Photogrammetry is the creation of a 3D model from still images. To create a successful 3D model, you require lots of pictures of the “subject”, taken from a wide range of angles. For best results, you should take all your images on a dull overcast day to prevent prominent shadows. The shadows will become part of your model.

Sometimes you just need to make the best of what you have. For example, if you wish to capture your images on a day with strong sunlight, you may be able to adjust the lighting in your 3D modelling program to make the shadows look as if they are a dynamic part of your scene. As an example, we recently visited the Grave of Robert Thom, and I wanted to try and do a photogrammetry scan. Unfortunately, the lighting was very harsh and there were very visible shadows on the model. I was able to use this to create a model, but it is far from ideal. We ended up releasing this as a YouTube short, but we will return in the future to get a better set of images.

The first step is to take your images. The number of images you will need depends on the type of object you are scanning. For a large model such as a building, you may need several hundred or even thousands. For the grave example previously mentioned, I took 190 images.

You can then import your images into your Photogrammetry software. There are two pieces of software we use. Meshroom and Reality Scan.

The photogrammetry software will inspect your images and align them to create the 3D model that will be your result. You can then export it to a file type of your choice.

The final step is to manipulate and render your model. We currently use Blender for this step. We are able to export the finished file as a .obj file from the photogrammetry software, then import it into Blender.

Within Blender we can set up keyframe animations to show the model and set up a camera to move around the object. We then export it as a video file.

The resulting file can then be viewed or uploaded as you wish. We import it as a video clip into Davinci Resolve and carry out a basic edit with music and our intro.

A photogrammetry example with good lighting and 200 images

A quick example created with 30 images in poor lighting conditions…