OrthoFoot 3D go DEEP, go further!

Abstract

OrthoFoot 3D software is a CAD/CAM desktop application which has as its main goal providing to the physiotherapy professional a simple, but yet complete and robust environment capable of creating customized insoles. These insoles have the purpose of making corrections of patient's postural problems. Making large use of the computational library DS-Lib, the OrthoFoot 3D software was developed by DeepSoft to the TechFeet company. In this work, DeepSoft and its team coded/developed the whole software, from its user interfaces and kernel to its mesh processing and 3D visualization algorithms, while TechFeet provided all the medical and postural expertise in physiotherapy.

CAD Module

The OrthoFoot 3D software provides through its user interface, access to 4 major features: Previously scanned feet models importing; Shoe specific and "out-of-the-box" insoles creation; Insoles geometry editing; Final insoles exporting in the G-Code format so they can be physically built by using a router equipment (equipment for automatic and computer controlled cutting).

Within its builtin 3D environment, after having a 3D foot imported, OrthoFoot 3D allows that insoles for several kinds of shoes get created and customized according to the patient's needs. Those modifications can be performed essencially in two ways:

1. By the execution of algorithms developed by DeepSoft which perform modifications in specific areas of the 3D mesh of the insole according to the related orthopedic needs (in specific regions such as in the longitudinal arch, heel, among others);

2. Adding the CAD models of predefined adjustments with the insole's main mesh. In the OrthoFoot 3D tridimensional environment created by DeepSoft, it is possible to have the user modifying the CAD adjustments models by translations, rotations and resizing/rescaling (width, length and thickness) operations. After placed, rotated and rescaled, an adjustment can be then applied to the creating insole through a process that consists of a type of merging between the insole's 3D mesh and the adjustment's mesh, in order to ensure that the desired geometry gets added to the insole, but also, keeping the smoothness at the transition areas between the meshes.

CAM Module

In addition to the CAD features, it was also developed by DeepSoft the CAM module responsible for exporting the final insoles into a G-Code format file, which is a well-known format widely used by CNC routers, which because of the explained, become capable of manufacturing the physical and real world insoles. In this module, the algorithms created by DeepSoft that are used by OrthoFoot 3D are parameterized in a way to meet with accuracy and precision the specifications of the routers that are officially supported by TechFeet company and commercialized by the company bundled to the OrthoFoot 3D software.