A novel transfer conveyor transports material from a feed point to an input section of a main conveyor. Bi-directional communication can be added to the system, and a common protocol can be used so that each application does not need to be integrated with every other application. Examples are shown including surface detail transfer between real objects, as well as between real and synthesized objects. If not communicating on the second channel, registration on the broadcast channel is accomplished by transmitting a registration message on the reverse link access channel.