Make a Few 3D Clay Pot Models via Photogrammetry

I think one of the most favorite things in computer graphics is photogrammetry. Everybody can make a sophisticated 3D model just by taking some photos by his or her smartphone and then put them in specialized software and that software will apply some of its algorithms on these unordered pictures and finally build up what you were expected in the first place. Now you have all that meticulous details on the outer part of the model surface without any single stroke in sculpturing applications like ZBrush or Mudbox. Although there are a bunch of other really expensive devices like FARO Scanner and Artec Leo to gather more accurate data from objects or sites, photogrammetry only requires a camera, a computer, and photogrammetry software. Despite this accessibility, for other fields, like archaeology and paleontology, it remains limited.

One of the most challenging issues in taking appropriate photos for photogrammetry is lighting. The best lighting setup possible will result in the best photos you will get. So if every inch of the object receives the same amount of light from all directions, the data produced from these exposures will be more consistent and show less variability. Having a good amount of light will enable you to set the best possible camera settings for shutter speed, f-stop, and ISO. Changing the focal length during shooting and grainy photos have a detrimental effect on the result. Because of all of these reasons and lack of lighting equipment, I usually use the natural light of outdoor spaces. In this case, I used the roof of our three-story house on a sunny day, and because of two adjacent multi-story buildings, there was a soft shadow on the roof. This is what every photogrammetry project needs: an ambient light.

For each pot, I took about 80 to 100 photos in three or four different angles. You can see the camera positions in the screenshot below: