So, you’ve decided you want to try photogrammetry despite my dire warnings. Can’t say that’s a smart choice, but I applaud your stubbornness. Now, what do you need to get started? Well, not a whole hell of a lot, actually.
The Hardware
As you can see from my set up, this is a pretty budget friendly sort of job. It consists of:
-a camera
-a lazy Susan turntable
-playdoh
-a “tripod”
-a “backdrop”
-a shutter release
Optional accessories include:
-a macro lens
-a portable light tent
-a colour card scale
-some lights would probably be helpful
I’ve also used the same setup, minus the shutter release, with my cellphone. The built-in camera app with enabled HDR worked fine.
The Software
There’s lots of photogrammetry freeware available online, as well as licensed programs, but what you’ll need are programs that can:
– Identify features
– Triangulate feature positions
– Combine the triangulated features into a point coud
– Display and edit point clouds
– Project a texture on the 3D mesh
I use Python Photogrammetry Toolbox, which does the first three things; Meshlab for the fourth; and Blender to texturize (hypothetically, I haven’t figured that out yet). All three are under GPL (General Public License), which means that the software is free and customizable, and the artist retains full rights to their work. As both a broke student (and future broke professional -let’s be honest, nobody ever struck it rich in archaeology), and a supporter of Open Source, that was a determining factor in what software I chose.
Plus, you’ll need a platform to show off your results (like Sketchfab*).
Additionally, photo editing software might be a plus.
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