Three-dimensional recording of the surface of the human body or of certain
anatomical areas has gained an ever increasing importance in recent years. When
recording vital surfaces, such as the human face, not only a varying degree of
surface complexity has to be accounted for, but also a variety of other factors, such
as motion artefacts. It is of great importance to establish standards for the recording
procedure, which will optimize results and allow for better comparison and validation.
In the study presented here, the faces of five male test persons were scanned in
different experimental settings using non-contact 3D digitizers, type Minolta Vivid
910®. Among others, the influence of the number of scanners used, the angle of
recording, the head position of the test person, the impact of the examiner and of
examination time on accuracy and precision of the virtual face models generated
from the scanner data with specialised software was investigated. Computed data
derived from the virtual models were compared to corresponding reference
measurements carried out manually between defined landmarks on the test persons´
faces. We describe experimental conditions that were of benefit in optimizing the quality of
scanner recording and the reliability of three-dimensional surface imaging. However,
almost 50% of distances between landmarks derived from the virtual models deviated
more than 2 mm from the reference of manual measurements on the volunteers´
faces.
«
Three-dimensional recording of the surface of the human body or of certain
anatomical areas has gained an ever increasing importance in recent years. When
recording vital surfaces, such as the human face, not only a varying degree of
surface complexity has to be accounted for, but also a variety of other factors, such
as motion artefacts. It is of great importance to establish standards for the recording
procedure, which will optimize results and allow for better comparison and validation....
»