Scantech Helps 3D Scan an 8-meter and 190-million-year-old Dinosaur Fossil

HANGZHOU, China, Oct. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A skeleton of a dinosaur from the early Jurassic period was discovered in Lufeng, Yunnan Province, China. Its excavation has been reported by CCTV in its 7-day live broadcast "Return to the Jurassic Period-Yunnan Lufeng Dinosaur Fossil Scientific Excavation". Scantech (www.3d-scantech.com/) was honored to be invited to participate in the digital 3D scanning and restoration of the dinosaur.

With 3D scanner TrackScan, we captured the textures and 3D data of dinosaur fossils precisely. A fossil model was then created for exhibition at COP15 thanks to 3D modeling and printing.

3D scanning helps interpret the ancient history

Scantech helped archaeologists accurately obtain 3D data of Lufengosaurus and restore it digitally.

We were confronted with different challenges?

- The changing lighting conditions outdoors especially strong sunlight causes problems like overexposure.
- The bony structure of this 8-meter dinosaur is damaged which results in numerous textures after hundreds of millions of years of weathering.
- It is required that operations cannot cause any damage to the fossils.

A technician brought our independently-developed TrackScan 3D system to the excavation site and performed on-site 3D scanning. Thanks to automatic and intelligent optical tracking and non-contact measurement, we helped 3D scan the fossils without sticking markers.

With a scanning rate of up to 1.9 million MPS, we obtained the whole 3D data of dinosaur fossils quickly. All the intricate details of the dinosaur fossils were captured at an accuracy of 0.025mm. Our technician also scanned multiple dinosaur fossils of the same genus that had been excavated before to model the missing bones.

3D scanning and printing bring lufengosaurus back to life digitally

It is the first time that 3D scanning and printing have been adopted in China for dinosaur excavation. The data we captured was then converted into a 3D model so that we can appreciate the original appearance of the dinosaur.

Interpret ancient mystery for building a shared future

Dinosaur fossils enable us to explore the past, present, and future of the evolution on earth. Scantech would explore more unexpected mysteries with you to write a new chapter in the era of digitization.

For more cases about biological conservation and archaeological studies, please read:

Cultural Heritage Protection by 3D Technologies 
Being an Animal Protector by 3D Technologies 
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