As pressure increases for faster product development, tighter tolerances, and data-driven engineering, one US automotive specialist is demonstrating just how far modern 3D scanning technology can push the boundaries.
BD Engineering, a company rooted in motorsport, custom fabrication, and precision engineering recently set out to reverse engineer an entire Toyota Supra to develop a new generation of drift-ready performance components.
Rather than relying on manual measurement or partial reference scans, the team adopted a full-vehicle digitisation strategy using the wireless Artec Leo 3D scanner. The result was a complete digital model of the Supra captured in only a few hours - detailed enough to support suspension geometry redesigns, hydraulic handbrake development, and even dynamic simulation work.
What makes this project stand out is the team’s 'close the loop' methodology: instead of scanning isolated sections, BD Engineering captures the whole vehicle, eliminating error propagation and dramatically improving the accuracy of downstream CAD, analysis, and prototyping.
This approach not only cuts design time by more than 80 per cent but also forms the foundation of a scalable 'scan-to-factory' workflow capable of producing high-performance components on demand.
For engineers across automotive, motorsport, and advanced manufacturing, the project offers a compelling look at how next-generation 3D scanning is transforming the pace and precision of reverse engineering.
Read the full case study at Mark3D to explore the complete workflow, the technology behind it, and the engineering outcomes achieved.
