Photography Guide

Take a series of overlapping photos of the chosen object.

An 8-megapixel smartphone camera will produce acceptable results for applications

without high accuracy requirements, but we recommended an 18 MP (and up)
DSLR-type camera for best results.

A wide-angle camera is best since it presents the least lens distortion. A fish-eye
lens will not work.

It is best to take the photos in a circle around the object. Start with a circle at a low
angle, then do one more at a higher angle to capture the topmost surfaces. Aim for
at least 50% overlap between each image; 60-80% is ideal. Lastly, make sure to
take a few additional photos of areas that hold important details.

Take photos in two bands of about 10 (blue) and 45 (orange) degrees of elevation,
including some close-ups (grey).

Take the following additional guidelines into account:

• Make sure the object has a matte surface. Transparent objects will not convert
well.
• The background of the photos needs to have sufficient color contrast with the
object. A chroma-key backdrop works great, as does a newspaper as long as it
does not show the same colors as present on the object.
• Lighting has to be consistent throughout the shoot and is optimal on a cloudy
day.
• 40-50 photos are typically enough for one object. The more photos, the better,
as long as they are never taken from the same position.
• The subject has to take up a significant portion of the image space.
• Never move the object during the shoot.
• Use as little depth-of-field (DOF) as possible and focus the camera exactly
onto the object for each picture.
• Use a tripod to reduce blurriness as well as for low-lit environments that require
high exposure times.