Digital 3D Set Design

Object Scan and Virtual 3D Assembly for an Evacuation and Rescue Plan

To serve as the basis for an evacuation and rescue plan, the sigma3D team performed a 3D scan of the unique stage set “High School Library.” We used the scanned data to position the 3D model within a virtual floor plan of the theater auditorium that we created.

Mareike Delaquis Porschka has been active as a set and costume designer in various projects in the fields of drama, musical theater, and film since 2008. For her current project for the play “Kissyface,” Ms. Delaquis Porschka designed the set “High School Library” as a 1:25 scale model. The set depicts a mountain of books consisting of approximately 2,500 books.

Ms. Porschka commissioned the sigma3D team to perform a 3D scan of the stage model in order to create a digital 3D stage layout to serve as the basis for an evacuation and rescue plan. For the virtual positioning, she provided us with a 2D floor plan with defined cut lines.

The first step was to scan the stage set at a scale of 1:25 and use the data to create a complete and precise 3D model of the actual physical structure.

The Stage Set: 3D Scan Becomes a 3D Model
For this task, our measurement system consisted of an ATOS 5 scan camera from GOM, uncoded measurement markers for orienting the individual scan images, and the corresponding GOM Inspect software. The model of the “Bücherberg” was captured from different angles using two cameras, ensuring that all relevant areas were recorded. At the end of the process, we had a point cloud of the complex surface. 

In the next step, we used the software to generate a polygonal model—and thus the basis for positioning the stage set in the virtual theater auditorium. 

The Theater Auditorium: 2D Becomes 3D.
We took our client’s 2D drawing of the theater auditorium and used it to create a 3D model on a 1:1 scale. Using the SOLIDWORKS design software, the 3D model of the theater auditorium is created based on the 2D drawing. To do this, the 2D elements from the provided drawing are imported into a 2D sketch and dimensioned. The 2D sketch serves as the basis for extruding the 3D solid of the theater auditorium.

Finally, we modeled a 3D positioning body from the existing 2D section lines to be able to position the 3D stage set in the space with the highest precision. 

Positioning and Scaling of the 3D Scan Data
Finally, we virtually merged the two 3D models of the stage set and the theater auditorium. Using the universal software platform Polyworks, we scaled the 3D scan data of the book tower from a scale of 1:25 to 1:1.

We then used a 3D best-fit algorithm to quickly and accurately position the set model within the space. To do this, we defined three positioning planes as reference features based on the 2D cross-sections of the theater auditorium. In this way, we were able to achieve a precise virtual 3D assembly of the modeled real-world environment of the theater auditorium with the stage set. 

A Virtual 3D Reconstruction of the Real Environment

At the end of the project, we provided Ms. Delaquis Porschka with a virtual 3D reconstruction of her stage set and the theater auditorium as a modeled real-world environment. Together with prepared 2D cross-sections, she was able to create the required evacuation and emergency plan for the play—and be confident that everything corresponded to the actual conditions on site.