Camera Match

[Trumble]

HI All.

 

Just got a project in where the client took pictures and wants me to drop some proposed objects in to showcase their idea.

 

Wondering if anyone has some experience matching photos? I have no dimensions other than best guess. I've got it looking decent, but by no means close to perfection, so if anyone has some time/experience I'd gladly take your help!

Thanks

Scott

[datacrasher]

Scott!

your client should of gave you all the dimensions necessary before you start to build the scene. I would go back to him/her and say "you need all the stuff and what he/she would like in the building"

 

you cannot just speculate on the building some client may like what they see but in my experience he/she may change his/her mind when your half way through then you'll have to go back and change it. ask him/her to write down what he/she wants. Never make a guess always get the to write stuff down.

 

If you post a photo of your scene then we can help more. Nothing ever gonna be perfect even when your using CGP (computer graphic program).

 

tony

[Trumble]

Hey Tony,

 

I'm well aware that the client SHOULD have given me all of the important info that I'm missing. But doing this was an afterthought (as it always is) so I'm stuck with what I've got, which is approximated guesses. It's a very simple project, but camera matching is the ONE thing I really haven't done in 10 years of doing CG. They're looking to have the existing poles replaced with new ones.

 

I've attached 3 images if you're interested in attempting:

1st image (woodland)/ 3rd image (field) - taken from standing height 1.8m appx

2nd image - taken from 2.5m above ground appx

 

Any other questions, please feel free to ask!

S

[ATTACH=CONFIG]44610[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]44611[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]44612[/ATTACH]

[datacrasher]

If you press Crtl and the C button in the p.view this will automatically create the camera for you It's gonna be difficult to get the camera perfect unless you align the camera to your buildings with the align tool.

 

In the third photo it looks like the house sinking into the field i would rotates the p.view also on the p.view label left click and you'll get a drop down menu choose show save safe frames this will put a boarder around your photo when you have it correctly rotated it will match up with the boarder.

 

In the p.view use the walkthrough tool so you can move up-to your buildings to see how they really look because from so far away you really cannot tell.

 

I would also use the camera match

Camera Match helper objects (CamPoints) are used by the Camera Match utility to reproduce in a camera the same settings (position, roll, and FOV) that were used by a real-world camera to shoot a background image. This allows you to view your scene from the same perspective as the background image, which is a key step to mixing computer-generated and photographically-generated images in a single composited shot.

Edited September 1, 2011 by datacrasher

[BrianKitts]

as a starting point look at the metadata in the image files to check the camera setup used to photograph the images. Most importantly you're looking for the camera type so you know if it's a full frame sensor, or not so you can add a multiplier to the focal length.... or worse a point and shoot camera, and then what the focal length is. That will give you a starting place for your max camera setup. If there is no metadata in the file it means you do not have the original files from the camera and the client has re-saved or altered the files, ask for the originals.

 

Ask you client if they know the height of the existing poles, if they can't provide any known dimensions then warn them that your visualizations will be a close approximation however you can not guarantee 100% accuracy of the representation without a reference point. That typically will lead them to want to provide you with an answer.

 

Regarding using max's camera match tool, it works great but it's absolutely reliant on having known dimensions in the scene on multiple axes. (yes I had to check the plural form on that one). Without that you're only able to match it by eye in the camera viewport. And as a last piece the camera match tool works best with original photos, if the client (or photographer) has done any perspective correction or cropping, it will mess with max's ability to do a clean match.

Edited September 2, 2011 by BrianKitts

[Gary Ledgerwood]

Just as a side note, if you get your camera set up "close enough", a lot can be done in Photoshop to make the necessary final adjustments. The distort modifier can work wonders.

[Trumble]

Hey All,

Thanks for the replies. I've been able to get some base info on heights of the existing poles and proposed, which is obviously making life a little easier. I told the client before I took the job everything that's been discussed (without proper info, the best I can do is "close enough") which in all honesty is more than good enough for their purposes. They understood and said have at it.

 

Thanks again for the tips,

S

[notamondayfan]

This is a tutorial I wrote a few years ago, but may be of relevence to you, especially if they used a compact camera...

 

http://pikcells.com/blog/using-photographs-from-a-compact-digital-cameras-in-3d-photo-montages/