PhotoModeler Premium

PhotoModeler Premium provides the tools for you to create accurate, high quality 3D models and measurements from photographs.


PhotoModeler Premium Overview

PhotoModeler Premium provides the tools for you to create accurate, high quality 3D models and measurements from photographs. The process is called photo-based 3D scanning.

PhotoModeler Premium is a 3D scanner that provides results similar to a 3D laser scanner (with appropriate textures). This 3D scanning process produces a dense point cloud (Dense Surface Modeling, DSM) from photographs of textured surfaces of virtually any size. PhotoModeler Premium is also perfect for many drone / uav projects.

The PhotoModeler Premium software has all the capabilities of the base PhotoModeler Standard product plus the capability to do Dense Surface Modeling (DSM), 3D scanning, SmartMatch, Geographic Systems, and Motion capture. Because Premium can handle all the functions of Standard (such as coded targets, manual projects, etc.), if you have a mix of project types, Premium may be the best choice for you. See the chart on the detailed feature comparison for a quick comparison of the products.

PhotoModeler Premium is a sophisticated tool to build accurate Dense Surface Models and get measurements from your photos. Use PhotoModeler Premium to build:

  • Dense Surface Models where a large number of 3D points are needed.
  • Models that traditionally would require a 3D laser scanner.
  • Drone and UAV projects such as volume measurement, ortho-photos, contours, etc.
  • Perform measurements over time with the Motion capability.


PhotoModeler Premium Main Features


  • Accurate and persistent measure of Volumes with the Volume Object
  • Handling of geographic coordinate systems
  • Handling of UAV GPS data for coordinate systems or as control data (from either image EXIF headers or independent txt/csv file)
  • Accurate UAV camera auto-calibration
  • DEM (gridded and triangulated)
  • High-accuracy, balanced, geo-referenced ortho-mosaic photo export
  • PDF project report
  • Easy to Use and Learn: Includes an advanced Windows user interface, Wizards for easy project set-up, extensive multimedia tutorials (over 4 hours playing time!), printed user guide, and extensive on-line help.
  • Modeling Tools: Create models using PhotoModeler's Point, Line, Curve, Edge, Cylinder, and Shape marking tools.
  • Surface Tools: Add surfaces to features defined by Points, Lines, Curves, and Edges. Create NURBS Surfaces from Lines, Edges, and Curves.
  • Photo-textures: Add photo-textures and colors to surfaces. Export textures with 3DS, OBJ, VRML, and 3DM.
  • 3D Viewer: View, measure, select objects, and interactively rotate the created 3D models with full photo-textures.
  • Measurement Tools: Perform point, distance, length and area measurements right within PhotoModeler.
  • Coded Targets: Automate the setup (initial marking and referencing) of the project, or the extraction 3D data points using targets with a special code ring that the software recognizes in the images.
  • Scale/Rotate/Translate: This feature provides you the ability to apply proper scale to your project and set your model in the proper coordinate system for exporting.
  • Export Capabilities: Export your model to Autodesk DXF (2D and 3D), 3D Studio 3DS, Wavefront OBJ, VRML (1&2), IGES, OpenNURBS/Rhino, StereoLithography STL, RAW, Maya Script, Max Script, FBX, and Google Earth’s KML and KMZ.
  • Import Capabilities: Import 3D data for use as control points, affine (coordinate systems), mesh comparison, or photo projection.
  • Photograph Handling: Work with any number of photographs, add new photographs at any time, and import many different image formats. * Image Control: Use extensive Zoom Tools for accurate sub-pixel marking, Photo Rotate for easier viewing, and Image Enhancement for increased visibility.
  • Camera Support: Use images from digital, film, or video cameras. Automatic Camera Orientation determines the position of the camera when the image was taken. Use different cameras in the same project.
  • Camera Calibrator: Accurately measure your camera's focal length, principal point, digitizing aspect ratio and lens distortion.
  • Photo-Projections Check project quality by projecting 3D data onto your photos.
  • Customizable Interface: Control the layout and appearance of your PhotoModeler screen. Customizable items include toolbars, short cut keys, and colors for items such as 3D objects, Projections, and the 3D Viewer.



System Requirements


PhotoModeler Premium will run on:

  • Windows 10
  • Windows 8
  • Windows 7

Please note that older versions of PhotoModeler are not guaranteed to work on versions of operating systems newer than the PhotoModeler release date.


