USAID Protect Wildlife

Drone Image Processing and Analysis Training (DIPAT) Program

Assignment 3: Generating Mapping Products Using Agisoft Metashape

(Part 2)

Generating Orthomosaics

To produce an orthomosaic and digital elevation model (DEM), mesh reconstruction is an

important step. Metashape can reconstruct polygonal mesh model based on the point cloud
information (Dense Cloud, Sparse Cloud, or Point Cloud uploaded from external source) or based
on the depth maps data.

1. To build a mesh, select the [Build Mesh] from the workflow menu. This will open a dialog
box.
2. Select the desired reconstruction parameters and click [OK] when done. Look at the
Console and list down the processes involved in building a mesh.

For this assignment, we will use the following parameters:

Reconstruction Parameters:
Source Data: Dense cloud (Note: Created in DIPAT assignment 2. The Dense point cloud is used
because we want an accurate and detail representation of the 3D surface.)
Surface Type: Arbitrary (3D) (When dense or sparse cloud is set as the source data, you have
the option to choose either Arbitrary (3D) or Height field (2.5D). Arbitrary surface type can be used for
modeling of any kind of object. It doesn't make any assumptions on the type of the object being modeled,
which comes at a cost of higher memory consumption. Height field surface type is optimized for modeling of
planar surfaces, such as terrains or base reliefs. It should be selected for aerial photography processing as it
requires lower amount of memory and allows for larger data sets processing.)
Quality: (This is enabled only when the Source Data is set to Depth maps. Specifies the desired
reconstruction quality of the depth maps, providing that they are selected as a source option. Higher quality
settings can be used to obtain more detailed and accurate geometry, but they require longer time for the
processing.)
Face Count: Low

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Set the Advanced parameters to their default settings for now.

Figure 1. Build Mesh parameters

After processing, the mesh will now be in the display pane.

Figure 2. 3D Mesh output (325,776 faces)

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 You can also try building a mesh with different parameters (e.g., Medium, High, Custom for the
Face count). In Figure 3, a Face Count of only 100,000 is used.

Figure 3. 3D Mesh output (100,000 faces)

Compare the 2 mesh models and observe how the changes in the face count affect the
output. Do this also for the other parameters.

Generate a mesh model with Surface Type set to Height field (2.5D). Compare this with
your Arbitrary (3D) mesh model.

3. After the mesh reconstruction, orthomosaic can now be generated from the model.
Orthomosaic is generated based on aerial or satellite imagery. It is obtained by
orthorectification of the original images. The Metashape enables orthomosaic seamline
editing for better visual results.

Note:
 Build Orthomosaic procedure can be performed only for projects saved in .PSX format for chunks
with the existing mesh or DEM.
 In the [Ortho view] a Basemap for the orthophotomosaic can be included as a bottom layer. Select
[Show Basemap] from the Ortho view toolbar. In Metashape two modes of the Basemap are
supported: Map and Satellite. Map - displays map tiles using Open Street Map. Satellite option
display satellite layer.

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 To build orthomosaic, select [Build Orthomosaic] from the workflow menu. This will open
the Build Orthomosaic dialog box.

Figure 4. Build Orthomosaic dialog box. Note that if your coordinate system is set to WGS 84 (geographic coordinate
system and not projected), the pixel size is in degree. It is better to use a project coordinate system.)

In the Build Orthomosaic dialog box, set the following parameters

Coordinate System: WGS84 / UTM Zone 51N

Surface: Mesh (Note: You can also use DEM, specifically DSM, for this)
Blending Mode: Mosaic (default)
Refine Seamlines: Enabled
Enable hold filling: Enabled

For Pixel size, use the default for now. Click [OK] when done. Look at the Console and list
down the processes involved in building an orthomosaic.

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 Figure 5. Orthomosaic (7.6cm/pixel)

After processing, the orthomosaic should now be in the display pane under the Ortho tab. You can

toggle off the camera points by clicking the [Show Cameras] button in the toolbar.

