As a designer, you’ve likely faced the frustration of inaccurate color captures from phone photos. TRA:CE, an innovative pocket CMF scanner, addresses this issue by directly reading colors, materials, and finishes from surfaces. This device, unlike camera sensors that often guess at ambient conditions, delivers accuracy where it counts.
The design is straightforward. TRA:CE resembles a sleek, coin-like disc with a glossy top display and an optical scanner on the underside. The simplicity lies in the interaction: place it down and press a button. This contrasts sharply with taking photos, which rely heavily on often unpredictable lighting.
Designer: Seongwook Jin
Revolutionizing Surface Scans with this Device
Simply place the disc on a surface and press the side button to start scanning. A radiating animation on the display indicates progress as the sensor captures detailed data beyond just color. It gathers material type, texture, and finish characteristics, viewing a sample as a comprehensive dataset instead of a mere hex code.
When in a showroom, distinguishing between satin and matte can be challenging due to lighting effects. The scanner bypasses these inconsistencies by scanning the surface itself, ensuring accurate capture over unreliable photos or fading memory. A simple press captures the necessary details in seconds.
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Precision and Portability
Each scan is stored in a companion app as a reference card. It includes detailed breakdowns into HEX, RGB, LAB, and CMYK values, alongside Pantone or RAL matches, material grain, pore size, and gloss readings. This precise documentation ensures your design team can rely on high fidelity information long after the initial scan.
The device’s pocket-friendly design allows it to be a constant companion. Whether clipped to a bag or hanging from a lanyard, it seamlessly integrates into your workflow in a material library, a showroom, or on-site. This ease of access transforms the device from a specialized tool into an essential everyday item.
Previously, color notes were approximate, dependent on unreliable light or memory. The scanner changes this with verifiable, stored records, transforming fleeting material observations into actionable data for future use.
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Source: yankodesign.com
Frequently asked questions
What is the function of the TRA:CE scanner?
The TRA:CE scanner directly reads colors, materials, and finishes from surfaces, ensuring accurate captures by scanning the surface itself, rather than relying on unpredictable lighting or fading memory.
How does the TRA:CE scanner operate?
To operate the TRA:CE scanner, you simply place the disc on a surface and press a button. The device indicates progress with a radiating animation as it captures detailed data beyond just color.
What information does the TRA:CE device provide after a scan?
Each scan is stored in a companion app as a reference card, including breakdowns into HEX, RGB, LAB, and CMYK values, alongside Pantone or RAL matches, material grain, pore size, and gloss readings.