All posts by Kevin Lidtka
![](/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/iSTAROnSite_preview-272x192.jpeg)
Watching the 4th Dimension
Tech tools for capturing change over time are changing… over time. Editor’s note: “The Purpose of Time Is to Prevent Everything from Happening at Once” is the title of a poem by X. J. Kennedy. But what if we want to know—all at once—everything that has happened at a particular location over time, for engineering...
![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/unspecified6-272x192.jpeg)
Single-Photon Lidar
SPL collects massive data from the air, uses less power, and can see through semi-porous objects with green lasers. Technological advances in our industry have truly been a sight to behold. It seems like when you blink, already there’s a faster, smaller version of the instrument you just bought. Look at aerial lidar, for instance–who...
![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/unspecified4-272x192.jpeg)
The Scanning Stalker: Who’s That In My Point Clouds?
There he is again. This is the third time today. I keep finding him in my scans–hiding behind some tree or peeking around a corner. I keep an eye out while I’m in the field, but I’ve never caught him in the act. I’ve gotten used to it over the years, but it still gives...
![This hologram of a church in Texas was built from a combination of airborne and terrestrial lidar scans.](/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Church-017-272x192.jpg)
Wizardly 3D
Above: This hologram of a church in Texas was built from a combination of airborne and terrestrial lidar scans. More than just illusions, hologram technology is booming. Every once in a while a new product or technology comes out that makes you do a double take and think, “Wait, what is that?” This happened to me...
![3D CAD model of casting with gating and filtering system](/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/84530877_FillingSys_9415669149-272x192.jpg)
3D Printing Forrealz
Imagine purchasing a new washer and dryer. Inside is a little package with the usual owner’s manual and warranty information, but also … a little usb drive. Imagine receiving a similar usb drive when you purchase a new car. And another when you buy a piece of furniture. You file them away thinking they might...
![](/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/06a-272x192.jpg)
Summertime, and the Surveying Ain’t Easy
Now that winter and even spring have finished thrashing half the country, we can officially enjoy summer. As a laser scanner operator I have a fairly easy job this season due to the limitations of the instrument—at least, it’s easier than being a field surveyor. If you’ve ever worked on a survey crew in the...