Autodesk123D Catch - a new level for modelling?

[alexl102]

http://www.123dapp.com/catch
I've just heard about this App, available for various platforms for free.
If I've understood correctly, you can create a 3D model of anything just by taking a large quantity of photos of it from as many angles as possible - with a minimum of 20 photos.

Could this theoretically be used by modellers in Trainz to create new, more detailed and better textured models (not knocking what's currently out there)? Could someone walk round a loco whilst it's standing in a yard taking pictures from each angle and then use this to create a model for Trainz? Obviously such a person would have to have full permission to be in the yard and to have access to the loco - I do not condone trespassing.

If so, it could save modellers a great deal of time.

 

[amigacooke]

I've used this and it isn't as simple as it sounds. If you want a half decent model you'll need far more than 20 photos and complete access to the object being modeled. The textures also reflect the lighting conditions that they are taken in.

Might work for less complicated assets like building perhaps?

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

If it's anything like laser profiling, it generates millions of polygons too.

 

[RRSignal]

http://www.123dapp.com/catch
I've just heard about this App, available for various platforms for free.
If I've understood correctly, you can create a 3D model of anything just by taking a large quantity of photos of it from as many angles as possible - with a minimum of 20 photos.

Could this theoretically be used by modellers in Trainz to create new, more detailed and better textured models (not knocking what's currently out there)? Could someone walk round a loco whilst it's standing in a yard taking pictures from each angle and then use this to create a model for Trainz? Obviously such a person would have to have full permission to be in the yard and to have access to the loco - I do not condone trespassing.

If so, it could save modellers a great deal of time.

This came up a year and a half ago:

http://forums.auran.com/trainz/archive/index.php/t-101829.html

Short answer is it isn't suitable for games. The poly count is far too high.

 

[alexl102]

This came up a year and a half ago:

http://forums.auran.com/trainz/archive/index.php/t-101829.html

Short answer is it isn't suitable for games. The poly count is far too high.

Ah, my apologies. My original source wasn't their own website and I was led to believe it was new. Never mind! Cheers for the responses all!

 

[whitepass]

I first heard of this type of program back in the 1980s, big problem is you need good photos of the top.

 

[amigacooke]

I first heard of this type of program back in the 1980s, big problem is you need good photos of the top.

With the advent of camera drones, this may be more easily achieved.

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

Interesting that all the heavy processing to create the 3d object is done on the Cloud. And you can choose to have it done as a low poly "mobile phone" version if you want. However even that looks like it is extremely high poly in Trainz terms. Also the way it works doesn't produce easily manipulated sub-objects, it's all one continuous surface. I'm not sure if the result can be edited in things like Maya or Max, but I haven't read that deeply yet. Still, it's pretty amazing stuff which is obviously progressing.

 

[RRSignal]

I, too, suspect this kind of thing may be the future of 3D modelling. It seems likely, one day, we'll have mostly- or fully-prototypical routes, perhaps with accurate 3D scenery generated on-the-fly. Google Earth seems to be heading in that direction, and doing a pretty good job of it.

 

[nicky9499]

Very similar to what Microsoft did in 2008 with Photosynth. I tried it with a few Lego models on a lazy susan and it worked pretty well. It also captures environments.

 

[clam1952]

Strikes me as more suitable for 3d printing, which it can. Good for modellers, if you happen to have access to a 3D printer.

 

[pdkoester]

My biggest suggestion for using this... utilize 40 pictures of the exact same object, all the angles of it (top, bottom, all sides) for a successful creation. I suppose this may work good if you have any model trains you want to import to it. HO, O, S, LGB scales, etc. Just the bigger they are, the more effort to rotate it.

Paul