Small object, big effort, and a happy ending

Below are screenshots of my 3D model of digital art by Elmer Kouwenberg. It was made on Agisoft Metashape Pro, using 126 pictures taken on my iPhone 12 in natural light.

Challenges

Parts of the object were unsuitable for 3D modelling. Generally, thin, transparent objects and smooth, reflective surfaces are difficult for the software to recognize.

Figure 4: The sides of my object were thin, a challenge for the 3D software
Figure 5: The back had large smooth white spaces and the original stand was a thin, hollow triangle with translucent wire

To address these issues, I used tape and stickers to add texture. I also covered the difficult-to-render triangle stand with a blue box stand. Despite these modifications, parts of the object were not modelled well. In the Dense Cloud, we see holes on the white surface:

Figure 6: Holes produced on the smooth white parts (Dense Cloud)

The software also generated weird textures for white surfaces during Mesh. Although I thought the texture was pretty, it was not true to the object. So I did my best to close holes and smooth the mesh.

Figure 7: Holes were filled and smoothed in the mesh stage

Additionally, thin edges were difficult to mask. Some points from the background remained ‘floating’ on the edges. I did my best to remove these points using the Select and Delete tools.

Figure 8: ‘Floating’ points from the background from imperfect masking
Figure 9: ‘Floating’ points might seem small but they generate ugly ‘tumours’ (encircled) during the Mesh and Texture stages if not removed in the Dense Cloud!
Figure 10: Close up of ‘tumour’ due to floating points not being cleaned up.

The Bright Side

The art itself, the most important part, was colorful and matte. It presented no issues to the software. Alignment was easy, because I used coded targets. I also followed the hemisphere principle, making sure to sufficiently capture edges and corners.

Figure 11: Trust your teacher when they say, ‘Use the coded targets!’
Figure 12: Following the hemisphere principle for both the top and bottom makes a sphere

Last thoughts

3D modelling will go smoothly if we:

1. Inspect objects for suitability and DIY as needed.

Some objects are NOT suitable for 3D modelling. Taking time to ‘problematize’ features of an object and finding out of there are solutions can save heartache later on. Making modifications that do not hide the original can help.

2. Photograph well.

A good 3D model starts with a good dataset. Taking time to plan the photography workflow (angles, number of pictures etc) and creating a good set (with targets, proper lighting, no background noise) is worth it. Photos align better and the quality is clear.

Overall, investing time at the start can save lots of processing time later on!

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