Faro Focus 3D
Definition
A terrestrial laser scanner used for crime-scene documentation, capturing a full-resolution point-cloud model of the scene at millimetre accuracy. Trajectory rods or laser beams in position are captured as part of the scan.
- Type
- Terrestrial laser scanner
- Output
- Full-resolution point-cloud model of the scene
- Accuracy
- Millimetre-level
- Use case
- Crime-scene documentation, trajectory rod/beam capture
Common questions
Why use a laser scanner over traditional photography and measurements for trajectory reconstruction?+
A point cloud captures the full three-dimensional geometry of the room, walls, furniture, and trajectory rods in one pass at consistent scale, letting a reconstruction analyst measure angles and distances between any two points later rather than relying only on the specific measurements taken manually at the scene.
What happens to the point-cloud data after the scan is captured?+
It is processed in scanner-specific or CAD software to build a navigable 3D model of the scene, which can be measured, sectioned, and used to test bullet path hypotheses or produce courtroom visualisations tied back to the recorded scan data.
Related terms
- Angle of Impact
- The angle between the bullet's trajectory and the surface it penetrates, measured from the surface plane. Calculated from entry-hole geometry: sin(angle) =...
- Bullet Trajectory Kit (BTK)
- A laser-based trajectory projection system by Sirchie that replaces the physical rod with a laser module, projecting a visible beam along the...
- Bullet Wipe (Metal Wipe)
- The grey-black ring of bullet-jacket material (grease, metal oxides, carbon) deposited around the margin of an entry hole as the bullet's periphery...
- Burke and Rowe 1992
- The primary peer-reviewed study of bullet ricochet behaviour on concrete, asphalt, and vehicle metal surfaces, published in the Journal of the Forensic...
- Keyhole Wound
- An asymmetric teardrop-shaped bullet entry hole produced when the bullet strikes the surface sideways or is unstabilised, indicating close-range fire (pre-stabilisation) or...
- Ortho-Tron Projection Rod
- A commercial trajectory rod system manufactured by Sirchie, widely used by the FBI Evidence Response Team and forensic laboratories internationally, providing standardised...
- Ricochet
- The deflection of a bullet off a surface at a low angle of incidence, producing a new trajectory that diverges from the...
- Single-Bullet Trajectory Analysis (JFK/HSCA)
- The 1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations photogrammetric reconstruction of the Kennedy assassination trajectories, the most extensively reviewed shooting reconstruction in forensic...
- Trajectory Rod
- A rigid fibreglass or aluminium rod inserted through a bullet wound channel and aligned with the channel geometry to define the bullet's...