Amazing free tool lets you make 3D models from any photos. New gaming tool?

[major_setback]

I was amazed by this. This new free tool called 123D Catch allows you to make 3D models from any series of photos (12 or more).

I was waiting for a tool like this to come along. It allows you to make 3D models of buildings, people, even aircraft, I presume!! As well as any equipment you find and can take photos of. I thought it would take 20 years for this technology to become available. Now it is here for free!

videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQcefAIDPYA&feature=bf_next&list=PL5C83326FFD767A1C

Related videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byqFZD5AILU&list=PL5C83326FFD767A1C&feature=plpp_play_all


Free tool:

http://www.123dapp.com/catch






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[bongodriver]

Very interesting, shame you have to make an account....I hate that, but I do like the look of the program.

[ytareh]

Anyone tried it ?Any feedback?Looks amazing!

[SiThSpAwN]

Looks very cool indeed.

[major_setback]

WoW. Great model of a pub!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDsk8NdPVKs

stove

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmM0WX0ha_A

Car modelled from photos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jfvx54czBU

Building
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIVL_jDXZ1Q


A building, made from photos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUgjunLrqS8

Room with furniture made with this tool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qij3dK5OzBw&feature=related

Little girl lying down:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J23gWVI84j8&feature=related

Arch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzEbfsksnoQ



others

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1ZEoYChA2U&feature=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc-IDNbPmKo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixkQumdlQ-0

There are videos on Youtube showing how to reduce poly count and convert the models for use in 3D editors so that it would be possible for them to be used in games.

Sorry for posting so many links. But it is such a striking tool with so many possible uses.

[major_setback]

Another nice building model
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFnixiqnEwk

One of the intersting things is that you can make models using old (WWII) photos, as long as you have different angles of view!!

[major_setback]

Very nice video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HXkD7mCtjE

[KG26_Alpha]

Well its ok for a bit of presentation or fun with your photo albums etc....

Photo Strata 3D on Mac has been out a while now.

A complete shadow free stable 3D render would be impossible from photos in an outside environment,
buildings and general landscaping so any importing would look strange with any in game modelling unless they were used in low level LOD's
that might save some time in object creation.

Looks like fun.



Just found this from M$ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXjhxhNEZR4&feature=related



.

[major_setback]

I think it's more than just a toy.
It simplifies model making. Or will do in the future when it has been refined.

Ammo box
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaCeqkAjZlA

[Letum]

The models created by these kind of programs are far too "messy" for use in games.

Modelling real time assets requires a certain kind of 'style' in the way the shapes are made that computers are currently quite bad at.
Computers don't currently understand what parts of a shape are important, where symmetry should be or how to align contours.
These things are important when modelling for games, but require an imagination and understanding that computers currently lack.

These technologies are far more useful in video or film.

[SiThSpAwN]

The models created by these kind of programs are far too "messy" for use in games.

Modelling real time assets requires a certain kind of 'style' in the way the shapes are made that computers are currently quite bad at.
Computers don't currently understand what parts of a shape are important, where symmetry should be or how to align contours.
These things are important when modelling for games, but require an imagination and understanding that computers currently lack.

These technologies are far more useful in video or film.

I'd be interested in taking, say, part of a model (revell, etc) and trying to just render that part and then adding it to a model you are working on, if you know what I mean....

Might help with complex shapes, or for parts that are time consuming... dunno, I will give it a try at some point I am sure....

[major_setback]

The messyness of the moddels would depend on how well the photographic images were, and on how well they were taken.
The benefit is that with enough good photos the model-making is automatically done. Even lighting on the subject is preferable, but lots of models we see in games have less than perfect skins.

I'm sure this kind of technology will be of use to the gaming world before too long.

Natural lighting doesn't have to be a problem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzGxVdlyuPM

[major_setback]

3D model made from the various frames of a movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=gz3LNL7wmqg&feature=endscreen


Here's a perfectly 'clean' model of a simple object. Of the sort that would be well suited for gaming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnmvQWOdrEM

[Hippy Druid]

It's a cool program, it will be good to see how far it develops.
The problem with the meshes is that they contain waaaay too many polys to be used in games.
Someone use the term 'messy', yep, pretty much. Sure you can dumb them down a tad, but all in all you would be best just creating the model from decent references in the first place - if your intention is to create models for games.
Also, it's not your PC doing the calculations (of course). You upload your pic so the render farm can do it's thing. Otherwise your poor EleventyEighth Gen Intel/AMD hybrid processor would burn a whole through to the centre of the earth!

