The Steuart Systems photorealistic 3D scanner uses hardware & software to produce 3D models, but how good is our software? We used the ETH 3D benchmark to evaluate it. We were hoping to be in the top 10% of the 116 entries from around the world, and the March 31 2022 benchmark result put us at #1….
Garbage in Garbage out It is amazing that 3D models can be created from regular (uncalibrated) pictures. This link shows some nice examples of how uncalibrated images can be used to make 3D models. Quality in Quality out Our approach is harder, but our results are better. We precisely calibrate our cameras, and we use…
Here is an example of our latest results after a few more weeks of tuning the noise reduction controls. Now that most artifacts and distortion are sufficiently reduced, we will begin merging scans to produce larger models.
We have steadily improved our scanning results over the last 6 weeks by modifying hardware, writing new software, and tuning over a dozen variables. The video below demonstrates the effect of our enhanced noise reduction: Low noise in 3D models is important for two reasons: Low noise 3D looks better. Low noise 3D models…
Here is an early 3D scan from our latest prototype scanner. EARLY is a key word here, because our scanner has only been operational for a couple of weeks. During the last year my team has completely upgraded the scanner hardware including cameras, lenses, chassis, and calibration tools. We have also ported our software from…
This year’s enhancements to the image processing routines in our stereo scanning software has improved processing speed and 3D model accuracy. Comparisons between our current results and those from 9 months ago show that we have reduced the magnitude of one type of geometric error in our 3D scans by a factor of 2 to…
Making 3D models is time consuming. Recent programs like Google’s SketchUp (it’s free) have simplified the process of making digital 3D models, but SketchUp is definitely not automatic. To make a 3D model look photorealistic, real world pictures can be “projected” onto a SketchUp model. While this technique can add realism, SketchUp is still a…
This 3D model includes alignment errors……. and we know how to fix them. Our objective is to develop an automatic 3D model creation system, and we know from experience that the errors will get smaller as our calibration process is refined. Below is a description of how this model was made using images from Proto-4F…
Photorealistic 3D scanning has unique requirements when compared to regular photography. Because a 3D model will be viewed from multiple perspectives, the 3D scanner must be able to capture multiple perspectives. Not only must you move left and right when scanning, you must also move up and down. This scissor jack was built to allow…
The cameras are finally calibrated, and the communications and power systems are installed and working. Now I can finally begin producing scans to test and fine tune the software. Today I scanned part of the lab, and the animated GIF illustrates the 3D nature of the scan. When producing a 3D model, multiple perspectives must…