4. Create another orthomosaic but this time with a different resolution. Right-click the orthomosaic in
the Workspace pane then uncheck Set As Default. This is done so that the orthomosaic will not be
overwritten.

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 Figure 6. Uncheck Set As Default

5. Select [Build Orthomosaic] again from the Workflow menu but this time set the Pixel size to 1m. If
your pixel size is in decimal degrees, you can do this by clicking the [Meters…] button then
inputting it there.
6. Repeat from step 3 to create another orthomosaic but this time with a Pixel size of 10m.
7. Compare the 3 orthomosaics. You can zoom in to better observe their differences.
8. Also compare their processing times. What do you think caused this?
9. You can also try generating orthomosaics using different input parameters. Take note how each
change in parameter affects the output orthomosaic.

Point Cloud Classification

Point cloud classification could also be performed on the Metashape. It allows not only to
generate and visualize dense point cloud but also to classify the points within it. There are two
options: automatic division of all the points into two classes - ground points and the rest, and
manual selection of a group of points to be placed in a certain class from the standard list known
for LIDAR data. Dense cloud points classification opens way to customize Build Mesh step: you can
choose what type of objects within the scene you would like to be reconstructed and indicate the
corresponding point class as a source data for mesh generation. For example, if you build mesh or
DEM based on ground points only, it will be possible to export DTM (as opposed to DSM) at the
next step.

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1. To classify point clouds automatically, go to [Tools] > [Dense Cloud] > [Classify Points].

Figure 7. Classify Points dialog box

2. In the Classify Points dialog box, select the source point class for the classification procedure
in the "From" field. Select the target classes from the list in "To" field. Define Confidence
parameter in 0 - 1 range. The confidence value is the minimum confidence that the
classification must reach for the point to be classified. If the confidence is lower than the
value provided, the point will be left unclassified.
3. Click [OK] when done.
4. To display the classification output, in the Menu bar, select [Model] > [View Mode] > [Dense Cloud
Classes].

You can also display the classes by clicking the drop-down arrow beside the Dense Cloud button

, then selecting Dense Cloud Classes.

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Figure 8. Dense Cloud Classification

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GENERATING DSM

1. Go to [Workflow] > [Build DEM]. This will open the Build DEM dialog box.

Figure 9. Build DEM dialog box

2. In the Build DEM dialog box, set the following parameters

Coordinate System: WGS84 / UTM Zone 51N

Source Data: Dense cloud
Interpolation: Enabled (default)
Point Classes: All

Note that since a DSM is a model of the earth’s surface including the objects on it, we will be using
All point classes.

3. Once the processing is done, you can display the DSM by double-clicking it in the Workspace pane.

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 Figure 10. Output DSM

GENERATING DTM

1. To create a DTM, we can follow the same steps in making DSM.

2. First, right-click the generated DSM in the Workspace pane, then uncheck Set As Default as we do
not want to overwrite our DSM. You can also rename it by right-clicking then selecting Rename, to
avoid confusion with the DTM.
3. Go to [Workflow] > [Build DEM].
4. Use the same parameters as earlier, but this time for Point Classes we will only use Ground.

Coordinate System: WGS84 / UTM Zone 51N

Source Data: Dense cloud
Interpolation: Enabled (default)
Point Classes: Ground

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 Figure 11. Build DEM dialog box for generating DTM

5. Click [OK] when done.

6. Compare the DSM and DTM outputs.

Figure 12. Output DTM

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EXPORTING PRODUCTS

1. To export the orthomosaic or other products, click [File] and navigate through the [Export]
option. Select what type of products to be exported from the Metashape.
 [Export Points] : Point clouds
 [Export Model] : Mesh
 [Export Orthomosaic] : Orthophoto
 [Export DEM] : DEM

Figure 13. Export menu

Requirements

Observations and outputs must be presented by each/selected group using PowerPoint (or equivalent).

Group submission: Submit the PowerPoint file to acblanco.updge@gmail.com.

Individual submission: Submit PDF version of brief report to acblanco.updge@gmail.com.

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