Car museum preserves automotive history with 3D scanning

When restoring classic cars, you want to gather as much data about the original vehicle as possible before deciding which approach to take. This can be time-consuming and tedious if done with traditional manual tools. No surprise that a US car museum turned to 3D scanning.

Revs Institute, based in Florida, US, is dedicated to preserving and restoring historic automobiles from the early 1900s. The museum houses rare and valuable vehicles that represent the pinnacle of automotive engineering and design.

3D scanning enables the Revs Institute to digitise the car collection. They gather millions of data points about the vehicles with a scanner and use that data to create CAD models in Geomagic Design X, as well as extract measurements required for restoration, conservation, and preservation decisions.

To ensure they optimised their workflow, they called on 3D scanning specialist NeoMetrix Technology.

One such vehicle is the 1943 MGk3 Magnette, an epic automobile that the Revs Institute sought to replicate exactly. The vehicle was originally designed by hand, so there was no data available to define its current shape. The Revs Institute used a third-party 3D scanner to capture the entire body of the MGk3 Magnette in high detail and accuracy.

The scan data was taken into Geomagic Design X for reverse engineering. A complete CAD model was generated using both traditional and new modelling techniques. With help from Neometrix Technologies, the Revs Institute streamlined the measurement process.

This is just one example of how Revs Institute are utilising the latest technological advancements to ensure that future generations will have the opportunity to appreciate and learn from leading examples of automotive engineering and design. The Institute’s collection of rare and valuable vehicles continues to be an important resource for automotive enthusiasts and historians alike.

Read the original story on Neometrix’s website.