Mesh preparation

How to prepare a 3D-scan mesh for upload to the 3DO Body Composition Analyzer.

File requirements

  • Units. Metric (meters)
  • Format. PLY with ASCII encoding (not binary)
  • Orientation. The mesh must be standing with the feet on the ZX plane and the origin centered between the feet. The head must be oriented in the +Y direction.

To verify orientation in MeshLab, display the bounding box and XYZ world axes from the toolbar and toggle “On” for Measure Info in the right panel.

Sample reference meshes

Two correctly-prepared example files are available — useful as positioning references and for testing the analyzer pipeline.

Sample Weight (kg) Height (m) Age Download
Male 106.6 1.84 62 MALE_example3Dmesh_initial_ascii_n_scaled.ply ↗
Female 98.6 1.61 44 FEMALE_example3Dmesh_initial_ascii_n_scaled.ply ↗

Sample-mesh files are large (~60 MB each) and are temporarily linked from the legacy WP host while we transition to a permanent storage location. If the links go stale, contact the lab.

Step-by-step in MeshLab

  1. Open the scan in mesh-viewing software like MeshLab ↗.

  2. Scale to metric units. Filters → Mesh Layer → Matrix: Set from translation/rotation/scale.

  3. Correct translation and rotation. The body should orient superiorly along +Y. The head should point toward +Y; the mesh should face down +Z.

  4. Bake the transformation by freezing the current matrix.

  5. Export as PLY with ASCII encoding (not binary).

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