Structure Capture App Settings Guide
You may have noticed that Capture looks a bit different than it used to, and there’s a reason for that. We’ve rebuilt Capture to be easier, with focused scanning experiences for your use cases, called modes.
What are Scanning Modes?
Scanning modes are full configurations for specific types of scans. You may be familiar with presets, collections of camera settings for specific types of scans. Modes expand the concept - a mode is a collection of preset, tracking mode, resolution, bounding box size, and much more, all optimized to do the specific scan you want.
Scanning Modes still allow customization - if you need to change your voxel density or tracking method you can still do that - but modes were designed to reduce the number of variables you’d need to customize.
Scanning Mode Descriptions
| Mode | Mode function | General Recommendation |
| Plantar Surface |
Optimized for high-detail foot scans Ideal distance (m) - Min: 0.36 / Max 1.02 |
The best mode for scanning feet. Smallest scan size: plantar surface Ideal scan size: Whole foot Largest scan size: Foot + Ankle |
| Lower Extremity |
Tailored for leg and lower body scanning Ideal distance (m) - Min: 0.55 / Max: 1.02 |
The best mode for foot and ankle, lower limb, or knee. Smallest scan size: Foot + ankle Largest scan: Whole leg |
| Face |
Perfect for head and facial topography Ideal distance (m) - Min: 0.55 / Max: 1.02 |
The best mode for heads or faces. Smallest scan size: Face Largest scan size: Head |
| Random Object |
A versatile mode for everything else Ideal distance (m) - Min: 0.55 / Max: 10 (LiDAR) |
The best mode for upper body, full body, or small/medium objects. Smallest scan size: palm-sized object Ideal: Medium sized object (about the size of backpack) Largest: Office |
Scanning Screen Settings
| Setting Name | Setting Function | General Recommendation |
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Bounding box
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The bounding box divides the world into two parts - the part the camera focuses on, and everything else. Use ONE finger to slide the bounding box to the center of the object, toward and away from you. Then use TWO fingers to resize the bounding box to make sure it is larger than the object. |
We recommend setting the bounding box to be slightly larger than the object you are trying to scan. The larger the bounding box, the lower the resolution of the final scan. |
Gear Icon Settings
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| Setting Name | Setting Function | General Recommendation |
| Depth Sensor | This determines whether scanning is done using a Structure Sensor, the iPad/iPhone's TruDepth camera, or LiDAR. The last two sensors are available on all iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation or later) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation or later) |
Structure Sensor - The best balance of performance, range, and Accuracy. LiDAR - Excellent Range, and fast, but offers the lowest resolution (320x240). Ideal for rooms. TrueDepth - Fast and accurate but with minimum range (less than 40cm). |
| High resolution color |
Turning "ON" selects the highest available resolution for color frames. Turning "OFF" selects VGA resolution for color frames. |
If a colored texture is required, turn on in order to capture the best possible color texture. If a color texture isn’t required, turn off to improve performance. |
| Lock autofocus |
Turning "ON" locks color camera focus after scanning has started. Turning "OFF" keeps autofocus on during the scanning process. |
Turning autofocus on may improve the quality of the color texture, but may also impact tracking negatively. |
| Preset (Structure Sensor Only) |
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| Position |
Determines how the bounding box positions itself. User Defined lets the user set the bounding box size and distance from the sensor. Auto (Table Top) automatically detects a ground plane and positions the bounding box on top of it (only the bounding box size is editable). |
In most cases, it is best to select "User Defined." ‘Auto (Table Top) will attempt to lock the bounding box to the floor or the nearest flat surface, which can cause problems when scanning objects in the air, when a flat surface can’t be detected (e.g, scanning a head), or when there are multiple flat surfaces next to each other (e.g., shelving). |
| Align with Camera | Aligns the bounding box to the camera. | Leave "ON" to align the bounding box to the Camera, making it easier to position the bounding box. |
| Tracker Mode |
Determines the tracking mode for your sensor. Object assumes the camera is moving and the object being scanned is still. It is ideal for subjects that are ~6 foot / 2 meters or smaller Turntable assumes that the object is moving and the camera is still - the opposite of object tracking. Area is optimal if you are doing first person point of view scanning |
In most cases, use Object. Turntable tracking is used when the object is on a turntable (hence the name), or if the object is a body part that can rotate (example, a head looking left to right). Area is best used for scanning large areas, you may lose tracking if using Area while scanning a small object |
| Type |
Specifies what information is used by Capture to track an object. Depth Only uses the depth feedback of the sensor. Color + Depth uses sensor data in conjunction with video from the device’s color camera. |
Color + Depth is recommended unless the scene has limited colors or is very close to the device. |
| Mapper |
Increase or decrease density by increasing or decreasing Voxel size (A bounding box consists of voxels, the smaller they are, the more detail is captured).* Note: voxels aren’t the only factor in Mesh detail. The other factor is preset resolution. Always use Body or Body detail if you need to capture highly detailed models. |
2.5-6 mm voxel detail is recommended for most scans. Larger Scans (entire humans) are usually 4-6 mm voxels, smaller scans usually are 2.5-3mm. Additional Note: Detail is not the same as accuracy. The best measurement accuracy is achieved with 3mm accuracy. |
| Record OCC | Creates an OCC file instead of a mesh. | Leave off unless instructed to use by a structure support agent. OCC files are special diagnostic files that include mesh, depth maps, and IMU data, they are triple the size of normal files and can’t be used like normal scan files. |
Recommended Settings for Specific Use Cases:
For scanning smaller objects (e.g. a foot or head) we recommend the following combination of settings:
Small Object (Or Foot)
| Setting Name | Setting Status |
| Scanning Mode | Plantar Surface |
| Sensor | Structure Sensor |
| High resolution color | ON |
| Lock autofocus | ON |
| Preset | Body |
| Position | User Defined |
| Align With Camera | ON |
| Tracker Mode | Object |
| Type | Color+Depth |
| Mapper | 2.00mm |
| Record OCC | OFF |
For scanning medium-sized objects (e.g. a backpack), we recommend the following combination of settings:
| Setting Name | Setting Status |
| Scanning Mode | Random Object |
| Sensor | Structure Sensor |
| High resolution color | ON |
| Lock autofocus | ON |
| Preset | Simplified |
| Position | User Defined |
| Align With Camera | ON |
| Tracker Mode | Object |
| Type | Color+Depth |
| Mapper | 3.0mm |
| Record OCC | OFF |
For scanning larger objects (e.g. an entire person's body), we recommend the following combination of settings:
| Setting Name | Setting Status |
| Scanning Mode | Random Object |
| Sensor | Structure Sensor |
| High resolution color | ON |
| Lock autofocus | ON |
| Preset | Simplified |
| Position | User Defined |
| Align With Camera | ON |
| Tracker Mode | Object |
| Type | Color+Depth |
| Mapper | 3.0-5.0mm |
| Record OCC | OFF |