3D scanning software that comes with a 3D scanner or probing device is the user interface for controlling the system. Nowadays, it’s standard for this type of software to come with basic post-processing capabilities for cleaning up scans (noise cleanup, hole filling, aligning and merging scans into a 3D model) as in the case of Artec Studio and FlexScan3D.

So that might leave us to wonder:

Why would you need a separate software like Geomagic Wrap for 3D mesh processing and 3D modeling if 3D scanners already have built-in mesh editing capabilities?

3D Scanning Software vs. Geomagic Wrap. What Is The Difference?

While 3D scanning software might include basic post-processing capabilities, Geomagic Wrap excels at providing advanced mesh editing functionalities. It acts as a bridge for transforming any point cloud data from any 3D scanners or probing devices into usable form (3D polygon meshes). The 3D data would be prepared inside Geomagic Wrap for its intended use for various applications from manufacturing, research, engineering, design, entertainment, architecture, and archaeology.

A simple way to understand the difference is it’s similar to why you might opt to use basic video editing software that already comes with your computer like iMovie for Mac. However, if you need more advanced tools then you might want to invest in professional editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro. Similarly, Geomagic Wrap is a master when it comes to mesh editing because it’s a dedicated software specifically for this purpose—all the while making it simple and easy to use.

	Basic Software (General Purpose)	Advanced Software (Dedicated Software)
3D Scanning Software	Artec Studio or FlexScan3D basic mesh editing capabilities	Geomagic Wrap scan, mesh, and surface in minutes
Video Editing Software	iMovie comes with Mac computers	Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro additional video editing features

Whether you need Geomagic Wrap would really depend on your use case so it’s best to consult with a 3D scanning vendor to see if it’s right for you.

Let’s examine 5 reasons why Geomagic Wrap excels as a mesh editing software.

1. Robust mesh processing tools
2. Excels at handling large datasets
3. Inspection tools for deeper analysis
4. Scripting and macro tools automation
5. Create high-quality color 3D models

Geomagic Wrap At A Glance

If you don’t have too much time to go through the entire article, here’s a quick summary of the reasons why you should use Geomagic Wrap for mesh editing and surfacing.

1. Reason #1

   

   Robust Mesh Processing Tools

   Geomagic Wrap consists of high-quality tools that help you do mesh editing with minimal effort, from scan cleanup to various workflows to get your scans into a usable format.

   Workflow: Scan Cleanup

   Gregory George, Application engineer manager Americas for Geomagic, gives a great overview of basic scan cleanup tutorial:

   Workflow: Scan to Print

   Geomagic Wrap also has a Mesh Doctor tool that automatically examines, detects, and corrects errors in the polygon mesh to yield higher-quality, surface-ready polygon models. It avoids the need for time-consuming manual editing to save a lot of time and effort. Here’s a quick tutorial:

   From there, you can create watertight models (no holes in the mesh) if you want to 3D print the object you scanned.

   

   Workflow: Reverse Engineering

   Geomagic Wrap has an abundance of tools to assist you with reverse engineering from scan to design. Most industrial 3D scan data contain complex geometry or a mix of primitive and organic forms. 3D scanners that output these types of STL files need to be converted before using them in certain 3D CAD programs to further speed up the design process.

   Geomagic Wrap translates the information by first cleaning up STL scan files and converting them to 3D CAD surfaces (ie. IGES). The software has multiple ways of converting them to IGES surfaces and is very capable of dealing with these challenges.

   

   One of the main features of Geomagic Wrap is Auto Surfacing. The interface gives you the ability to create a surface body that can envelop the entire geometric shape of a target mesh. It creates a NURBS model with minimal user interaction.

   This feature is especially important when:

   • designing a complex, freeform part
   • creating a mold for manufacturing a freeform shape
   • Analysis of a geometric shape

   

2. Reason #2

   

   Excels at Handling Large Datasets

   

   Long-range 3D scanners’ ability to capture large vast amounts of datasets of a scene, geography, or architecture in a relatively short period of time is truly amazing. When working on a project that involves hundreds, if not thousands, of scans, the challenge becomes, which software would be able to manage the processing of these gigantic files?

