Cars have become a common way to get around in modern society and are gradually becoming a part of people's lives. As demand increases, expectations are also changing. Car manufacturers improve their vehicles according to these changing requirements, using 3D scanning technology to capture the overall shape of the car. By ditching traditional measurement methods, they speed up design improvements, create better-looking cars, and boost their competitiveness in the market.

Cars are huge and have lots of uneven surfaces and big curves, plus the shiny parts need special treatment. Scanning the whole car is a major job and can be tricky. Traditional measurement methods don’t collect dense enough data, so they can’t measure curves precisely. On top of that, because the cars are big, scanning takes a lot of time and effort, the data isn’t very accurate, and it’s tough to get the job done quickly and precisely.

On-site photo of a full car 3D scan

The vehicle is large, so scanning it can be a bit tricky. We used the handheld 3D scanner HOLONB71 along with the HL-3DP 3D photogrammetry system. First, we did some prep work—spraying a developer to increase contrast, then sticking on markers and coded points. Next, the 3D photogrammetry system took multiple images of the car. The software automatically combined these images and calculated the 3D coordinates of each coded point’s center. We then imported the car’s surface 3D coordinate data into the scanning system and used the handheld 3D scanner HOLONB71 to quickly get high-precision 3D data. It scans fast, with high accuracy and strong stability.  

Using the 3D photogrammetry system together with the 3D scanner improved the overall point cloud stitching accuracy, shortened the working time, boosted efficiency, and produced more precise scans. After importing the data into 3D software for processing and analysis, we were able to solve the client’s problem and provide accurate data for them to use in their later design improvements.

3D scan data image of the whole car（1）3D scan data image of the whole car（2）3D scan data image of the whole car（3）