Begin only from a verified laser-ready state
An ASCAND Laser Scan uses a projected line and a controlled camera–laser relationship to derive sampled surface points through triangulation. A Combo Scan coordinates laser-derived observations with Vision-derived evidence and evaluates how the independent results can contribute to a combined representation.
Both workflows begin before the platform receives a file. The exact Laser Extension must be correctly installed. The camera, laser holder and turntable relationship must remain fixed. The applicable calibration must have passed. The product-specific laser classification, operating instructions, controlled area, supervision and protective measures must be understood and in place.
If any of those conditions is uncertain, keep the laser off and return to the Laser Extension setup procedure. This page does not replace the module manufacturer’s safety information or the current ASCAND activation, capture and shutdown instructions.
A laser-assisted recording is not automatically a usable Laser Scan, and selecting Combo does not automatically improve every region. The workflow must capture the required observations, process them under the matching configuration and produce geometry that passes inspection.
Choose the appropriate workflow
Choose Laser or Combo by the evidence required
Choose the method before recording or assigning inputs.
Laser uses the detected projected line, the camera model, the modeled laser plane and the object orientation to reconstruct sampled surface locations. It is appropriate when laser-derived surface evidence addresses the intended geometric question and the relevant surfaces can both receive the projected line and be observed by the camera.
Combo uses coordinated but distinct evidence paths. Vision observations first support Vision-derived geometry. Laser observations first support line detection, triangulation and a laser-derived point set. Processing can then evaluate agreement, local support, gaps and conflicts before reconciling supported contributions.
Laser-on and laser-off observations may also be used within a Laser workflow to help isolate the projected response from the underlying scene. That does not by itself mean a Vision reconstruction has been created. Combo requires usable contributions from the relevant independent paths, not merely two recordings stored together.
Use Laser when the required result is supported by the documented laser evidence path. Use Combo when both Vision and Laser can contribute meaningful, comparable evidence and the additional acquisition and evaluation are justified. Neither label guarantees a more accurate, complete or printable model.
Compare Vision, Laser and Combo
Verify the required source set before processing
Follow the current acquisition instructions for the exact hardware and selected workflow. They must define whether one recording, separate recordings or another paired observation pattern is required, and how the laser-enabled and laser-disabled states relate.
Before processing, confirm:
- the files are the original saved recordings;
- every recording plays completely;
- the correct object and physical configuration are shown;
- the camera, laser support and turntable relationship did not change;
- the object did not shift relative to the turntable;
- the complete required rotation was recorded without interruption;
- the object and coded reference remain observable;
- the projected response is visible where the current procedure requires it; and
- related laser-disabled and laser-enabled sources remain separately identifiable.
For paired observations, the relationship between the inputs matters. They must describe the same object under the documented, controlled capture relationship. Moving the camera, laser holder or object between related recordings can invalidate correspondence even when each video looks acceptable on its own.
Do not rename, edit, stabilize, crop, filter or recompress a source unless current platform instructions explicitly permit it. Preserve the originals. Verify current file formats, size limits, naming or pairing rules and transfer requirements before submission.
If a source fails inspection, correct the cause and repeat the approved acquisition. Processing cannot restore a missing rotation, reverse a physical movement or recreate a laser observation that was never recorded.
Record the documented observations without changing the geometry
Active laser operation must follow the current product-specific procedure. That procedure owns the authorized activation state, capture order, timing, power operation, supervision, access control and shutdown sequence.
Within that approved procedure, preserve four relationships:
- the camera remains fixed relative to the Laser Extension;
- the laser plane remains fixed relative to the camera and turntable;
- the object remains stable relative to the rotating platform; and
- the background and illumination remain controlled between related observations.
Begin and end each required recording as documented. Do not touch the camera, frame, laser holder or turntable during an acquisition. Do not allow a cable, hand or bystander to enter the capture area. Do not adjust the laser to make a weak response appear brighter while recording.
Stop according to the approved procedure if the object moves, the camera or holder is disturbed, the recording is interrupted, the coded reference becomes unavailable, or the projected response is unexpectedly lost. Also stop immediately under the current safety procedure if access control fails, an unexpected reflection appears, equipment is damaged or operating conditions become uncertain.
After safe shutdown, inspect the saved sources. Do not use a quick live view as a substitute for complete playback. A successful recording event means only that a source was saved; it does not prove calibration, line detection or reconstruction success.
