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“A non-contact inspection system uses digital photography for accurate three-dimensional measurement of plastic parts. Developed by Eos Systems, this method is being employed in application development by plastics companies like Bayer MaterialScience. A major advantage of the PhotoModeler system is affordability…”

Another method to collect field measurements for equipment in the field, and a direct way to generate new 3D CAD models, is to take some pictures. Shan Pehlman, design engineer with CDI Corp., says he derives accurate measurements from ordinary photographs through desktop software called PhotoModeler, developed by Eos Systems Inc. When consulting with oil refineries on replacing an aging pipeline, as-built drawings of the old infrastructure may not be available for his reference.

We conducted an experiment to determine PhotoModelers precision using commonly available and reasonably priced equipment. We demonstrate that any customer can achieve very high precision with PhotoModeler Pro 5. In addition we discuss two common terms, Precision and Accuracy, and why they are important to understand.

“As might be surmised by its name, PhotoModeler Pro creates models from photographs. The product was developed originally as a high-accuracy measurement tool, but its ability to produce fully textured visual models has proved to be an important application in its own right. In terms of pure measurement tasks, PhotoModeler Pro is suitable for industrial, engineering, surveying, process plant management, materials analysis (under applications of pressure, heat, force, vibration and so forth) and other scientific projects. Users in the gaming, film or entertainment industries who are doing purely visual models also make good use of PhotoModeler’s capabilities.”

A measurement system based on photogrammetry was developed and used to measure the “as assembled” geometry of a double wishbone suspension. A standard methodology for photographing the suspension and special targets were developed to use with commercial photogrammetry software (PhotoModeler Pro 5). Several types of targets were developed these included targets to identify the center of rotation of the linkages and the orientation of the wheel mounting surface.

Using physical clay models scientists can study tectonic processes that take millions of years to occur naturally. The use of these physical models is not widespread because their construction and analysis is commonly labor-intensive work that yields largely qualitative information. Through the use of PhotoModeler the authors demonstrate the measurement of these models in an automated and highly quantitative manner. External link is to abstract – full article available to member or for purchase.

“The paper presents work on testing of inflatable wings for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Inflatable wing history and recent research is discussed. Design and construction of inflatable wings is then covered, along with ground and flight testing”

Using PhotoModeler and surveillance video, the authors perform measurements of height, and measurements of angle for gait analysis. Using this analysis the authors along with the police were able to correctly identify the perpetrator of a heinous crime. Complete study available to members – the external link shows abstract to all.

The main objective of this study is to show that PhotoModeler is a suitable measurement tool for vehicle crush measurement in the context of determining the equivalent barrier speed (EBS). The PhotoModeler process is applied to controlled crash information generated by the NHTSA.

“When architects begin a renovation or addition to a building for which no plans are available, they are often faced with the tedious chore of measuring existing conditions and creating plans from scratch. Not too long ago, the most efficient process involved a three-person team one with a clipboard and two with a measuring tape, calling out distances. But in recent years, several aids have been developed that make it easier, even for one person alone, to make measurements fast and accurately.”