Minimum System Specifications

The minimum system requirements for PhotoModeler Premium (when doing SmartMatch and Dense Modelling projects) are:

  • Intel Core i7
  • 16GB RAM, (the more RAM you can afford the better, 32 to 64GB of RAM or more is not unheard of)
  • 5GB hard disk space
  • sound hardware for the video tutorials

To create your own models, a method of capturing images is required, such as a digital camera.

Improved System Specifications

The optimal computer configuration and hardware requirements for using PhotoModeler depends on which version of the software you are using, and the type of projects you are running.

Automatic Point Clouds & Meshes (SmartPoints) project types – which includes the vast majority of aerial projects – within PhotoModeler Premium can be hardware intensive. 64-bit Windows OS is needed for access to larger amounts of RAM (ideally 32GB or more). If you are using relatively high resolution images and a large number of photos, a faster CPU such as Intel i7 or i9 can help cut down on processing time.



Import Formats

Image formats that PhotoModeler Premium can load

  • JPEG (.jpg)
  • Tiff (.tif)
  • Windows BMP (.bmp)
  • PC Paintbrush (.pcx)
  • Targa (.tga)
  • Portable Network Graphics (.png)
  • Pict (.pct)
  • Photoshop (.psd)
  • Portable Pixmap (.ppm)
  • Macintosh Paint (.mac)
  • EA Interchange File Format (.iff)
  • CALS Raster (.cal)
  • PhotoCD (.pcd)
  • Silicon Graphics Image (.sgi)
  • Silicon Graphics RGB (.rgb)
  • Jpeg2000 (.jp2/.jpx)
  • MS HDphoto (.hpd/.wdp)

Video formats that PhotoModeler Premium can load

  • MOV
  • MP4 (mpeg 4)
  • AVI
  • WMV
  • 3GP
  • MPEG
  • Note, the ability to load any of the above depends on how the video is encoded and if your computer has a matching codec. PhotoModeler does include the H.264 codec used often in mp4 and mov.

3D file import formats (used for control points, coordinate system transforms, and perspective model matching):

  • DXF
  • Wavefront OBJ
  • 3D Studio
  • Raw Text file
  • CSV

3D point cloud import formats (Premium only):

  • LAS
  • STL
  • OBJ
  • PLY
  • BYU
  • FACET
  • DAT
  • TXT
  • PLY


Export Formats

PhotoModeler Premium export 3D model data in the following formats:

Extension Name Supports photographic textures
3ds 3D Studio
3dm Rhino
csv Comma Separated Values
dxf 2D & 3D DXF
fbx Filmbox
igs IGES
kml Google Earth
kmz Google Earth
las ASPRS LAS †
ma Maya script
ms 3D Studio Max script
obj Wavefront
pts PTS - XYZ scan data
txt RAW XYZ coords †
wrl VRML 1 & 2

PhotoModeler Premium, in addition to all the exports above, can also export point cloud and mesh data in these mesh-specific formats:

Extension Name Export types supported
byu Brigham Young triangulated mesh
facet FACET triangulated mesh
iv Inventor point cloud, triangulated mesh
ply Polygon triangulated mesh
stl STereoLithography triangulated mesh
txt RAW point cloud xyz point cloud†

[Other Exports]

Animations
PhotoModeler can create animated videos of the 3D View. These animation videos can be exported as GIF or AVI files. In addition animations can be uploaded directly to YouTube.

Orthophotos
PhotoModeler can create and export orthophotos (remapped photos to remove shape and perspective distortion). These can be exported in the following image formats: jpg, tif, bmp, pcx, tga, png, pct, psd, iff, cal, sgi, and rgb.

Tables
The various numeric and textual data tables (photos, points, lines, curves, surfaces, etc.) can also be exported as space-, tab-, or comma-delimited text files (txt,csv).

PDF
Generate a PDF report with numerous configuration options for internal project documentation or sharing with a client. PhotoModeler Premium only.

API / Programmability
PhotoModeler can be accessed by an external application through the Windows standard DDE interface. The DDE interface provides both control over the program as well as data import and export capabilities. See the help file for more detail.

※ Note that not all format types support all PhotoModeler entity types.

† Photographic texture export for point formats is rgb coloring of each point from the original photos.



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