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Virgina Tech Magazine Spring 2003
3-D technology re-creates the past and present
As Michael Raphael (engineering science and mechanics '85) can testify, necessity is the mother of invention. While working on a project at an aerospace company in Baltimore, Raphael and his co-workers were designing in three dimensions without the tools to do so properly--because none existed. They ended up converting a medical implement into a 3-D modeling device that allowed them to measure accurately in x, y, and z space. Raphael was intrigued by the work and in 1995 formed Direct Dimensions, Inc. to provide engineering services using the device.
"The articulating arm looks like your arm, with a 'shoulder,' a 'wrist,' and an 'elbow,' " he explains. "It's very portable, generally four feet long, and you move it manually, like an arm. It knows where it is in 3-D space." A laser scanner attached to the end collects data from complex structures. That data can be used for reverse engineering--taking an existing object back to the "design" stage--and allows for fast, relatively inexpensive production of computer models.
"It's exciting work," Raphael says. "We get to do a lot of different types of projects." Currently, the company is working with the Israeli Navy to help keep its propellers in optimal shape. Direct Dimensions has also measured and analyzed a wide range of structures, from cars and airplanes to statues and monuments. But the modeling work is not limited to inanimate objects--the company also scans people, creating 3-D figures that can be used to make busts or even design a character in a video game.
Raphael is also involved in The Wright Experience's re-creation of Wilbur and Orville Wright's historic first flight (winter 2003 issue of Virginia Tech Magazine, page 24). Direct Dimensions has scanned propellers and smaller engine parts from the Wright Brothers' 1903-1911 planes. One project for which the company has received national attention is its work in scanning and measuring a large portion of the Lincoln Memorial, a project Raphael proposed to the U.S. Park Service a few years ago. Park service officials did not become interested until after Sept. 11, when they realized that no sufficient data existed that would allow them to rebuild the memorial if it were hit in a terrorist attack. With the data provided by Direct Dimensions, they now can construct an exact reproduction. "We hope it's never necessary to use this," Raphael says soberly, "but if it is, we have 'Abe' in our computer in full 3-D." For more information, go to http://www.directdimensions.com.canning and measuring a large portion of the Lincoln Memorial, a project Raphael proposed to the U.S. Park Service a few years ago. Park service officials did not become interested until after Sept. 11, when they realized that no sufficient data existed that would allow them to rebuild the memorial if it were hit in a terrorist attack. With the data provided by Direct Dimensions, they now can construct an exact reproduction. "We hope it's never necessary to use this," Raphael says soberly, "but if it is, we have 'Abe' in our computer in full 3-D." For more information, go to http://www.directdimensions.com.
