Video topics
OmniSurf • OmniSurf3D • OmniRound • TraceBoss • TraceBoss+ • HatchView
NotePad Series • 60 Second Surface Analysis • Texture Parameters
OmniSurf Profile Analysis
OmniSurf3D Texture Analysis
Describing Gear Tooth Waviness with OmniSurf3D
Gear tooth noise control is very important in many applications. While much has been said about the relationship between waviness and noise, little has been said about the specifics of detecting and describing the waviness. OmniSurf3D not only gives you the tools to extract and visualize waviness, but it also gives you powerful new parameters for quantifying the amount of waviness that is affecting your gear noise.
OmniSurf3D Surface Editor Tool
Have you ever loaded a 3D dataset only to find there were defects in the data? Most surface analysis software includes tools for addressing missing or errant pixels: median filters, or peak/valley thresholds, for example. But in some cases the feature just too big or too isolated to filter out. For these cases, OmniSurf3D includes a Surface Editor Tool, which lets you selectively repair missing data and data errors interactively. This video shows you how the surface repair tool works, and how quickly you can clean up a dataset to get a better picture of the true nature of a surface.
XY Profile Analysis in OmniSurf3D
When working with areal (3D) surface texture data, we often want to examine 2D slices through that data. OmniSurf3D takes XY analysis further than most other software. Small charts called “sparklines” help you to quickly spot trends in parameter values and show which parameters are most sensitive to the variations that occur in the particular surface. This video shows how the XY Profile Analysis in OmniSurf3D provides a unique twist on cross-section analysis that makes it easier for you to find, interpret, and address trends in your areal (3D) datasets.
60 Second Surface Analysis – Can I really measure this feature?
When we look at surface texture data from a measurement system, we have to consider whether the features we are seeing are real, or whether they might be noise or bad pixels.
In this 60-Second Surface Analysis video we show how you can zoom in on a feature in OmniSurf3D software to see just how many actual measurement points we have for a feature. It’s a very useful tool, and a great sanity check.
Wear Analysis Tool
The Wear Analysis tool in OmniSurf3D lets you precisely define reference and wear regions, and to calculate many key parameters about the worn area, such as wear depth and wear volume. Learn about how this powerful tool makes it easy to explore and analyze a wear scar and to understand how the material has been worn.
You can follow along and try it for yourself using this dataset in our free Surface Library!
Streamlined 2D Analysis in OmniSurf3D
Our OmniSurf3D software has always included the ability to analyze slices of your 3D data via our 2D OmniSurf software. 2D analysis is now built into OmniSurf3D, which greatly streamlines the process. Great visualizations and interactive tools make this one of the best 2D analysis experiences available. Check out this video to see the new features and learn how they work.
Microwear Analysis
Wear testing is typically accelerated, using extreme conditions so that we can measure some amount of wear in a reasonable amount of time. That may get us a faster answer…but these conditions are not necessarily related to how the surface will function in actual use.
The new Microwear Analysis in OmniSurf3D lets us compare “before” and “after” data to accurately measure microscopic amounts of wear that occur within the surface texture. It can even work when the “before” and “after” data aren’t from the same area of the surface—or even from the same part!
To try it for yourself, download a 10-day trial version of OmniSurf3D.
Earth Topography in OmniSurf3D
Surface texture analysis can be fun. You get to see new things in your data that numbers just can’t show you.
Here’s a great example. Did you know that you can download 3D earth topography and imagery using OpenTopography? You can drag the point cloud data into OmniSurf3D, then add a satellite image as the Image Overlay (V2.07.121 or later). Once you’ve done that, you can explore meters and kilometers of terrain, just like you’d explore microns and millimeters in your surface roughness data!
Check it out in the video below to see how easy it is to do. And here are links to data you can use to try it for yourself.
United States 10 meter data:
https://portal.opentopography.org/raster?opentopoID=OTNED.012021.4269.1
Worldwide 30 meter data:
https://portal.opentopography.org/raster?opentopoID=OTSRTM.082015.4326.1
Download a free trial of OmniSurf3D: https://digitalmetrology.com/omnisurf3d-trial/
DATA SOURCE:
United States Geological Survey (2021). United States Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program 1/3 arc-second Digital Elevation Model. Distributed by OpenTopography. https://doi.org/10.5069/G98K778D. Accessed 2025-07-10
60-Second Surface Analysis – Tooltips and Help for Texture Parameters
Surface texture parameters tell us a lot about a surface and how it will perform. OmniSurf3D gives you access to dozens of parameters…and more important, it helps you keep them all straight as well! Find out how in this 60-Second Surface Analysis video.
And, check out our new Texture Parameters video series as well for fast, graphical explanations of important parameters.
OmniRound Roundness, Flatness and Runout
TraceBoss
TraceBoss Intro Video
TraceBoss gives your portable surface roughness gage the power of a high-end instrument. Accessible and affordable, TraceBoss interfaces instantly with most gages for one-button measurement and analysis, with full-screen graphics and the parameters that count. This video shows you how easy it is to connect your gage to TraceBoss to begin seeing, saving, and understanding your data like never before.
