Week 8: First Impressions of MeshLab

This week, I finally started to take a look at the MeshLab program. This blog post is going to catalog some of the first things I noticed.

One of the most striking things, that make it different from Artec Studio 11, is the fact that the files don't carry color information. This is how one of the wound models looked when I first uploaded it. 

 

The ring around the model allows me to rotate it in all directions. It is actually more versatile than the model on Artec Studio 11. 

Another nice thing about this program is the many options it offers. For example, I am able to add a 3D coordinate axis to the model, as shown below.

 

 Once I get more familiar with how to take measurements, I'm sure the axes will come in handy. 

I can also use the measuring tape tool to take an approximation of the wound length and width. However, this is not very useful when trying to assess depth since I can't draw an accurate line from the surface of the wound to the bottom. 

The two numbers in the left corner gave numerical values to the length of the yellow lines. However, these are arbitrary units used by the program. A scan of a door would be reduced to the same size as that of a mouse. One of the next things I have to do is convert these arbitrary units to real measurements. 

It has definitely been a challenge to navigate another new program. Next week, I'll look up some tutorials to figure out all the features MeshLab has to offer.