Still. It's fun to show the kids.

[major_setback]

Well, the benefit is that you get a photographic texture that perfectly matches the mesh...which can be reduced without any problems. IT would take a little time, but building something from scratch would take more time.

300 photos of a building (or museum exhibit) could be taken in half an hour to an hour, producing a very high fidelity mesh, without any additional effort.
You couldn't achieve that in such a short time using traditional modelling methods.

And again, it won't be messy if you carefully photograph the subject in reasonable lighting. Look at the videos.

[He111]

no good for me who wants animated, resource lean models

.

[Verhängnis]

Well, the benefit is that you get a photographic texture that perfectly matches the mesh...which can be reduced without any problems. IT would take a little time, but building something from scratch would take more time.

300 photos of a building (or museum exhibit) could be taken in half an hour to an hour, producing a very high fidelity mesh, without any additional effort.
You couldn't achieve that in such a short time using traditional modelling methods.

And again, it won't be messy if you carefully photograph the subject in reasonable lighting. Look at the videos.

Actually, games like Forza (etc) or Mircosoft Flight & Prepar3D use laser scanning technology to get millimetre details for use in games. Really, I don't see a successful commercial application for this. Hence why it is free. Otherwise like any Autodesk product, they would be charging thousands. I can only really see it being used in low budget feature films, or cheap 3d anime's or movies. Why would a studio just not simply hire a professional modeller or a 3d laser scanner?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcqLEIE8MBk

Can be optimized much better and easier than something from photos, and is also a lot more detailed.

[5./JG27.Farber]

Spies eat your heart out! Thats pretty crazy technology.

[SiThSpAwN]

Actually, games like Forza (etc) or Mircosoft Flight & Prepar3D use laser scanning technology to get millimetre details for use in games. Really, I don't see a successful commercial application for this. Hence why it is free. Otherwise like any Autodesk product, they would be charging thousands. I can only really see it being used in low budget feature films, or cheap 3d anime's or movies. Why would a studio just not simply hire a professional modeller or a 3d laser scanner?


Can be optimized much better and easier than something from photos, and is also a lot more detailed.

Fair enough, but there could be other uses, I havent really played with it, have looked at some models created with it and they range from pretty good to craptastic, but it might end up being a decent tool to use as a reference point, or to create one part of a larger model, I hope to play with it sometime this week and see how good a model I can get.

There is no doubt that it can not touch something like what iRacing does with their tracks, that is a given. But it is pretty cool, and who knows where it will go. My question is will you get better results the more pictures you take, and the better the lighting is, etc...

[Letum]

3D model made from the various frames of a movie:

Here's a perfectly 'clean' model of a simple object. Of the sort that would be well suited for gaming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnmvQWOdrEM


That is a million miles away from 'clean'!
Not in the least suited to gaming either. It's a messy model and textures straight from photographs need to be heavily edited if they are to be used in a game.

[major_setback]

That is a million miles away from 'clean'!
Not in the least suited to gaming either. It's a messy model and textures straight from photographs need to be heavily edited if they are to be used in a game.

It's absolutely clean enough. Stop arguing!! :-)

If you want a worn bench that people will view from a distance - it is perfect.

[SiThSpAwN]

It's absolutely clean enough. Stop arguing!! :-)

If you want a worn bench that people will view from a distance - it is perfect.

I may be wrong, but I think when he says messy he means too many polygons, and the more polygons used the more resources it takes to render. So even at a distance it would affect performance if the poly count was too high.

[Letum]

I may be wrong, but I think when he says messy he means too many polygons, and the more polygons used the more resources it takes to render. So even at a distance it would affect performance if the poly count was too high.

It's not just about the polly count. Messy models have irregular geometry, holes, intersections, floating faces, incomprehensible and wasteful UV layouts, unwelded edges and the mesh is denser where there is more noise instead of being denser where more detail is needed. They are a nightmare to repair as well.