Photogrammetry uses 2D images to make accurate 3D measurements of objects. Advances in technology have made the process easier, leading to commercial uses such as creating photorealistic 3D images for advertising and film. The technique can also be used to create textures for models, resulting in ultra-realistic models and textures.
Photogrammetry is the use of a two-dimensional (2D) image or images, such as a photograph, to allow a person to analyze the image in order to make accurate measurements of the size and orientation of objects in the image with respect to to the original three-dimensional (3D) space. The process allows a person to make measurements of the height, width and depth of objects in a photograph or similar 2D image, which can then be used to recreate the objects to scale in 3D space. With 3D photogrammetry, the application is used to take images of objects, such as photographs, and recreate the original object as a 3D computer model, typically for use in computer animation or similar applications.
This technique is almost as old as photography itself and was used with some of the earliest daguerreotype images captured. With advances in computers and technology however, the process became easier as computers could handle many of the technical aspects of photogrammetry and perform the necessary calculations based on the 2D images. This has allowed 3D photogrammetry to become more practical and has led to a number of commercial uses for the technology.
3D photogrammetry is basically a modern application of the original concept. Rather than just making calculations to understand the size of an object, for purely mathematical or geometric reasons, the measurements are used to create a 3D model of the object. This can be made for use in advertising, film or a number of other potential applications. For example, a car advertisement may feature images of a car driving in a pristine environment that seems too perfect for the real world but too accurate for computer-generated imagery (CGI).
This is because it is a combination of real and CGI. Rather than creating a 3D model of the car and surrounding buildings through traditional CGI modeling techniques, 3D photogrammetry can be used to enable the creation of incredibly realistic models. This is because computer software can capture images of the car, surrounding buildings and any other part of the environment in the image, and make precise measurements of every line, angle and size of objects.
3D photogrammetry can also be used in creating textures for models, so that texture mapping is also based on the original photographs, creating ultra-realistic models and textures. Due to the typically very high polygon count of models made using this method, 3D photogrammetry is rarely used for applications such as video games. For realistic applications such as commercials and cinematic special effects, however, the technique is often perfect for allowing the relatively simple creation of photorealistic 3D images.
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