A DimeVision scan takes a photo of your bead, outlines the visible defects, and names one change for the next pass.
You take the photo in the DimeVision welding app on iOS, or you upload one on the web. The app keeps a defect only when it can outline that defect on the photo, and only if the name is on a fixed list.
The next-pass panel leads with the first defect, or with another pass when none are listed. It is a practice aid. It does not accept the weld.
The photo
Use the camera or upload a picture of a practice bead. MIG, TIG, stick, and flux-core coupons are the processes the scan may name when the photo supports it. A clear, lit frame with the whole bead in view helps. Put a US coin or a ruler in the frame if you want sizes in millimeters. Without one, sizes stay relative to the bead.
A video file is sampled into still frames, and those frames are read the same way. If the picture is not a weld, you get no defect list.
Defect callouts
Each kept defect has a name from the app's list, a severity of Minor, Noticeable, or Severe, a short description, and a region drawn on the photo. The photo shows a numbered outline for each region. The list uses the same numbers. Selecting a defect focuses its outline.
Names you may see include porosity, undercut, spatter, cold lap, overlap, crack, burn-through, and irregular bead width. A call the model will not outline is dropped, so a dark or cropped photo can come back with an empty list. Take another shot with the whole bead in frame and better light.
The scan reports what is visible on the surface. It will not invent a hidden root problem from the face of the bead alone. Lack of fusion or lack of penetration is kept only when that edge is actually visible in the photo.
The next pass
If a defect is listed, the panel title is "Fix" plus that defect's name, and the text is the first recommendation. If no defect is listed, the panel is titled "Tighten the next pass" or "Prove it twice", and it tells you to run the same setup again. Further recommendations sit behind "More recommendations".
You can also ask Danny about that scan in text chat. Free includes 5 Danny messages a day. Pro includes Danny text chat past the free daily cap.
What you do with it
Read the callout. Change one thing. Run another bead. Photograph that one too. Free is 3 scans a day. Pro is $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year to save scans to your logbook and portfolio, plus Danny text chat past the free daily cap. Plan details are on pricing. A separate 7-day plan is $14 one-time.
A simulator will not do this step. It rehearses the motion. The scan reads the metal. That split is on DimeVision vs welding simulators, and the wider simulator write-up is the welding simulator apps review.
Key facts
- Input
- A photo of a practice bead, or a video sampled into frames.
- Callouts
- Numbered outlines on the photo, from a fixed list of defect names.
- Next pass
- One change, led by the first defect when one is listed.
- Free
- 3 scans a day. 5 Danny text messages a day.
- Pro
- $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year. Save scans to your logbook and portfolio, and Danny text chat past the free daily cap.
- What it is not
- A practice aid. It does not accept the weld.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the iOS app to scan a bead?
The iOS app is the primary way. The same scan is available on the web if you would rather upload a photo in the browser.
What if the photo is dark or cropped?
You may get no callouts. A defect is shown only when it can be outlined on the photo. Retake it with the whole bead in frame and better light.
Does the scan measure the bead?
With a US coin or a ruler in the frame, sizes can come back in millimeters. Without one, sizes stay relative to the bead.
What is the next-pass note?
If a defect is listed, the panel is titled Fix plus that defect name, and the text is the first recommendation. If none are listed, the panel tells you to run the same setup again.
Does a scan accept the weld?
No. It is a practice aid. It names visible defects and one next change. It does not accept the weld. Free is 3 scans a day. Pro is $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year.