Software

Photogrammetry: What is it and How is it Used in 3D Printing?

Photogrammetry is a technique for obtaining reliable data from real-world objects in the their natural state by creating 3D models from photographs. 2D and 3D data is extracted from an image and, thanks to overlapping photos of the object, building…

Photogrammetry: What is it and How is it Used in 3D Printing?
3Dnatives

Photogrammetry is a technique for obtaining reliable data from real-world objects in the their natural state by creating 3D models from photographs. 2D and 3D data is extracted from an image and, thanks to overlapping photos of the object, building or terrain, is converted into a 3D digital model. This makes it possible to capture large objects, even landscapes, that would otherwise be impossible to scan. Photogrammetry is therefore often used by surveyors, architects and engineers to create topographic maps, networks or point clouds.

The role of photogrammetry is very important especially in topography. There are many advantages of photogrammetry when compared to classic topographical tools. For example, photogrammetry is both faster and more agile when it comes to data collection. It is also possible to get renderings of difficult to access terrain, especially nowadays, when the use of drones in photogrammetry makes it possible to reach all kinds of places. All the details of the terrain can be continuously mapped through the obtained photographs.

photogrammetry

One of the uses of photogrammetry is in the world of archaeology (photo credits: PAR – Archaeology and National Heritage)

Photogrammetry’s Use in 3D printing

As we mentioned at the beginning, photogrammetry is the technology that allows us to create 3D models of real objects from photographs. The process is as follows: a series of photographs are taken around the object and then, using specific software, these are converted into a 3D model. By taking photographs (or videos) of the object from different perspectives and under constant lighting, the specialized software is able to find representative or characteristic points of the model that are repeated in all the photos. In addition, with a couple of photographs we can create the so-called stereoscopic effect which is necessary to infer the height of any object on the earth’s surface based on the shadows cast by each object, which allows us to increase the accuracy of the scan.