It’s the Great 3D Scanned Pumpkin Contest, Courtesy of Neomek!

When I was in elementary school, every year the school would put on a Halloween carnival that probably mirrored thousands of other elementary school Halloween carnivals around the country. There was a costume contest, a poster design contest, a cake walk, and, of course, a jar of candy that one could win if one guessed the correct number of candies in the jar. One year I won, and, as someone who almost never wins contests, I was beyond thrilled. I had candy for weeks, and all the other kids suddenly wanted to be my friend, at least until I took my candy jar home. It was wonderful.

I’m willing to bet that most of you reading this have participated in a candy jar competition at some point in your lives. If you won, congratulations. If you didn’t, let go of your lifelong bitterness and sharpen your guessing skills, because now you have a chance to win something even cooler than a jar of candy: a drone. That’s right, rapid prototyping and product development company Neomek Incorporated wants to offer you the chance to win your very own DJI Phantom 3 Advanced drone, valued at $999. All you have to do is correctly guess the number of seeds inside a pumpkin that hasn’t been cut open. Simple, right?

Neomek, whose products include powerful 3D scanning equipment, 3D scanned a pumpkin and created 3D models of the seeds using an industrial CT scanner. The scanners, which capture 3D scan data of both the insides and outsides of objects, have many uses in industrial settings, including testing parts without removing them from their packaging, or measuring injection molded parts or castings with difficult-to-reach elements. This particular scanner was used to create 3D models of both the inside and outside of a pumpkin without ever cutting into it. The technology, which is so precise that it can differentiate between the densities of the skin, pulp, seeds, and even air within the pumpkin, was able to isolate the seeds from the surrounding pulp and create 3D models of them.

“Industrial CT scanning is an extremely powerful tool for capturing high-quality, high-density 3D scan data on objects containing geometry that poses line-of-site issues for traditional 3D scanners,” said Neomek Vice President Jim Clark. “I thought measuring the pumpkin seeds without cutting the pumpkin open was a great (and festive) way to show the power of industrial CT scanning.”

Neomek used Wenzel CT Scanning and Geomagic software to create the models. The exterior model can be downloaded from the company’s website; the interior models, however, are top secret, and are the basis for the contest, which is open to US residents 18 and older and will be accepting entries until November 10th. Simply submit your guess as to the number of seeds inside the pumpkin, and, if your guess is closest to the actual number, you win. Full rules, as well as the exterior model downloads, can be found on the contest page. So start thinking, and, if you need more motivation, watch this video about the amazing photographic capabilities of the drone you could win. Your bragging rights will trump those of all those candy jar contest winners of your youth, and, better yet, they’ll come without a stomachache.

Will you be taking part in this contest?  Let us know in the 3D Scan a Pumpkin forum thread on 3DPB.com.