From the course: 3D Scanning with a Camera

Choosing a subject - ReCap Pro Tutorial

From the course: 3D Scanning with a Camera

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Choosing a subject

- Not every object is a good candidate for scanning with Photogrammetry. Let's explore how to choose a subject. Here are some factors to think about. Your subject needs to be inanimate, or sitting perfectly still. It takes several minutes, to take the necessary photos. And while it's possible to scan something that's alive, it's easier to work with inanimate objects, especially while you're first learning. Pick an object that allows full access. Ideally you want to move 360 degrees around your subject. The surface of the object is really important. And a matte surface is the easiest to work with. Transparent, reflective, glossy, or metallic objects, aren't going to work for this process. This process relies on the object looking the same, from all angles, and reflections create surface distractions, that throw off the triangulation process. Now, there aren't any hard and fast rules about size. But your object will need to fill the whole frame of your camera. If you want to capture something very large, you might need a ladder to get up to take your high shots. And if your object is very small, you'll need to get very close to take your photos. 3D scanning is particularly good at capturing sculptural details that many people find difficult to model. 3D scanning isn't a replacement for 3D modeling. And there are lots of objects that are easier to model, than they are to scan. If you can look at an object, and break it down into basic 3D forms like cubes, spheres, cones, it's probably a better candidate for modeling. Also objects like replacement parts, or hardware that need really exacting tolerances, aren't going to work well for the scanning process either. Use the guidelines in this video, to pick an object of your own. In this course, we'll be working with this plaster lions head, which fits the guidelines nicely.

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