   It’s easiest to see for yourself how easy it is to use large scan files in Wrap:

   Geomagic Wrap is especially great when dealing with large datasets for point cloud processing from different sources as illustrated by the work of a team of experts led by Drs. Lori Collins and Travis Doering, researchers at the University of South Florida’s (USF) Libraries and School of Geosciences.

   

   

   University of South Florida Use Geomagic Wrap For Analyzing Sinkhole Survey Data

   Read case study

3. Reason #3

   

   Inspection Tools For Deeper Analysis

   From time to time, it’s always nice to have simple inspection tools to complete mesh and surface based workflows. Inspired by Geomagic Control X 3D inspection software, Geomagic Wrap includes fundamental measuring tools for measuring:

   • linear and angular dimensions
   • radius and diameter of a feature

   The new version of Geomagic Wrap 2021 now includes analysis tools to investigate certain areas on the mesh for 3D comparison.

   It’s a great feature for:

   • Scan-to-surface users: Investigating surface accuracy in detail
   • Mesh processing users: Investigating differences between mesh objects

   

   Applications that would benefit greatly from these analysis tools include:

   • Scientific research and academic studies: archaeology such as bones for comparative analysis
   • Medical: Implant analysis and study for research
   • High precision product design: Surface for simulation, high-accuracy requirements and validation

   While these tools don’t replace Geomagic Control X as an inspection package, it’s always nice to have inspection tools readily available through the scripting interface for complex automation and customization applications.

4. Reason #4

   

   Scripting and Macro Tools Automation

   Sometimes, 3D scanning is not the most glorious job when it comes to doing the same labor-intensive post-processing tasks over and over again. This is especially true for 3D scanning projects when you have to scan similar objects (such as artifacts) in large quantities and you have to repeat the task of post-processing again and again for each scanned object.

   What’s great about Geomagic Wrap is that it includes a variety of scripting and macro tools so you can create custom workflows to automate the digitizing and post-processing process. This makes work much more streamlined and efficient.

   Macros

   With Geomagic Wrap, you can use macros to record, manipulate, and replay sequences of actions for scan processing and enhanced macro documentation to speed up your everyday workflows. You can use it for small or large-scale automation or customized projects.

   

   Scripting

   Geomagic Wrap is the only mesh editing software that includes scripting automation. This automation feature is more formal and is typically used by more advanced users. The mesh editing software supports the Python® scripting language. This can include mesh processing, mesh modeling, scan to autosurface, hole filling, mesh doctor, and surfacing.

   What this means is that you can fully automate your routine:

   • Scan
   • Import file to Geomagic Wrap
   • Automate mesh processing specifically to how you would like it

5. Reason #5

   

   Create High-Quality Color 3D Models

   For 3D visualization or CGI applications, most users who need color and texture information on their scan objects typically need to take the scan data into their design or rendering programs (PhotoShop, KeyShot, Autodesk® Maya®, Autodesk 3ds Max®, and other 3D computer animation software). An additional software is normally needed to edit and re-touch these files before manipulating surface textures.

   

   This is where Geomagic Wrap comes in. It has a set of robust texture map manipulation tools to handle complex geometries directly inside the software to streamline the workflow and get you high-quality color texture 3D models before importing to your favorite software.

   Geomagic Wrap can apply texture mapping onto 3D scan data using high-resolution 2D photography (known as UV mapping). This enhanced UV Texture Map creation feature gives users full control over how the UV layout is defined.

We only covered a high-level overview of the features to Geomagic Wrap. If you are interested in learning more about how Geomagic Wrap will transform the way you work, please contact us and we’ll be happy to give you an interactive tour with one of our 3D scanning specialists right on your computer.

Interested in learning how Geomagic Wrap will transform the way you work?