“Ultima Dea”: A Laser Scanner Application for 3D Modelling

This work deals with a novel procedure that can be used for reverse engineering (RE) of big and old boats’ hull through cheap and effective instruments. The procedure has been used to acquire dimensions and shapes of an offshore boat designed by Renato Levi in 1962, named “Ultima Dea”, commissioned by Gianni Agnelli. The research purpose is the development of a method that gives to designers and restorer an “easy to use” instrument for obtaining the 2D and 3D CAD models from a degraded physical object in order to check and re-design the parts to be restored. The study and the application allowed to develop an innovative procedure to set the right acquisition parameters for optimizing the RE output in terms of minimization of maximum error and mean geometric errors between physical object and virtual model, by using a one-shot RE operation and a completely off-line post-processing. This procedure ensures good timesaving, during acquisition, very high reliability level and lightness of CAD models, also being able to reconstruct worn down and spoiled parts (through ex-novo modelling). The procedure shows how the CAD-modelling step can be done directly on graphical models (without surfaces’ mathematics) while ensuring the appropriate level of detail and, contemporarily, improving the interoperability of used and developed software. This procedure is based on the use of well-known methodologies and instruments that usually are employed in architectural relief; finally, it allowed to model the boat’s hull for the redesigning of engine/electrical/services systems and to restore the boat completely.