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-photos become 3D |
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Frequently Asked Questions
About requirements of the photos.
General questions.
How does it work?
Answer: By photographing a surface or object from slightly different angles, there is in theory enough information to calculate a 3-dimensional model of the object (at least the parts visible on both photos), this is similar to what your brain does with the images from your two eyes. We use a very sophisticated computer algorithm to do this 3D calculation.
Why can't I see the back of my 3D-model?
Answer: Only surfaces visible on at least two photos will be part of the model, the computer algorithm used can not guess things that it can not see.
Why is there sometime garbage/noise in the generated 3D-model?
Answer: The computer algorithm sometimes gets confused about things in the pictures, this is especially true for large single colored surfaces. To minimize the garbage, be sure to follow the advice on how to take photos below.
What file formats are supported?
Answer: You will receive the 3D model in a zip file containing the following formats:
| Format | extension | |
| 3DS | 3ds | Perhaps the most popular 3D-format, can be imported directly into Google sketchup |
| Anim8or | an8 | Used by the open source (free) program Anim8or. |
| Collada | dae | Used by google earth, use this format if you want to add the model to google earth. Can be viewed in the free program ColladaLoader. |
| VRML 2.0 | wrl | The "old" standard for 3D-objects on the web. Can be viewed in the free program Flux Player |
| X3D | x3d | The "new" standard for 3D-objects on the web. Can be viewed in the free program Flux Player |
Is 3DS supported?
Answer: Yes, the program produces results in 3ds, and it can be imported directly into Google sketchup
Can you import the 3D model into SketchUp?
Answer: Yes, save the result in 3ds-format and use the "import" function in sketchup.
How many "megapixels" do I need?
Answer: If your photos have 2 megapixels or better, you will most likely get good results if you have followed the instructions for how the photos should be taken. 1 megapixel photos will also work in most cases but it is not recommended to use photos with lower resolution.
Can I use a stereographic camera (a camera that takes two pictures simultaneously that simulate two eyes)?
Answer: Yes! A setereo camera is ideal for this application. Photos taken with a stereo camera will almost always yield good results
How can I improve the quality of my 3D model?
Answer: The quality of the generated 3D is completely dependent on that you have followed all the instructions. Read them again and see if you might have missed one. The most common mistake is to have a large angle between the photos. The angle should be very tiny (look at the examples if you are not sure how this could look).
How to take photos that can be converted to 3D models
Important: Photos can not be converted to 3D if these instructions are not followed. All of them has to be followed.
- The photos has to contain the same surfaces. (se figure 1 below)
- The object you photograph should not move. Move the camera instead.
Movements in the object between the photo shots will confuse the calculation algorithm and make the result look funny or not creating a result at all. If you are photographing people, ask them to stand still like statues in between shots. - Use a good light source.
This will minimize the risk of creating fuzzy and noisy photos. Sunlight is ideal, but if you use a lamp, do not move it in between photo shots. The light source has to be still between photo shots (just like the object you photograph). - Do not use a flash (use good a good light source instead).
- The two photos should ideally be taken within an angle of 5-15 degrees from each other (se figure 1 below). Note that this is a very tiny angle and the most common mistake is to use a much larger angle making the resulting 3D-model look bad.
- Make sure the object/surface you are interested in covers the majority of the photos.
This ensures that the object you are interested in is not missed. And you will get more polygons on the object of interest. - Avoid reflective surfaces.
Reflections in a reflective surface might confuse the 3D-generation. - Only color photos will work (do not use black&white photos).
- Do not change the camera zoom between photo shots. If you use 3 or more photos, the converter program will try to recreate the perspective accurately and will assume that the zoom level is the same on all photos (and it will not warn you about this). The result might still be useful if you don't, but not as accurate.
Se our examples to watch how the pair of photos could look. And when you are ready, use our form to start!
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About the free versions .
Is it really free?
Answer: Yes.
Why is it free?
Answer: I have had ideas about how to convert photos to 3D for a very long time, and finally made some of my ideas work. I want to share them with the world because I think it is a really useful technology in many ways and I have yet to figure out how to make money of it...
Who are you
My name is Per Ålund and I live in Gothenburg, Sweden. This site and the Photo-To-3D Converter is a hobby of mine (I have a daytime job). The converter program is based on algorithms that I have developed myself and I have not (yet) used any ideas from the "photo reconstruction" field of research.
Contact information
If you have any questions not answered here, please send an email to: info@photo-to-3d.com
(c) 2009 Per Alund, info@photo-to-3d.com