For my midterm, I chose to create a 3D model of the Northfield Depot through photogrammetry. This turned out to be both an incredibly fun and incredibly frustrating experience. It was amazing to see the model slowly come together from the images first starting off as points and then turning into a more solid figure. The less interesting and much more tedious part was due to just how slowly everything came together. Several of the processing steps took hours to complete if the quality was set to high. I ended up having to abort my second try at creating the model and settled for my original one with holes in the roof because the processing was only halfway finished after 8 hours.
Sources
The model was created from 44 photographs of the Northfield Depot provided by Professor Mason. These photographs were taken from various angles in the snow.
Processes
To create the model, the photogrammetry program Agisoft Metashape was used. Photos were uploaded then aligned. Then the points generated after aligning the photos were processed into a dense cloud. The dense cloud was then combined into a mesh. And the final step that made the model look realistic was combining a texture map that wrapped around the mesh. Throughout these processes, extraneous points or objects such as snow were attempted to be removed so that only the building remained.
Presentation
The model is embedded here and can be rotated and zoomed. It can also be accessed through the linked p3d.in site. The complete model is also available as a downloadable pdf at the bottom of this page which can be viewed using Adobe Reader.
My Struggle to Embed
Embedding my model onto this page was extremely difficult. I first installed three different plugins that would supposedly generate a viewable model on my page using shortcode. But the plugins all required a url to the model which wasn’t available from Agisoft Metashape. One plugin allowed the COLLADA dae file format but then WordPress would not allow my dae file to be uploaded into the Media Library due to some sort of security issues. I also tried a plugin that would allow me to directly upload my model without a url, but the upload kept freezing my site (and my laptop was screaming). So I then tried to upload my model to a 3D model site to gain a url. The first two sites I tried had size limitations for the uploads unless I paid for the premium access. The third site I tried accepted the size of my files and even provided me with an <iframe> code for embedding. Finally, I had found something that worked.
Significance
Processing real photographs into a 3D model format allows users to better understand the source of the photographs. Users may not be able to access the physical source in person due to reasons such as harsh weather or travel restrictions. But having a 3D model exponentially broadens the scope of people who can now learn from and appreciate the source given that they have internet access.
Furthermore, the 3D model can be rotated and manipulated so that in this particular case the building can be examined from all sorts of perspectives. In contrast, looking at the building in person would be limited to factors such as the physical height and eye sight of the user and would also be affected by other external factors such as the weather and time of day when viewing the building. The 3D model controls for all of these variables and provides the most standard form of the building.
Models could perhaps also be used to see how destroying or changing certain parts would end up looking without actually damaging the real building. For example, my imperfect model shows the Northfield Depot with several holes in the roof. Such alterations on the model could be useful in examining potential modifications for the actual building or in determining how the natural wear and tear might occur.
The process of creating this model also serves as a way to be further enlightened about the subject of interest. I would have never thought to look so closely at any building and certainly not the Northfield Depot. But rotating the building in all sorts of directions and attempting to clear away the snow gave me a greater appreciation for how this building was designed.
