Welcome to the New Year!
Welcome back from the holidays! It’s good to see you again. I hope you enjoyed a peaceful and enjoyable holiday.
I spent much of the holiday organizing and preparing for 2022. Though it was a bit slow, we managed to take in some casework and making decisions on new service offerings, such as 3D scanning and placing the finishing touches on a couple of refreshed and updated training courses.
3D Scanning
As you can image, we are excited about the pending arrival of Revopoint’s POP2 3D portable scanner.
I’ve been watching this product for awhile on social media. This affordable 3D scanning solution allows the user to attach the scanning device to your iPhone or laptop. From the examples they’ve shared, it creates a decent scan.
What interested me most was their recently closed Kickstarter campaign to fund a more accurate product. To give you an example of one improvement, they’ve improved their 0.3 mm accuracy on their flagship POP scanner to 0.1 mm accuracy on their soon-to-be released POP2 model.
My interest in adding the POP2 scanner to our forensic toolkit is strictly for scanning human skulls for forensic facial approximation cases. In some cases, the requesting agency hasn’t scanned the skull themselves. Not everyone has access to a CT scanner or an expensive 3D scanner.
The Revopoint POP2 scanner ranges between $500-to just under $1,000 USD. Those of us who supported the Kickstarter campaign are expected to receive delivery in February 2022.
Before you run out and buy one yourself, let me do some test scans first and report my findings in an upcoming newsletter. If I give it a ‘two SketchCop® thumbs up’, I will include a link to their store and all the details you need – including the minimum accessories you’ll need to properly scan a skull.
If you’re not into facial approximations, but you’re interested in scanning objects for 3D printing as a hobby or for automotive, that’s cool too. Working with 3D laser scanners that range between $5,000-$60,000 has been fun, BUT the practical side of me believes the Revopoint will provide enough accuracy and detail to accomplish my goals in a forensic setting. In the meantime, stay tuned to see how this works out.
Speaking of skulls. We’re firming up the details on a NEW and exciting forensic facial ID service with international implications. Again, keep your eye out in upcoming newsletters!
Training Update
On February 1st, 2022, we’ll be releasing two training courses – FA 099 Forensic Art in the Age of COVID-19 and FA 100 Introduction to Forensic Art. We are numbering them similar too college-level courses as we hope to integrate them into criminal justice programs at colleges and universities at home and abroad.
And though we intended to deliver them live, I think the best way is to offer them is in a self-paced environment to respect the busy lives all of you have. It’s not always practical to attend some training opportunities at a set date and time. Our schedules don’t always support rigid schedules. Perhaps we can do some hybrid training where we can meet online occasionally for some Q & A. What do you think of that?
To preview next month we’ll provide the links to the training courses and perhaps I’ll do a case examination involving challenges I’ve experienced during a case where I provided a facial composite. We should also be able to announce and welcome some new organizations into the SketchCop® Family.
This year started out fast and furious for me. How did it start for you? I hope you are already enjoying some cool stuff in your personal and professional lives. Care you share? If you do, drop me a quick note at: Contact@SketchCop.com.
In the meantime, stay safe, be well, bust out a pencil and keep on sketching!
