Trilumen 

Trilumen’s unique 3D scanning technology was originally developed at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab (APL). For more information on the research behind the technology see the JHU Cuneiform website.

Originally developed to address specific issues presented by cuneiform tablets, the Three Dimensional Scanning System acquires the shape, color and reflectance of items and compiles these characteristics into complete 3D objects. The system translated scanned objects into digital data that is capable of being saved, copied, shared and manipulated with suitable rendering software. With the resulting image, users could have unlimited access to the most rare, fragile, expensive and protected objects. They would be able to specify any view direction and lighting condition to best analyze and appreciate the object.

Specifically the scanner uses a camera and telemetric lens to acquire images of an object under varying controlled illumination conditions. The scanner processes image data using photometric stereo and structured light techniques to determine the shape; then color information is reconstructed from primary color monochrome image data. The scanning surface is sampled at 26.8 µm lateral spacing while the height information is calculated on a much smaller scale. Finally, software stitches together the scans of adjacent sides of an object to form a 3D surface model. The system uses a unique combination of photometric stereo analysis (PSA) and structured light analysis (SLA) data to determine the true and detailed shape of an object.

The 3D scanning system is unique in that it is capable of capturing a full 3D model of an object in color, with a very high level of detail, while enabling viewers to adjust the viewing direction and lighting conditions of the image.

JHU APL  developed the 3D scanner to capture high resolution 3D images of Hammurabi tablets 

Links

Here are links to more information on 3D scanning systems:

3D Scanning Technologies Publication

Simple 3D Website