digitalizing the world around us - using photogrammetry and 360 cameras to make point cloud data
With the covid-19 pandemic shutting down video production for a few months we had time to try something new, making 3D models of the real world around us using photogrammetry. The basic principle is that you take multiple photos of an object, can be something small like a cup or even big like a castle, and then use 3D modeling software like Unity or TouchDesigner to process the data to recreate that object digitally. A bit like google street view.
Using photogrammetry to make a point cloud of the real world allows you to recreate that world virtually, allowing an immersive experience that can even go beyond what is possible in reality. Point cloud data can have useful applications in the areas of natural disaster education, real estate, heritage building conservation, and is particularly useful in the current Covid-19 pandemic where travel is being restricted.
Photogrammetry is usually done with either a DSLR camera using a wide angle lens, or even the wide angle lens on an iPhone Pro can get good results in environments without too much variation in light, but we decided to take the photos with our Inspire2 drone, so we could digitalize something on a bigger scale. But what to photograph? I had just filmed this beach shrine around the back of Miyajima Island in Hiroshima a week before so we decided to make a 3D of model of that and see what we could do.
This is the one shot I filmed with the drone at the shrine one weekend with the family
So we went back and took about 30 photos of the shrine from a variety of angles and heights, making sure that there were no blind spots.
his is what we came up with first. Feels like the hand of god, being able to spin the shrine around on the computer.
We partnered with Madoka Kono from Imgee on this project and he came up with this funky version.
Madoka also makes ‘cyber namunamu’ event visuals, combining chanting from a Buddhist monk and comments from attendees in real time. An example here.
As well as doing taking photos on the outside of the shrine to make an external digital model, we also took some photos with a 360 camera of the inner part of the shrine and close to it, hoping to link the outside and inside shots together at some stage. Click on the picture below to go the 360 tour of the shrine, made with Cupix.
