Hosting 3d scans on TW?

I'm reaching out to share an exciting proposal that could significantly enhance our experience as Toyota Tacoma enthusiasts. It involves the world of 3D scanning and its potential to transform how we design, customize, and share parts for our beloved Tacomas.

**1. The Proposal: Community-Driven 3D Scanning Initiative**

My idea is to allow and encourage the sharing of 3D scanned parts for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Gen Tacomas on our forum. This initiative would involve community members scanning various parts of their trucks and uploading these scans for others to use as a reference for designing custom parts.

**2. The Benefits: Unleashing Creative Potential**

- **Customization at Our Fingertips:** This initiative will enable us to create highly accurate and Tacoma-specific parts, whether for restoration, modification, or enhancement.
- **Cost-Effective and Accessible:** With tools like SendCutSend and home 3D printers, producing these parts becomes more affordable and accessible to all community members.
- **Knowledge Sharing:** This will foster a deeper level of collaboration and knowledge exchange within our community, as we can learn from each other’s designs and modifications.

**3. Why TacomaWorld?**

- **Perfect Platform:** TacomaWorld is already a hub for sharing ideas, advice, and experiences. Incorporating 3D scans would be a natural extension of the forum's ethos.
- **Safety and Quality Control:** By hosting these files on TacomaWorld, we can ensure a level of quality control and safety, avoiding the risks associated with random downloads from the internet.

**4. Call to Action: Let’s Innovate Together**

I propose we start a dedicated thread or section for these 3D scans. Moderators, your support in this would be invaluable for ensuring proper guidelines and organization.

**5. Your Voice Matters**

I encourage all members to share their thoughts on this idea. Your feedback, concerns, and suggestions are crucial to shaping this into a successful community-driven initiative.

 

@Pinatacoma @Juisebocks @3pooches @SR-71A @BamBeds @Squirt @ayoung
@BamBeds

 

Don't have a Taco anymore

 

As I mentioned in the other recent thread, I have CAD skills that can be used to clean up inevitably "dirty" scans. I've considered getting a scanner, but they aren't quite in the "toy" price range for me yet for the resolution I'd be expecting.

For what it's worth, I also have a fairly new large format 3D printer that I'm just getting to know.

I've been learning about photogrammetry and the associated software as well. This might work for some parts or specific limited areas that can be photographed from multiple angles.

 

Sounds really cool.

 

Wait, you're asking for my help with something?

Risky, but I'm in.

I don't have a scanner that I can use, but I've actually been pricing them this last month. I'm willing to help how I can, though. I'm a competent draftsman when I'm not memeing.

Either use a 3D scanner(preferred method) to produce 2D drawings or 3D models of different parts of the truck. Hopefully, we'll have solid-body model files and not just mesh bodies... hopefully... Probably. I just got here, so I only know what I prefer.

If I am being honest, all the domestic auto companies do it right. They offer offer 3D models of their vehicles and parts via a service for aftermarket companies to design their own junk. Toyota doesn't do this AFAIK.

A file database of commonly configurable areas inside and outside of our trucks would make a lot of people happy. And maybe some people get upsetty-spaghetti that these will be available, but it'll be a big boon to the idiots like me who like to do things their own harder, less efficient way.

 

I'd say we should avoid photgrammetry if possible. I'm all for using models made this way, just so long as I don't have to spend hours cleaning something I could have drawn.

 

@sicki

 

I've seen some very impressive meshes being created this way. Certainly not usable as is, but for some things it might work for creating a reference for the solid model.

If it works, the best part is that just about anyone can do it with the hardware they already have.

I'm fairly certain that even with 3D laser scanning there's still a fair amount of back end work to make models that other manufactured parts can be made from. Doing this from scratch with only linear measuring tools is almost impossible for complex curved and non-planar features, but having an accurate point cloud as a guide makes it much easier and faster.

Like I said, I'm willing to put some time into it. I just need others to send me raw data.

 

Yeah, and converting a bad mesh to a solid body isn't hard. I just don't want to do it lol

I think having the final files in a variety of formats is good too. I just don't like working with mesh bodies

 

Yes, solids are absolutely the way to go in most cases, but there's an argument for surface bodies for some things that can't (or don't need to be) dimensionally accurate from all sides. It's easy to use a surface to make a solid if needed.

What is to be avoided is expecting that a scanned point cloud of a flat or curved surface is going to be geometrically perfect, as it would be modeling it as a solid. I think it's still useful to have these as part of a collection, but only as the starting point for other cleaner models.

 

GitHub seems like a good place to host and manage such a collection.

 

I agree with you as I'd take a relatively accurately modeled .STL over not having any data at all. Flat stuff is fine in mesh, I usually just draw a sketch on a plane over a .jpg when I'm being lazy anyway.

I'm looking into photogrammetry apps now so that we have something to recommend if anybody wants to try their hand at that wizardry. I've seen some amazing models made with the technique. It's just that from my personal experience and understanding, the good "scans" are usually done on smaller items using a turntable and static stand for the phone. It'll be the more difficult method to get clean models, but maybe a more accessible platform is good for what we're doing here?

 

I was just thinking about how to manage revisions and edits. GitHub is a good idea. We could easily take advantage of their changelog. I don't think we'll be able to get everybody on the same CAD platform to use those baked in systems.

 

I model in Solidworks or I don't model at all. I've used a variety of CAD flavors from less than free to stupidly expensive, and hands down the interface on Solidworks provides the best user interface for fast and intuitive modelling... In my most humble opinion.

That said, I don't expect others to use Solidworks files. There is a very steep learning curve and it is not free software, but most of all other people have their own very humble opinions about which software is best.

STEP files are probably the best to target for distribution and to build other parts from. STEP can contain meshes (as you would get with STL) but not the other way around.

 

Who doesn't like Solidworks?

It wouldn't be right to use my work's licenses for personal stuff and it's hard to justify paying for a commercial seat with any of the industry standard choices. So I've been playing with the free versions of some the usual suspects until I have a reason to bring money into the equation. Although I hate server based storage, some of these don't suck.

 

Maybe my next Christmas present to myself... Or something even better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNpmpQmFLzo

 

I looked at that one, it has very mixed reviews and seems as susceptible to user movement as the rest.

It looks like the Einscan Einstar seems to be the low end of what I'd consider acceptable.