Toolmarks
A toolmark is a negative of the tool that made it: striations, edge width, angle of attack. Traditional recovery means a silicone cast or removing the surface it sits on — both single attempts.
3D scanning records the mark in place at 0.05 mm, without contact, so comparison against a seized tool is done on measured geometry and the mark itself stays where it was.
No sensitive case details required.
Can toolmarks be captured in 3D?
Yes — at up to 0.05 mm accuracy and 0.1 mm resolution with a handheld scanner, or 0.005 mm on a desktop system for items brought to the laboratory, without casting or lifting the surface.
Striation detailIndividual striations resolved at 0.1 mm.
No cast, no liftThe mark stays on the door, the frame, the lock.
Measured comparisonEdge width, angle and striation spacing against a seized tool.
Re-examinableA second tool tested against the same mark years later.
Why toolmark comparison wants geometry, not a photograph or a cast
Toolmark comparison is a comparison of three-dimensional form: the width of a blade, the spacing of striations, the angle at which the tool met the surface. A photograph records the mark under one lighting angle, and striations that are obvious under raking light disappear under another. A silicone cast records form once and cannot be repeated if it fails.
Artec Spider II records the mark in place at up to 0.05 mm accuracy and 0.1 mm resolution — on a lock cylinder, a window frame, a safe door — with no medium applied. The model is measured and compared directly against a scan of a seized tool, and the comparison can be repeated by another examiner on the same files.
For items that come to the laboratory, Artec Micro II reaches 0.005 mm on an automated desktop platform, which brings very fine striations within reach.
The workflow, end to end
Record in place first; take the item to the laboratory second if the case allows.
1. Place the markWide scan records where the mark is — the door, the frame, the point of entry.
2. Capture in placeHandheld close-range scan at 0.05 mm, without touching the surface.
3. ProcessFuse into a model that holds the striations as geometry.- 4. CompareAlign against a scan of the seized tool; measure width, angle and striation spacing.
- 5. ArchiveKeep the mark and the exemplar as files; repeat the comparison whenever a new tool is seized.
Which scanner for this work
In place at the scene, or on the bench in the laboratory — two different scales of the same job.
Artec Spider II
- Best for
- Marks in place — frames, locks, safes
- 3D point accuracy
- Up to 0.05 mm
- 3D resolution
- Up to 0.1 mm
- Light source
- Blue structured light, no targets on the surface
- Portability
- Handheld, tethered to a laptop
Spider II resolves striations at up to 0.05 mm accuracy and 0.1 mm resolution, handheld, with blue structured light that holds up on painted and metallic surfaces. The mark stays where it was.
Artec Micro II
- Best for
- Items brought to the laboratory
- 3D point accuracy
- Up to 0.005 mm
- 3D resolution
- Up to 0.04 mm
- Capture
- Desktop, fully automated turntable
- Object size
- Up to 200 × 200 × 150 mm
Micro II records a lock cylinder, a fragment or a seized tool at up to 0.005 mm on an automated turntable — the finest detail a scan can hold, repeatable for every item that comes through the door.
See striations resolved at 0.05 mm and compared against a tool as geometry — book a demo for your laboratory.
Book a demoQuestions practitioners ask
How fine a striation can be resolved?
Spider II resolves detail at 0.1 mm resolution in place. For finer work on items brought to the laboratory, Micro II reaches 0.005 mm accuracy.
Does the surface need preparation?
No. Capture is optical and target-free. Bright, polished metal is harder for any optical scanner; ask to see your hardest example at a demo rather than a matte sample.
Can we still cast the mark?
Yes. Nothing is applied during scanning, so a silicone cast remains possible if the laboratory wants a physical exemplar.
How is the comparison done?
A scan of the mark and a scan of the tool are aligned in Artec Studio or exported — OBJ, PLY, STL, E57 — into the comparison software your laboratory already validates.
Tell us about the work you do
A forensic application specialist will come back with the device that fits it, the accuracy to expect at that scale, and how the data reaches your existing workflow.