Surface library

Ever wonder what the surface texture of your phone screen looks like? Curious what makes metal look shiny or dull? Need a way to demonstrate the difference between turned, ground, and honed surfaces?

The Surface Library contains data that will help you to explore, understand, and explain surface texture. Over the years we have generated and collected thousands of measurement datasets, and we are sharing some of the more useful and interesting datasets here. Some show common, manufactured and organic surfaces. Others help show how particular analyses affect data. And some are…well, just fun. Whether you’re a researcher, teacher, student, or curious human, the data in this library should prove interesting and helpful for you!

All data is saved as .os3d files, the native format for OmniSurf3D software. If you’re not already an OmniSurf3D user you can download a 10-day free trial version. If you’re already a user, we include tips and tricks for analyzing and displaying each dataset.

If you encounter questions along the way, feel free to email us—we would be glad to help out.

Available Datasets

White light interferometer (3D optical profiler) image of surface texture of a penny zoomed - Digital Metrology -

Penny 2 – Lincoln and Columns

US penny at different resolutions (3-dataset series).

 
White light interferometer (3D optical profiler) image of surface texture of a penny zoomed - Digital Metrology -

Penny 3 – Lincoln

US penny at different resolutions (3-dataset series).

 
Turning Surface - Turned Shaft - Digital Metrology Surface Library

Turning

Turned surface with periodic structure.

 
Grinding Surface - Ground Shaft - Digital Metrology Surface Library

Grinding

Ground surface texture.

 
Lightning connector Apple iPhone cable - Digital Metrology Surface Library

Lightning Connector

Apple lightning cable connector for iPhone. 

 
Surface Texture of Leather - Digital Metrology

Leather

Leather surface texture.

 
Surface Texture Golf Ball Dimple - Digital Metrology

Golf Ball Dimple

Golf ball surface.

 
Surface Texture Engine Block Head Deck - Digital Metrology

Engine Block Head Deck

Machined surface of an engine block.

 

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