Scene and camera
Scene preparation and camera settings
As the reconstruction of the objects depends on the localisation of 3D reference points in the scene, the construction of the environment is rather important. In order to provide a large number of reference points it is helpful to place the object of interest onto newspapers. This will guarantee structure and reference points for the reconstruction software. The more fixed structure is provided, i.e. even walls of newspapers, the easier the reconstruction. Such a setup will even remove variations in depth and lightning which otherwise might interfere with the 3D reconstruction.
Once the environment is prepared, place the object into the middle of the scene. As the bottom side of
the object will not have any texture and be flat, objects with complex shapes need some more preparation.
One way of guaranteeing that all important aspects of the object survive the modelling process is to let it
dangle from above with help of a nylon thread. The object should not move during the recording session, so
make sure that it is fixed. Another method is to fixate the object with help of sticky tac.
Once the object is in place, make sure that it does not move and that no changes in lightning occure. The scene
should be bright - natural light from outside seems to result in good 3D models. Still, try to avoid reflections
and shadows.
The camera settings should be changed to manual so that you can control focus, ISO, etc. The quality of the resulting model does depend on the quality of the pictures you take. But even a good mobile phone camera can be used to produce satisfying results.
