Digital Surf has created a new 4D software module that allows for metrological analysis of the evolution of a 3D surface in a 4th dimension. Mountains Technology Version 5 offers topographical analysis of micro and nanosurfaces and is compatible with any 3D instrument.
Changes in height on the z axis are now not only a function of the x, y position, but also of a 4th dimension t, which can also be temperature, pressure, magnetic field or any other physical constraint applied to an object or surface for the purpose of studying its reaction.
Simulated flights over 3D surfaces changing in time can be output to a video file for animated presentations. The analysis features include tools for manipulating and quantifying 4D series or surfaces. In particular, it is possible to follow the evolution of a point or a zone over time, to correlate the evolution of a surface texture parameter with the evolution of another physical unit, and to study the statistical dispersion of a roughness parameter. 
Evolution of a biological surface over time. There is a one week interval between each image.
A tool that has been around for a long time, but is new in the analysis of surface topography, is the KLT (Karhunen-Loève Transform). The KLT makes it possible to automatically identify zones on a surface that behave differently, with a view to locating them and studying them separately.
The 4D analysis can be used to study surface change over time – corrosion, UV depolymerisation of epoxy in a composite material, loss of surface protection provided by galvanization, painting or varnishing, wear on fibers, and dissolution or scratching of a barrier layer. It can also be used to measure warping that takes place due to an external force like thermal or pressure, to study a functioning micro-system, or to study surfaces such as self-assembling nanostructures and self-repairing surfaces.
For more information, visit:
www.digitalsurf.fr
Digital Surf
16, rue Lavoisier
F-25000 Besançon
France
Phone: +33 3 81 50 48 00