NCAM

Modeling & Simulation

The NCAM Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Team was established to address the production and facility management needs of NASA at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF). The M&S Team utilizes its LiDAR and Digital Photogrammetry systems to scan the equipment at MAF and create three-dimensional models to support facility planning, work flow, and manufacturing capability investigations as well as to support virtual tours of the facility.

Overview

Within its ten-year existence at UNO, the M&S Team has successfully completed projects addressing:

Three-dimensional modeling and simulation
Virtual prototyping, animation and simulation
Assembly animation and instructional aids
Design and operation testing
Physics-based simulation
Process improvement analysis
Discrete event process flow modeling
Automation and robotics
Ergonomics studies
Virtual reality and immersive systems
Custom programming
Digital shape sampling and processing (LiDAR and Photogrammetry)

One tool used by the M&S team is a Trimble FX Scanner, an advanced 3D laser measurement system designed to work in industrial environments. Key features are:

360° x 270° field of view
Data capture rate > 175,000 points per second
Extremely clean, low noise data
Spatial resolution of 1 mm at 28m
Sub-millimeter accuracy


A 3D model of the Universal Weld System #1 (UWS1).		A LiDAR point cloud of the Universal Weld System #1 (UWS1).