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4.1 On-line analysis using Adobe 3D-PDF

All the measurements and analytical operations described are performed on the OBJ data sets. A smaller series of useful but basic analytical operations can be performed using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader 3D-PDF functionality. They include a range of standard measurements (e.g. height of vessel, diameter of orifice) but also include 3-D measurements that follow along the surface of the object so that the distance from one feature to another around a spherical (or other) surface are easily calculated — by simply pointing the mouse at the two locations the distance across the surface is then computed instead of the traditional straight line distance. Particularly useful is the ability of the Acrobat tools to create cross-sections along any axis or combinations of axes quickly. These create the equivalent of the traditional ceramic vessel profile. Video 5 illustrates many of these operations.

Video 5: Adobe 3D PDF video (this video contains no sound)

It should again be noted that for many object forms (e.g. narrow mouth jars) the scanner cannot image the interior and in these cases profiles may only reflect the exterior surface measurements. Specialised small systems that can enter these restricted orifices are available.

As the 3D-PDF files have been reduced to support web performance, more precise observations cannot be performed using them but there are still a number of useful options. For more precise measurements it is necessary to access the full resolution OBJ version of the object and to utilise specialised software designed to manipulate this data format.

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