What is Photogrammetry?
"Photogrammetry has been defined [...] as the art, science, and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through processes of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images [...]"
External Resources
- Photogrammetry on wikipedia
- Photogrammetry LinkedIn group
- Photogrammetry subreddit
- Photogrammetry software reviews
- Free Photogrammetry software
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#photogrammetryWhat can i do with photogrammetry software ?
Photogrammetry software can be used to automatically transform your pictures into beautiful 3D models.
Photogrammetry has many applications that spans from 3D modeling for games and vfx to professional surveys for engineering, archaeology, geology, GIS mapping and much more.
Which photogrammetry software should i get?
There are many software packages you can choose from. When evaluating your choice, you should consider what you are going to use photogrammetry for and which tools you may or may not need during your day to day workflow. For example, if you are a professional surveyor you may want to get 3DF Zephyr Aerial, as it has specific GIS and mapping tools, which you will not need if you use photogrammetry if, for example, your core business is human 3D scanning using scanning booths.
- for beginners
- for power users
- for professionals
Photogrammetry software for beginners
When it comes to hobbysts, free solutions are usually the first choice. If you need a standalone package, make sure to check 3DF Zephyr Free - although it can process only 50 images, is more than enough for hobbysts and beginners.
If you just want to dabble with photogrammetry for some hardaware integration project you should also check open source alternatives, such as Visual SFM. Photogrammetry technology is very complex, so for hobbysts a paid SDK is usually out of reach
After you have learned the ropes of photogrammetry, you may want to get more from your photogrammetry workflow, for example by downloading the free trial of 3DF Zephyr Lite.
Suggested solutions
Photogrammetry software for indie and power users
Beginners usually start off with 3DF Zephyr Free, the standalone 3Dflow package completetly free for personal use. Beginners that do not require much computation power and capture simple photo sets (up to 50 photos) usually do not need anything more.
However, independent artists and small businesses may need more than what can be extracted with the 50 photos limit. 3DF Zephyr Lite (also available on Steam) is the perfect solution, which allows up to 500 photos and features much more tools and features needed for a beginner/intermediate level.
The Lite Edition can export only meshes and textured meshes, all in the most common format such as FBX, OBJ/MTL and Collada.
A great feature common to all Zephyr packages, is the possibilty to automatically extract frames from videos, opening up completely new workflows.
Suggested solutions
Other solutions
Reality Capture
Autodesk Remake
Photogrammetry software for professionals
Professionals require more than "just" the reconstruction technology: while the engine is certainly important - especially accuracy and reliability - the ability to do post processing (such as measurements or simply cleaning) in a professional enviroment and without relying too much on external software is something critical for day to day use.
3DF Zephyr Pro is the standard choice for all professionals that do not need GIS/mapping tools. It has unlimited computation power so you can process all the images you want, laser scan support, batching, scripting, control points, measurements and much more: the perfect solution for close range photogrammetry, engineering and much more.
3DF Zephyr Aerial has basically all the features the Pro edition offers, and even more tools, focused however on GIS/mapping and architecture/topography. These tools span from automatic contour line extraction, CAD drawing to ProjCS support and a ton of very useful other tools. This is the perfect solution for UAV/unammaned 3D survey as well as architecture and other type of mapping.
It is important to also highlight that, like all other Zephyr versions, both Pro and Aerial solutions share the same powerful reconstruction engine and are sold as lifetime licenses: no hidden fees or surprise renewals - once you buy them, they are yours forever and you get twelve months of free updates.
Suggested solutions
Other solutions
Pix4D Mapper
Autodesk Remake