• Ctrl + click to delete a point or delete the curve.
Select Snap to curvature to have the software discover the edges of the selection points in
zones of high curvature.
After you trace a curve, you can adjust the curve by clicking and dragging control points.
Extract from planar sections - Extract NURBS curves based on planar sections on the
mesh model.
4. Follow the instructions in the 3D viewer to create multiple curves so that the area is subdivided in
regions delimited by 4 curves.
5. Click Compute surfaces to generate NURBS surfaces on the user-defined regions. If the regions
are incomplete, refine the curves to improve the delimited areas.

NOTE: Subdividing a model into regions using a rectangular shape is the best approach for improving
the edges.
6. Click Export NURBS to save the object in a file in STEP format.
The following parameters are available:
• Snap to curvature - Automatically snap points to curved edges when using the Sketch curves with
mouse interaction. This option is useful when the mesh model has many sharp edges that are difficult
to click precisely with the mouse.
• Surface details - Configure the level of detail for the computed NURBS surfaces. Use a higher detail
setting if you want to capture smaller variations of the mesh model into the NURBS surfaces.
The following Viewer options are available:
• Show mesh - Display or hide the underlying mesh model.
• NURBS curves - Display or hide the NURBS curves.
• NURBS surfaces - Display NURBS surfaces.
7. After adding regions to the mesh, click Compute surfaces to have the software find curves
suitable for creating the NURBS object.
NURBS Curves Color Coding

The software displays NURBS curves in colors that allow you to identify them for reverse engineering
purposes.
• Orange/red - Unidentified curves. You can export these curves, but the boundaries of the surfaces are
not identified.

• Green - Internal curves that are surrounded by compatible NURBS surfaces after you click Compute
surfaces.
• Yellow - The boundary of the current model. One side of the boundary curve is filled with a surface.

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RevEng 2020 User Guide

FARO TECHNOLOGIES, INC. MAKES NO WARRANTY, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,

IN NO EVENT SHALL FARO TECHNOLOGIES INC. BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR SPECIAL,

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT

FARO RevEng (2020) Page 2 of 69

Chapter 2: Installation and Licensing 11

Chapter 3: Getting Started 19

FARO RevEng (2020) Page 3 of 69

Importing and Exporting Point Cloud Data and Meshes 27

Chapter 4: Home Menu 29

Chapter 5: Capturing Scans 33

Chapter 6: Scan Alignment and Registration 39

Chapter 7: Generating and Editing Meshes 45

Chapter 8: Measuring Meshes 59

FARO RevEng (2020) Page 4 of 69

Chapter 9: Model Tools 61

FARO RevEng (2020) Page 5 of 69

FARO RevEng (2020) Page 6 of 69

l How To Use This Guide below

l Commonly Used Terms on the next page

l About RevEng 2020 on page 9

How To Use This Guide

Indicates command names, directory names, menu

Indicates alphanumeric characters or values you

Indicates that you are initiating an action. For

FARO RevEng (2020) Page 7 of 69

Indicates that you press and release the

Indicates that you press and hold the left mouse

WARNING: A WARNING notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating procedure,

Commonly Used Terms

Face - Flat surface delimited by edges.

FARO RevEng (2020) Page 8 of 69

About RevEng 2020

1. Scan an object to create scan data (or import existing data).

2. Prepare the scans for mesh conversion.

• Edit and clean up the scans (find statistical outliers).

• Transform the data by properly positioning it on the axes.

• Smooth the surfaces of the scans.

• Register/align multiple scans.

3. Generate the mesh model.

4. Edit the mesh model.

• Fill holes in the mesh.

• Decimate (simplify) the mesh.

• Smooth the mesh.

• Transform the mesh’s position, or mirror the mesh.

• Identify and trace curves on the mesh.

• Identify planes on the mesh.

• Adjust the mesh’s offset.

• Fit features such as planes, spheres, cylinders, and cones.

• Align the planes.

• Export the mesh (with or without texture).

5. Generate CAD primitives on a mesh model.

• Fit 3D shapes (planes, cones, cylinders) to the mesh.

• Fit NURBS surfaces to the mesh.

FARO RevEng (2020) Page 9 of 69

FARO RevEng (2020) Page 10 of 69

Chapter 2: Installation and Licensing

This section covers installing and licensing RevEng 2020.

• System Requirements below