Connecting your Surface Gage to TraceBoss
It’s incredibly quick to connect TraceBoss software to your roughness tester. Each surface finish gage communicates with a PC in its own way, however. In this video we look at a couple of examples to see how the TraceBoss help system makes life easy for you and guides you through the process.
TraceBoss+
TraceBoss Plus Introduction
Digital Metrology’s TraceBoss roughness gage software changed how people see, save, and understand surfaces. Our HatchView software provides a simple, very accurate way to measure crosshatch angle and verify how a honing process is running.
Now, TraceBoss+ goes even further, combining surface roughness and crosshatch into one package…PLUS additional features to help you analyze, save, recall, and compare your roughness and crosshatch data from a single file.
60 Second Surface Analysis – TraceBoss+ Image Explorer
TraceBoss+ lets you analyze your surfaces by the numbers, and it also helps you SEE what’s happening with your process. This short video shows how the Image Explorer feature lets you import an image of a surface, calculate the crosshatch angle, and zoom and pan to explore the surface quality. Best of all, you can save that image and the numerical results in a single file! Check out TraceBoss+, and download a free demo, at digitalmetrology.com.
60-Second Surface Analysis – TraceBoss+ Reference Profile
Do you ever want to compare a surface you’re making to a past surface that you know performed well? TraceBoss+ now gives you that ability with a single click! Find out how the new Reference Profile gives you an immediate visual reference, so instead of just honing by numbers you can target the SHAPE that you know is good.
Learn more about TraceBoss+
HatchView Crosshatch Analysis
60 Second Surface Analysis
60-Second Surface Analysis – Copying Measurement Settings in OmniSurf3D
OmniSurf3D makes it easy to open several datasets to compare—a feature you don’t always get in other software. But even better, you can copy settings from one dataset to another with a click…so you’ll always know that you’re comparing apples and apples. We show you how to do it in this video.
60-Second Surface Analysis – Creating a Presentation from Data
The 60-second Surface Analysis series offers quick tips and techniques for analyzing surface texture, shape, and roundness.
In this video we show how to load data from OmniSurf3D into a PowerPoint presentation in just a few clicks. It’s an incredible time-saver, especially when you have a large amount of data to share.
60-Second Surface Analysis – Stylus Simulation
The Stylus Simulation tool in OmniSurf3D surface analysis software predicts what a stylus will see as it moves over a surface texture. In this video we use an artificially exaggerated surface to demonstrate how the tool works, what it can show you, and how it helps bridge the gap between optical and stylus measurement technologies.
60-Second Surface Analysis – Analyzing Part of a Profile
To get to the surface roughness data we want, we need to focus on the part of the profile that matters. OmniSurf software includes several tools for quickly and easily selecting a region for analysis. We’ll show how to use those tools in this 60 Second Surface Analysis video.
Interactive Cropping in OmniSurf3D
The new Interactive Cropping tool in OmniSurf3D lets you rotate your surface texture data to quickly line up the cropping tools to the data. It’s a great time-saver that helps you get to the answers you need, fast.
60 Second Surface Analysis – TraceBoss+ Image Explorer
TraceBoss+ lets you analyze your surfaces by the numbers, and it also helps you SEE what’s happening with your process. This short video shows how the Image Explorer feature lets you import an image of a surface, calculate the crosshatch angle, and zoom and pan to explore the surface quality. Best of all, you can save that image and the numerical results in a single file! Check out TraceBoss+, and download a free demo, at digitalmetrology.com.
60 Second Surface Analysis – Profile and Surface Display Types
Analyzing surface texture data is a process, and there are lots of settings along the way. So, how do you know what you’ve done to the data when you change something?
OmniSurf and OmniSurf3D surface analysis software guide you through the process and show you what happens at each step. In this short video we introduce you to the profile/surface displays that walk you through each analysis step, so you always know the settings you used to get the results. Check out OmniSurf and OmniSurf3D at digitalmetrology.com!
60 Second Surface Analysis – Can I really measure this feature?
When we look at surface texture data from a measurement system, we have to consider whether the features we are seeing are real, or whether they might be noise or bad pixels.
In this 60-Second Surface Analysis video we show how you can zoom in on a feature in OmniSurf3D software to see just how many actual measurement points we have for a feature. It’s a very useful tool, and a great sanity check.
60 Second Surface Analysis – Missing Data Fill
3D texture data can look like a solid, continuous surface. But in reality, there’s space between the measured pixels, and some of those pixels may not have been measured at all.
Missing Data Fill is a pre-processing step that bridges those bad pixels, making data easier to interpret. But sometimes looking at the Raw data, before data fill, can be instructive as well.
In this 60-Second Surface Analysis video we look at how Missing Data Fill can smooth out missing pixels surface data. We also look at how you can use the Raw data view to check whether that missing data is a concern, or not.
