Case Study: LZH Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. achieves high-accuracy reverse engineering of the world’s smallest Tippkick® soccer player with 3D Systems' Geomagic Design X

The Smallest Soccer Player in the World Repaired with Geomagic Design X

LZH Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., together with 3D Systems and Trimetric GmbH, reverse-engineered the Tippkick® "smallest playable" soccer figurine to showcase a new production system and attract visitors at an exhibition. The tiny model presented a challenge because its complex shapes and many components required extremely high-detail capture and a full feature-based parametric history for downstream CAD/CAM use.

Using Geomagic Design X, the team converted raw 3D scans into high-quality polygon and NURBS surfaces (using the Mesh Buildup Wizard, one-button B‑rep surfacing and automatic re-meshing), validated geometry with real-time deviation analysis, and exported fully parametric solids to SOLIDWORKS, Siemens NX, Pro/ENGINEER or standard formats. The result was accurate, ready-to-manufacture parametric CAD models faithful to the original scan, enabling effective exhibition display and further production workflows.

LZH Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V.