Select the matching workflow and verify submission
Open the current 3D-Scan.Online workflow and follow its documented project procedure. Select Laser or Combo deliberately and confirm that the selected turntable, Laser Extension or other required physical configuration matches the acquisition.
Assign each source only to the role identified by the current interface and documentation. Where the workflow expects distinct laser-enabled and laser-disabled inputs, check that they have not been reversed, duplicated or taken from different setups.
Before submission, answer:
- Is this the intended project and object?
- Is Laser or Combo the method actually captured?
- Does the selected hardware configuration match the physical setup?
- Is every required source present and assigned to the correct role?
- Have transfer and file-integrity checks completed?
- Are current access and submission requirements satisfied?
Submit once through the verified control and retain every original source. Do not infer current labels, retry behavior, supported formats, limits, processing options or access conditions from an older screenshot.
Upload completion only confirms transfer. Submission acceptance only confirms that the platform received the requested job. Neither establishes that the sources contain usable evidence.
Consult current platform documentation
Let each evidence path retain its meaning
During Laser processing, the platform can identify candidate laser profiles, relate observations to object orientation, triangulate supported points under the calibrated geometry, transform them into a shared frame and prepare the resulting point set for evaluation.
During Combo processing, laser-derived and Vision-derived evidence follow their appropriate reconstruction paths before combination. A public conceptual sequence is:
- validate and decode the submitted sources;
- establish their orientation context;
- extract laser and visual observations;
- reconstruct the Laser and Vision contributions independently;
- evaluate confidence, support, overlap and conflict;
- reconcile supported contributions; and
- prepare a combined representation for review.
These are conceptual responsibilities, not promises about current interface states or exposed controls. A specific workflow may group, repeat or name them differently.
Do not treat reconciliation as simple overlay or automatic correction. Agreement can support a region. One source may support a region that the other does not observe. Conflicting evidence needs evaluation. A surface missed by both paths remains unsupported.
Use only current status descriptions to determine whether a job is queued, processing, complete or requires action. Do not resubmit merely because processing takes longer than expected, and do not assume that a completion state validates the geometry.
Understand Combo’s independent paths
Inspect the evidence—not only the completion message
Open the completed result and inspect the actual geometry. Check:
- Project and method: Is this the intended Laser or Combo job?
- Object identity: Does the result correspond to the recorded object?
- Orientation and scale: Are pose and dimensions plausible under the documented configuration?
- Coverage: Which surfaces contain supported observations, and which remain absent?
- Outliers: Are isolated points, streaks or detached structures present?
- Systematic form: Does width, depth or height appear distorted in a pattern that may indicate alignment or calibration error?
- Combo agreement: Where do the evidence paths agree, supplement one another or visibly conflict?
- Representation: Are you reviewing a preview, point cloud, mesh or downloadable output?
- Intended use: Does the inspected representation support the next task without assuming unverified quality?
A dense point cloud can still contain systematic error. A continuous surface can still include inferred or unsupported regions. A combined result can still retain shared blind spots, conflict or artifacts.
If the result shows direction-dependent deformation, repeated offsets, broad outlier bands or missing laser response, do not conceal the symptom through meshing. Preserve the sources and route the case to Laser/Combo troubleshooting.
Review export and representation choices
Continue, correct, diagnose or reassess
Choose the next action from the evidence in the result.
- The result passes inspection: Continue to detailed review, export and download.
- The station moved, the recording was interrupted or the inputs were assigned incorrectly: Correct the identified cause and repeat only the required verified stage.
- The result suggests line-detection, alignment, calibration or reconciliation trouble: Preserve the original sources and use the Laser/Combo diagnostic route.
- The method cannot observe the required surface: Reassess Vision, Laser or Combo rather than forcing a processing setting.
- A different object orientation could reveal genuinely hidden regions: Assess Multi-Scan and Multi Merge, including overlap requirements.
Combo and Multi-Scan solve different problems. Combo coordinates different evidence types within a related capture. Multi-Scan uses separate reconstructions—often from different object orientations—to extend observed coverage and then register them. Neither can reconstruct a surface that no acquisition observed.
Troubleshoot Laser and Combo scans
Understand Multi-Scan and Multi MergeThe optional ASCAND Laser Extension introduces a projected line into the capture relationship. The camera observes that line on the object, and laser triangulation uses the modeled relationship between camera ray and laser plane to derive surface samples.