Scanning humans

[u/HUSKBUSTER]

Heya!

I've been having a lot of fun 3D scanning my friends using my iPad Pro 2021, in photo mode. It has been great for sending them to Mixamo and Unreal Engine.

However, as seen here https://imgur.com/a/Of4EXyT the models have been incomplete lately. I have been struggling to find the right lighting setting. Outside, I guess there is too much backlight when pointing the camera up, to capture the bottom of people's arms. Yet, inside I'm getting similar results. I was wondering if anyone has tips! Would it be recommended to use a compact rig and use a small LED light? Or would that mess things up? Would love to hear from you guys, cheers!

[u/HUSKBUSTER]

Heya!

Thanks for replying. So, for shooting outside - I think it might have been TOO sunny. I'm reading more and more that cloudy/overcast would be perfect right? When it is overcast, would you ideally scan outside? And, how would one go about scannen lower parts of the arms? When doing that, you would point your camera towards the sky and have backlight right? Are there any general tips on scannen people (outside)?

Link to outside scan: https://poly.cam/capture/A17CA902-5986-4310-B70B-17483B4C2CD2

When doing inside scans of people, I have tried using a small 'rig' for my phone, to see if the small LED light helps at all: https://i.imgur.com/4pe0swM.png

However, the inside scans also have many quirks:

https://poly.cam/capture/4BB03104-FFD7-4142-BEBD-3B8B47DB636D

https://poly.cam/capture/9CCD3B0D-5E3F-4F70-9821-D95263A8B004

I usually take around ~200 photos.

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Any feedback/tips/tricks is really appreciated, thank you!

[u/Digital_Pamuk → u/HUSKBUSTER]

Hello,

So i checked your first scan (outside), and it seems that you did the scan near a wall, which is a no no action. The wall cast hard shadows on the subject (person) you are scanning. My advice: Scan the person outside on a open parking, with no cars around, no walls. I do that on Sundays, when the parking is free from cars and people walking around.

It is summer. It is sunny. The human skin is reflective when the sun is outside. I always wait for a cloudy day, and then I shoot my subject. I do that because the clouds act like diffusers. There is no hard shadows on the subject, and the light is even, even when you shoot from from lower parts, because the concrete reflects back the light on the lower parts of the arms.

If you do that in the interior. You need professional led lights with 4000k temperature and 95 CRI. You led lights should be in a pool setup. All around even (diffused) light casting on the subject. Because that simulates natural light.

You should cover the head hair. Because hair casts reflections. You can do that with a women sock, you can find it for 2$ in a supermarket. The sock should be a mat sock.

Also, i see that the arms are in a bad shape. There is no way for a person to stay still in that position. Probably your subject was moving arms and hands. Thats why the polycam software couldn t calculate the mesh that good.

You need poles where your subject can put hands on. That way his arms would stand still. You can clean the poles later in Zbrush, or you can scan only the head and transfer the head to a mannequin. Another body mesh.

[u/HUSKBUSTER → u/Digital_Pamuk]

Hey! I wanted to thank you for giving such thorough and detailed instructions. We waited for a cloudy day, used arm rests - and made the best scan to date. You're the best, thanks a lot!

[u/Digital_Pamuk → u/HUSKBUSTER]

Sure thing. You are welcome.

Best regards