60 Second Surface Analysis – 3D Printing Surface Data
Viewing surface data in OmniSurf3D software is almost the best way to see and explore it. But there is one step further you can go, and that’s to actually hold the surface in your hand. The good news is that you can do that through OmniSurf3D as well! In this video we show you how in just a few steps you can 3D print surface texture that you can see, touch, and share.
60-Second Surface Analysis – Wear Analysis
Analyzing wear depth is not something you’d usually think of as “fun”…but with the Wear Analysis in OmniSurf3D, it kind of is! In this video we use the Wear Analysis tool to quickly measure the depth and volume of a wear scar. The whole process is super-fast and really intuitive.
If you want to learn more about the Wear Analysis tool features, check out this video.
Want to explore it for yourself? Download this dataset and download a 10-day trial version of OmniSurf3D!
60-Second Surface Analysis – TraceBoss+ Reference Profile
Do you ever want to compare a surface you’re making to a past surface that you know performed well? TraceBoss+ now gives you that ability with a single click! Find out how the new Reference Profile gives you an immediate visual reference, so instead of just honing by numbers you can target the SHAPE that you know is good.
Learn more about TraceBoss+
60-Second Surface Analysis – Are these peaks real, or noise? Part 1
When your surface texture data shows bumps and spikes, how can you tell whether those peaks are real surface features, or just dirt or measurement noise? In this series of videos, we’re going to give you a few strategies to answer that.
When you question something in your surface data, don’t just trust the numbers—EXPLORE the data. Our OmniSurf3D software gives you the tools to visually explore your data, so you can be confident that you understand what’s happening with your surfaces and processes.
60-Second Surface Analysis – Are these peaks real, or noise? Part 2
If you’re questioning your surface roughness data, don’t just trust the numbers: EXPLORE the surface!
Here’s a measurement with a lot of spikes along the feature edges. Are they real, or are they noise, or dirt, or something else? In Part 2 of this 60-Second Surface Analysis series, we’ll give you some tips on how to tell if the peaks are real—and how to salvage your measurement data if they’re not.
Want to try it for yourself? Download a trial version of OmniSurf3D today!
60-Second Surface Analysis – Are these peaks real, or noise? Part 3
Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest through the trees—or the surface through the peaks! This is the third video in our series about how to tell surface texture features from noise. The peaks on this ground and lapped shaft don’t look like the result of grinding or lapping…can we still salvage this measurement and see the surface that’s hidden within all those peaks? Find out how to do it—and when not to do it—in this 60-Second Surface Analysis video!
60-Second Surface Analysis – Are these peaks real, or noise? Part 4
A few bad data points can dominate your surface texture data. But what can you do if you can’t get better data? In this fourth video in our series we’ll show you how the Surface Editor in OmniSurf3D can help you quickly remove bad data so you can explore the underlying surface. It’s a unique and powerful tool that you won’t find in other software!
60-Second Surface Analysis – Are these peaks real, or noise? Part 5
Are the peaks in your surface texture data real, or noise? There’s another possibility: your analysis may also be creating issues! In Part 5 of our series, we show how comparing analyzed data to raw measurement data can sometimes help you to determine whether peaks are real features or artifacts of the analysis.
This is the fifth video in our 5-part series. Interested in the others? Check them out here!
60-Second Surface Analysis – Microwear
Wear can take time. That’s why in most wear analysis, we exaggerate the wear. We get an answer, just not a representative one.
The new Microwear Analysis in OmniSurf3D lets us see how the surface changed, under actual conditions. It’s a game-changer for wear measurement! To try it for yourself, download a 10-day trial of OmniSurf3D—you may never want to go back to the old way of measuring wear!
60-Second Surface Analysis – Batch Processing
When you’re handling lots of surface texture data, you want to be able to automate the analysis. OmniSurf3D’s Batch Processing handles the tedious tasks, and it’s lightning fast, even on big files. Learn how it can save you time in this 60-Second Surface Analysis video.
Want to try it for yourself? Download a 10-day trial version of OmniSurf3D!
60-Second Surface Analysis – Saving TraceBoss Data to an Active Spreadsheet
In TraceBoss and TraceBoss+ you’ve always been able to export your calculated parameters directly to a spreadsheet. Now, you can also save new measurements to an active spreadsheet. This 60-Second Surface Analysis video shows you how it’s done!
Learn more about TraceBoss and TraceBoss+
60-Second Surface Analysis – 3D Printing Surface Texture
With OmniSurf3D surface texture software you can easily generate STL files to 3D print your surfaces. This video shows you how it’s done.
Digital Metrology’s always been committed to helping you see and explore your surfaces. While seeing your data takes you well beyond the numbers, a surface you can hold in your hand is maybe the most helpful visual aid of all!
Want to try it for yourself? Download free 3D surface texture STL files to print your own samples.
And, visit our Surface Library to download and explore hundreds of datasets using our OmniSurf3D software!