Autopsy Documentation
External examination is photographed exhaustively and then the internal examination changes the body. Whatever was not photographed from the right angle is not in the record.
A University of Toronto study recorded a full external documentation in 26 minutes against 54 for photography — in colour 3D that carries every measurement, from every angle, afterwards.
No sensitive case details required.
How long does a 3D autopsy record take?
26 minutes for full external documentation in the University of Toronto comparison, against 54 for photography — with submillimetre colour geometry that can be measured from any angle afterwards.
26 vs 54 minutesMeasured against photography, University of Toronto.
Colour and geometryLividity and injury appearance, with measurable form.
ContactlessNo scale placed on the body, no repositioning for the camera.
ConsultableA second pathologist reviews the model, not a print.
Why the external record deserves better than a camera
Photography at autopsy is a compromise between time and coverage. Every injury is photographed with a scale, from the angles the photographer chose, under the lighting available; distances between injuries, the curvature of a wound on a limb, the true size of a pattern injury are all approximated from those frames afterwards.
The University of Toronto tested 3D scanning against photography for whole-body documentation and recorded a full external record in 26 minutes against 54. The scan is colour geometry at submillimetre resolution, so a measurement not taken at the time is taken later, from any angle, by anyone with the file. Artec Eva records a body in minutes; Artec Spider II records individual injuries at 0.05 mm.
For a medical examiner's office, the record is also the consultation: a second opinion is a file transfer, and the model is what the court sees.
The workflow, end to end
The whole body first, injuries second, before the internal examination.
1. Capture the bodyWhole-body colour scan, anterior and posterior, in minutes.
2. Capture injuriesClose-range scans of individual injuries at 0.05 mm.
3. ProcessFuse in Artec Studio; register injury scans into the body model.
4. MeasureDimensions, distances, curvatures — after the examination, from any angle.
5. Archive and consultAttach to the case file; share with a second pathologist or the court.
Which scanner for this work
A body is captured with a fast handheld; injuries with a fine one. The Toronto study ran this combination.
Artec Eva
- Best for
- Whole-body documentation
- 3D point accuracy
- Up to 0.1 mm
- 3D resolution
- Up to 0.2 mm
- Light source
- White structured light, full colour
- Portability
- Handheld, tethered to a laptop
- Typical time
- A whole body in minutes — 26 for the full record in the Toronto study
Eva captures a body in colour in minutes, handheld, without contact — the speed that produced the 26-minute figure. Skin and hair are within its range without any preparation.
Artec Spider II
- Best for
- Individual injuries and pattern marks
- 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 records a wound, a bite or a pattern injury at up to 0.05 mm accuracy and 0.1 mm resolution with colour, registered into the body model so its position is kept.
See a full external record captured in a fraction of the photography time — book a demo for your office.
Book a demoQuestions practitioners ask
Where does the 26-minute figure come from?
From a University of Toronto study comparing 3D scanning against forensic photography for full-body documentation, published as an Artec case study. Photography took 54 minutes for the same coverage.
Does the scan replace photography?
Offices that adopt it typically keep photography for specific purposes and use the scan as the complete record. The choice is a protocol decision; the scan is what makes it possible.
Can injuries be measured afterwards?
Yes, at any time, from any angle, including distances and curvatures that were not measured during the examination.
Is the body prepared or marked?
No. Capture is optical and contactless; no scales are placed and no markers applied.
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.