Week #2: Photoscanning

Photogrammetry is the art of taking multiple photos of an object and processing the data from those photos to create form and color data. That form and color data will be used to make a lower poly 3D object that still maintains the same level of detail of the object. I will be using Raw Therapee, Agisoft Photoscan, Maya, Zbrush, Photoshop, Substance Painter, and Marmoset Toolbag to process and show each completed model. This week I started out by taking all of the photos needed for the data. I use a Canon 6D to capture the photos that are then put into the software for processing. Here is a video of the scan data:

     

Once the photo data has been taken you take the photos into Agisoft and Agisoft will align the photos Using tie points and that looks like this:

Once the Photos have been aligned and the tie points have been created the next thing that needs to be done is run the dense cloud process in Agisoft. When the dense cloud has been formed you need to chip away at excess points that you don't need. But once that is done your processed dense cloud should look something like this:

Once the dense cloud has been created you can then created the model using Agisoft's model process. For this statue I set the poly count to 6.5 million faces.The form data from this scan is pretty good. 

Lastly you need to run the texture builder in Agisoft so that the model can get textured using the color data from the pictures. One big problem with using Agisoft though is the UV's that are created in the program are terrible and need heavy clean up. 

Now that the model has been processed and the textures have been built its time to clean the model up so that its not 6.5 million polys. The way that I start this process is by taking the model out of Agisoft and importing it into into Maya. In Maya I lock down the high poly object and use the quad draw tool to start creating the topology that will be used as a low poly model. 

Next week I will be finishing this model by finishing the retop job so that I can UV the new model and start creating the textures.  

As a side project I'm going to experiment with scanning different rooms in my house to see what scanning techniques work well when scanning indoors. This week I scanned my kitchen, It was quite difficult to work with all of the light that is in my kitchen. The other barrier I had to get over was the very white walls that I have in my kitchen. But overall I'm quite happy considering this is my second attempt at it.

Hopefully Ill start to toy with makers for the walls and places where I notice holes. I also have to train my self to shoot an object that is not there.