Text c creating 3-d models with a digitizer

In the popular movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the cyborg performs many amazing body feats that, obviously, are impossible or too dangerous for a human actor. Many of the cyborg's actions were programmed using three-dimensional digitizing— the scan and capture of a three-dimensional object in digital form.

As dramatically demonstrated in Terminator 2, human movement can be digitized, and the resulting digital image can be manipulated in many different ways. The same technology is being used to help doctors save burn victims, police find lost children, and engineers develop artificial limbs.

Digitization of three-dimensional objects is accomplished with laser scanning technology. A laser circularly scans an object, such as a subject's head, in about 15 seconds. The image is transferred to a computer, where it is manipulated. This technology has been applied in dozens of areas, ranging from medicine to fantasy - as in the example of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Applications of 3-D digitizing include the following:

Planning plastic and reconstructive surgery using 3-D images:

• "Aging" missing children using 3-D images;

• Redesigning toys using computer-aided design (CAD) to work with a scanned image of a 3-D prototype to avoid costly reworking of the physical model;

• Designing better fitting helmets, masks, earphones, and optical systems for U.S. Air Force fighter pilots using a digitized image of each pilot's head and face.

• Looking ahead, it seems as if uses for 3-D digitization will be limited only by the imagination of potential users.

Source: Clinton Wilder, "Digitizing Enters Third Dimension," Computerworld

KEY TERMS

arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) арифметико-логічний пристрій

ASCII (American Standard Code стандартний код для обміну for Information Interchange) інформацією

backup резервне копіювання

binary number system двійкова система числення

booting process процес завантаження

cartridge картридж

central processing unit (CPU) центральний обчислювальний пристрій

direct-access storage запам’ятовуючий пристрій з прямим доступом

disk drive дисковід

dot matrix printer матричний принтер

dumb terminal простий (не інтелектуальний) термінал

EBCDIC (Extended Binary Coded стандартний код для обміну

Decimal Interchange Code) інформацією

floppy disk гнучкий диск

hard copy роздрукована копія файлу

IBM compatible PCs IBM- сумісний персональний комп’ютер

ink-jet printer крапельковий принтер

keyboard клавіатура

magnetic tape магнітна стрічка

processing/internal memory unit надоперативний запам’ятовувальний пристрій

random-access memory (RAM) оперативна пам’ять

read-only memory (ROM) постійна пам’ять

read/write head читаюча голівка

secondary storage зовнішній запам’ятовувальний пристрій

sequential access послідовний доступ

touchscreen сенсорний екран

video display terminal (VDT) відео дисплейний термінал

voice recognition розпізнавання голосу

volatile тимчасовий