Scanning Pipeline - End-to-End 3D Data Acquisition

What We Deliver

Raw, cinema-quality 3D data — geometry, textures, and reference — structured and named for direct ingestion into your studio pipeline. We capture the data, you process it. No black-box meshes, no proprietary formats. Every deliverable includes calibration references, color charts, scale markers, and full metadata so your artists can pick up exactly where our cameras left off.

Equipment

60-Camera Photogrammetry Rig — Sony a6000 bodies in a custom-built array. Simultaneous capture freezes the subject in a single instant: no motion blur, no drift. Configurable for full-body (crowd digitization in 1–2 seconds per subject) or head-only mode (high-resolution FACS facial capture, 10 expressions in under 20 minutes per actor).

Sony A7R IV (61 MP) — Dedicated to cross-polarized texture and look-development reference photography. Paired with circular polarizing filters on lens and Rosco polarizing gels on lights, it separates diffuse albedo from specular response — giving your texture artists clean, lighting-independent color data.

Faro Orbis Mobile Scanner — LiDAR-based spatial capture for environments, interiors, and large-scale set documentation. Millimeter-accurate point clouds with registered color, exportable as E57 or LAS for downstream processing in RealityCapture, Meshroom, or CloudCompare.

Cross-Polarization Lighting Kit — Softbox lights at 6500K daylight temperature with Rosco polarizing filters. Combined with CPL filters on the camera lens, this setup enables parallel-polarized and cross-polarized bracketed capture for separating material properties.

Capture Modes

Props & Set Pieces

Structured light or photogrammetry depending on scale and material. Small to mid-size objects are captured on turntable with controlled lighting, cross-polarized brackets for albedo extraction, and Macbeth color chart in every setup. For each prop we deliver:

• Full orbit RAW photo sets (multiple heights, every angle)
• Cross-polarized brackets (parallel + cross for specular/diffuse separation)
• Scale reference and color calibration in frame
• Slate with asset ID, date, location, photographer

Camera settings follow VFX-industry standard practice: RAW format, manual exposure, f/8 minimum aperture for depth of field, ISO kept below 400, fixed white balance, prime lenses (no wider than 24mm to avoid solve degradation).

Full-Body & Crowd Digitization

The 60-camera rig captures a full 360° in a single synchronized shutter release. Extras step in, hold a scan pose for two seconds, step out. Throughput: 30–50 subjects per day without disrupting the shooting schedule.

Each subject is captured in costume and makeup as they appear on set. Delivered data includes the full photo set from all 60 cameras with calibration, ready for your photogrammetry software of choice.

Facial Capture (FACS)

Head-only rig configuration for lead actors. We capture a standard FACS expression set — typically 10 poses per actor including neutral, brow raises, squints, jaw open, lip funneler, and asymmetric expressions. Session time: approximately 20 minutes per actor.

Texture reference photography is shot first (clean skin, no markers), then alignment dots are placed for facial region tracking if required by your pipeline.

Environment & Set Survey

Faro Orbis for spatial geometry, combined with photogrammetry passes for texture detail. The scanner captures full-color point clouds that integrate with on-set survey data. For exterior locations we combine ground-level photogrammetry with aerial coverage where site conditions allow.

Deliverables include registered point clouds, survey control points, and photographic documentation of the full environment.

Texture & Look-Development Reference

Dedicated capture sessions with the Sony A7R IV in cross-polarization setup. We follow industry-standard procedures:

• 3-shot bracketed exposures at 2-stop intervals for HDR coverage
• Parallel-polarized pass (specular + diffuse) and cross-polarized pass (diffuse only)
• Macbeth ColorChecker and grey/chrome reference spheres in every lighting setup
• 360° rotation on turntable in consistent increments
• Close-up detail passes for surface variation and material transitions

All images delivered in RAW (ARW) with Adobe RGB color space, manual white balance locked per setup.

HDRI Capture

On-set HDRI acquisition for CG lighting reference. Captured with bracketed exposures at multiple stops to cover the full dynamic range of the lighting environment. Delivered as stitched 360° HDR maps ready for your lighting department.

Reference chrome and grey spheres photographed in-situ document the actual lighting conditions for each setup.

On-Set Protocol

When we deploy to a production set, we follow a structured data acquisition protocol aligned with industry standards:

Before the shoot — We coordinate with the VFX supervisor and 1st AD to schedule scan windows that don't conflict with camera. Equipment is pre-rigged and tested.

During capture — Every scan session begins with a slate (date, scene, asset ID, operator) and calibration reference (Macbeth chart, scale marker). Objects remain static throughout capture. Lighting is diffuse and consistent — we use controlled setups or take advantage of overcast natural light. No mixed color temperatures.

Quality control — Spot checks on set: focus verification, histogram review, coverage completeness. Issues are caught and re-shot immediately, not discovered in post.

Data management — Cards are ingested on-site, checksummed, and backed up to redundant drives before leaving location. Folder structure is locked before the first shot.

Delivery Structure

All data is organized in a consistent folder hierarchy designed for pipeline ingestion:

[YYMMDD]_[ProjectCode]/
  assets/
    [YYYY_MM_DD]/
      character/
        [CharacterName_ActorName]/
          photogram/        ← RAW photo sets
          IdevScene/        ← Look-dev reference
      crowd/
        [SubjectID]/
          photogram/
      prop/
        [PropName]/
          photogram/
          cross_polarized/

Naming convention: [AssetType]_[Name]_[CaptureType]_[RigID]_tk[Take] Example: Tell_ClaesBang_Body_Apple61_tk1

Every delivery includes a manifest documenting capture parameters, equipment used, and any notes relevant to processing.

What We Don't Do

We deliver raw data, not finished assets. We don't retopologize, rig, or texture — that's your team's domain and we respect the pipeline boundary. What we guarantee is that the data arriving at your studio is complete, correctly exposed, properly calibrated, and structured so your artists can start working immediately without chasing missing frames or decoding mystery folder names.

Software-Driven Scanning

We're not just a scanning crew — we're a software house with over a decade of custom 3D development. If your pipeline needs a specific export format, a batch-processing tool for hundreds of scans, or a custom integration between our capture rigs and your asset management system, we build it. If there's a step in the workflow that can be automated, we automate it. If there's a tool that doesn't exist yet, we create it.

This means we can adapt to your pipeline rather than the other way around. Custom naming scripts, automated QC checks, metadata injection, format conversion pipelines — whatever your production requires to reduce friction between our raw data and your artists' screens.

Proven at Scale

Our pipeline has been validated on a major international film production: approximately 400 props scanned with structured light and cross-polarized reference photography, 400 extras digitized for crowd replication, and full FACS facial capture for lead actors. All data delivered as organized raw packages — geometry references, high-resolution textures, metadata, and calibration documentation. Zero reshoots required, zero disruptions to the production schedule.

Get in Touch

Planning a production that needs scanning? Tell us your scale, timeline, and what your pipeline expects — we'll tell you exactly what we can deliver and when.