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Photogrammetry 3D scanner for footwear

A machine that photographs a shoe from every angle – including the sole – for 3D reconstruction. From the lessons of the first prototype to a concept design with three automation levels, data sheets, cost estimate and a fixed-price quotation.

Client

3D / AR technology company, EU

Scope

Concept design, variants, cost estimate, quotation

Tools

SolidWorks · animations · calculations

Status

Concept complete, prototype in preparation

The challenge

The shoe must not move a millimetre

Gaussian-splatting reconstruction needs a complete, repeatable set of photographs from all sides – top, sides and underneath the sole. The first prototype showed where the problems were: the object moved during the scan, holders covered parts of the shoe, and imaging conditions depended on the room.

The task: hold the shoe so that nothing is hidden and no marks are left, move the cameras instead of the object, and make every position repeatable.

Pins close onto the shoe, contact force shown on the tablet — Pins approach the shoe; contact force is shown live on the tablet.

The solution

The object stands still, the cameras move

A closed light chamber with an arm carrying seven cameras around a shoe held on four thin pins. Every key decision was made to remove a risk seen on the prototype.

Chamber 1 500 × 1 500 × 1 500 mm from aluminium profiles, door across the whole front – controlled imaging conditions independent of the room
4 pins Ø4 mm with spring-loaded sleeves, two into the sole from below and two from above – no clamps, nothing covers the upper or the sole
Motorised Z-axes with a force sensor stop at a 5 N contact force and keep the shoe still for the whole scan
Arm with 7 cameras rotates 180° each way instead of 360° – no slip ring, the most expensive and most sensitive component, and no cable twisting
Adjustable camera mounts (radial and tilt) and guided cable management, ready for the client’s own cameras
Operation from a tablet web application; E-stop, door safety switch and motion interlock

Operating cycle animation: pin spacing → closing the pins → scan ±180°.

Three automation levels

Start simple, upgrade without waste

Same chamber, same arm, same cameras – only the lower holder differs. The client can start with the simplest variant and upgrade once the need is proven.

C1 Semi-Auto – motorised upper axis, pin spacing set by hand.
C2 Full-Auto – both axes approach automatically with force control.
C3 Full-Auto+ – an electric gripper sets the pin spacing entered on the tablet.

Key figures

Design targets

7cameras on an arc of −48° … +48°

5 Ncontact force, adjustable 3–10 N

±0,5°target arm repeatability

5 → 2 mintarget cycle per shoe, C1 → C3

Honest about targets. The machine is a one-off, so all performance values are design targets from the 3D model, calculations and component catalogues. That is why measurable acceptance criteria (holding force, marks on the shoe, repeatability, 50 consecutive cycles, lighting uniformity, safety functions) were agreed up front and are verified at the factory acceptance test.

What we delivered

Everything needed to decide

The client got a complete picture before talking terms: what the machine does, how each variant differs, what it costs and what “it works” means.

3D model of all three variants (SolidWorks, STEP)
Data sheets per variant with acceptance criteria
Cost estimate by subsystem with transparent material prices
Fixed-price quotation by packages, schedule and terms
Workflow animations for each variant

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