Process

There are more than a few photogrametry software solutions in the market that work well (Agisoft, 123D Catch, Memento, Photosynth, pix4D), but each one is tuned for a particular kind of use case and type of image. Agisoft doesn't process images shot with wide angle lens very well, 123D catch only works for small objects, Memento is still in beta and keeps crashing on me. For this project I used a software called Pix4D geared towards processing drone images that can help you integrate the GPS data captured by the drone quite easily. This improves the image processing tremendously, as the program has a pretty good idea of where the camera was positioned in space to capture each image.

1. Once I'd setup my drone I chose some functions within the Pix4D app that allowed me to take a picture every 1 meter horizontally and 1 meter vertically that the drone covered.

2. Next, I flew my drone from the ground up using an L shaped pattern. I covered each floor of the building before moving on to the next floor.

3. I exported my results to the Pix4D software on my computer and aligned the photos by chunks that corresponded to the 2-3 flights I made on each site.

4. I trimmed the point cloud and mesh in MeshLab.

5. Rendered the point cloud using openFrameworks.