If your subject is a person, it is important to make sure your subject is prepared. The subject should:-

• remove their spectacles or sun glasses if necessary. It is not possible for the scanner to produce a good model from a subject wearing glasses.
• Avoid wearing heavy or very glossy makeup. This can give severe reflections causing a malformed model.
• Ensure that their hair is held back off their face. Even a few stray hairs can have a major effect on the resulting model.

Other subjects do not require any specific preparation.

Choose a convenient venue which provides sufficient bright and even lighting with a neutral background. That is, a background which is not highly coloured or very dark or bright.

If you are taking the photographs outside avoid, direct sunlight on the subject. Instead, have your subject stand in full shade. Take care to avoid dappled shade, where the shade has patches of both full sun and shade. Dappled shade will not produce a good 3D model. On a cloudy day your subject can stand out in the open.

You should also be careful of the light intensity. Your subjects need to remove their sunglasses (or spectacles) and many people have problems keeping a good facial expression in very bright light without sunglasses.

If you are taking the photographs inside then you will need to take greater care with providing sufficient light. A room with several bright fluorescent lights is often a good choice. Otherwise you will need to provide multiple lights to shine directly on to the subject. Standard desk lamps are often suitable, particularly if they are of the fluorescent type.

If you cannot get sufficiently bright lights and you are working with inanimate subjects then you may be able to use the camera flash. This will work, provided the flash does not create reflections from the subject. Unfortunately the flash cannot be used with animals, including humans, as a flash will cause the eyes to react and possibly make the subject blink, giving a defective 3D model. Such effects of camera flash may be minimized by using two cameras and taking near simultaneous photographs (See below). However the flashes of the two cameras can interfere with each other.

Wherever you take the photographs, be careful with the background around the subject. A strong coloured background may affect the colour balance of the camera. In the same way a very dark or light background will upset the exposure value of the camera, giving a light or dark image of the subject itself.

It is important to set the camera appropriately. Setting the camera on fully Automatic Mode is usually sufficient. Otherwise Portrait Mode is useful or Macro Mode for making close up models of small subjects. When setting the camera be careful with the closest focusing distance of the camera since the photos should be in focus over the entire subject. (Refer to your camera manual for further information)

You will need to set the following camera settings :-

• Camera Flash

  If you are not using flash it is better to turn it off even in bright light. Otherwise it might still operate in some situations. To turn off the flash you need to use the camera control usually indicated by a zig-zag arrow as shown opposite. Most cameras indicate that the flash is turned off by displaying the icon shown. Otherwise you will need to consult the camera manual.

• Camera Zoom

  The best 3D models are obtained when the camera zoom is set to give a view of the subject which almost fills the picture frame as shown in the centre image opposite. If too large, obviously parts of the subject will not appear in the model. Too small and the model becomes less accurate. If the subject appears against a non-uniform background then The Scanner may have a problem with matching the images and producing a reasonable 3D model.

• Colour Balance

  Most modern digital cameras will automatically adjust the Colour Balance if set to an Automatic Mode. However if yours doesn't or you have it set to a Manual Mode, you may need to the Colour Balance yourself. This is especially important if you are using tungsten light bulbs for illumination. (Please consult your camera manual for further information).

Once you have the camera set correctly and the lighting is good all you have to do is take the photographs. There are three methods from which to choose depending upon your subject. All are described below.

With One Camera

If your subject is a person who can keep very still, or the subject is inanimate, then using one hand held camera works well. (Mounting the camera on a tripod is usually not advisable since it can be difficult to move sideways to take the second photograph.)

With Two Cameras

This method can be used with any subject, but is especially useful if your subject can move. The two cameras can take almost simultaneous exposures minimizing any movement. The cameras need to be mounted in some way; ideally mounted on a dual camera mount.

With One Camera and a Turntable

A turntable can be used for inanimate subjects which can fit onto the turntable. It is especially useful for tiny subjects. It ensures good separation between the two stereo views of the subject. It is much easier to use when making models of many subjects. Only one camera is required.

The single camera method requires you to take two photographs in quick succession, moving the camera by one tenth of the distance from the camera to the subject, between the two photographs.

If the subject is a person, remind them to stay as still as possible until after the second photograph. Ask them to look at a stationary point while you take the photographs. They should NOT look at the camera or the photographer.

Take the first photograph, then quickly move sideways and take the second photograph. The amount by which you should move should be one tenth of the distance from the camera to the subject. Alternatively the distance from camera to subject should be ten times the distance moved sideways between photographs.

The two camera method requires you to use two different cameras to take two photographs of your subject. This methods is ideal for subjects that are likely to move, as it allows you to take two simultaneous photographs, thereby reducing the opportunity for the subject to move between the two photos. Another advantage is that you can ensure the distance between the cameras is optimum. However you do require mounting for the two cameras.

The simplest 'mount' is to place the two cameras side by side on a flat surface such as a wooden board.

It is possible to use two tripods, though it may be difficult to set the two cameras sufficiently close to give a reasonable separation.

The best mount is a dual camera mount. A suitable dual camera mount can be quite simple; a bar of wood, metal or plastic upon which both cameras can be mounted and which in turn can be mounted on a tripod.

In each case adjust the camera settings as required and ensure both are pointing directly at the subject. That means that the cameras are angled slightly in toward each other.

When you are ready to take the photographs. if the subject is a person, remind them to stay still. Then press the shutter control button on both cameras at the same time. The aim is to have both shutters operate simultaneously. If you have problems with camera shake or camera movement, use the timer (or shutter delay) setting on each camera, to allow the cameras to stop vibrating before the photograph is taken. In any case you may need to practice to get close to simultaneous shutter operation.

Also note that using two cameras with flash sometimes results in the flash of one interfering with the exposure of the other.

The advantages of using a turntable are, ease of taking suitable pairs of stereo photographs, ensuring the distance between the cameras is optimum, and taking suitable photographs of very small subjects. However this is only suitable for subjects small enough to fit onto your turntable.

With a turntable you do not need to worry about the distance between camera positions since the single camera stays put. The stereo effect is obtained by rotating the subject. The optimum stereo separation is obtained with a rotation of about 6 degrees. If you are using the Scanetica cardboard turntable then this value is obtained by using the markings on the turntable.

To take the photographs using a turntable :-

• If you are using the Scanetica turntable, set the turntable top so that the line marked 'centre' on the base is aligned with marker A (Left Image opposite). Otherwise note the position of your turntable.
• Take the first photograph.
• Carefully turn the turntable from mark A to mark B if using the Scanetica turntable (Right Image opposite) or through 6 degrees if using another type of turntable.
• Take the second photograph.

Note that speed is not necessary. It is important to be careful when moving the turntable not to disturb the subject. If necessary you can use the camera flash with this method.

Once you have taken your stereo photographs you need to download the images to your computer. It is possible to do this in two ways with most cameras; either directly via a cable, or indirectly from the memory card using a card reader.

USB Cable

Most digital cameras are supplied with a USB cable. To use the cable supplied with the camera, you need to plug the cable into the camera (shown opposite) and the other end into a standard USB port on your computer (also shown opposite). You can use either software supplied with the camera or Windows Explorer to copy and paste the images from the camera to a suitable folder on your computer.

Card Reader

Alternatively, you can remove the card from the camera and use a card reader connected to your computer. If you do not know how to remove the card from your camera you will have to consult the user manual for the camera. Once you have the card you can simply plug it into the card reader. Some computers have inbuilt cardreaders (such as the one shown opposite), while others require an external reader. Once inserted into the reader, you should use Windows Explorer to copy and paste the images from the card to a suitable folder on your computer.