Align model with photographic picture

[B. Ludin]

Every now and then, we would like to align an IronCAD scene to an overlaid (using a utility to make a window transparent) photographic picture using known geometry present in both (let's assume a block, if it makes things simpler). I've never found a good way to achieve this. Does anybody happen to know how to do that?

[Bertrand Kim]

Hi Ludin,

Do you mean that the dimensions of the block in IronCAD and the dimensions of the "virtual block" in the photo need to be matched?

I had a similar task before. If you "import" the photo into the scene, the imported photo becomes an object (be careful as the photo will be set as the background when dragging and dropping). Then, I measured a "reference dimension" within the photo in the scene, calculated it in the size box, that solved my case.

For example, if the reference Width dimension is 15mm in reality but measured as 333.21mm in IronCAD, you can enter *15/333.21 after the current value of the Width size in the size box of the photo, and it will be calculated.

 

P.S.: When using the 2022 version, saving was not possible if the scene contained a photo object, and I had to delete the photo object before saving.

 

Kim

[B. Ludin]

20 minutes ago, Bertrand Kim said:

Hi Ludin,

Do you mean that the dimensions of the block in IronCAD and the dimensions of the "virtual block" in the photo need to be matched?...

No, I need to match and model other geometry in the picture. Let's say I have a picture looking at the corner of a block with strong perspective with strong perspective. I know the size of the block and I need to align the view of the scene (camera angle, view angle, and direction) to match that of the picture, to model an opening in one of the faces of the block according to the overlayed picture, for instance. I don't see how importing the picture into the scene would be helpful.

[tlehnhaeuser]

you need an exact model? becuase I would use the image as a scene background as the image with NO stretching and then orientate my models view to accomodate. However this is purely conceptual approach.

[B. Ludin]

31 minutes ago, tlehnhaeuser said:

you need an exact model? becuase I would use the image as a scene background as the image with NO stretching and then orientate my models view to accomodate. However this is purely conceptual approach.

Yes, that's an alternative to using a transparent window. However, the part that I'm interested is a procedure to orient the models to accommodate/match the image. Ideally, I would want to select 4 vertices of the model and 4 matching points in the image and then IC would adjust the camera settings. I find it very hard to achieve this by panning, rotating, zooming and dollying the camera. But maybe there is a systematic approach? Or some tools I'm not aware of?

Edited May 6 by B. Ludin

[Bertrand Kim]

Hi Ludin,

For Super Perspective Camera, you need to edit it in the camera's properties. And the "View Manager" in ICM tools that controlling View by numeric would be help for aligning the object to the picture. See the attached photo below.

Did I guess it right? 

 

Edit)

Don't edit the properties of the default Camera, Copy & Paste that camera and edit properties in that.

Field of view angle : Zoom value

Position : This is the X, Y, Z camera position that  is related to the Far away~~ value of the camera wizard.

Select a camera and choose Look Through Camera from the pop-up menu to change the active camera.

Once you're happy with the result, be sure to save the current screen with “Save Camera” - this saves the location you are currently viewing (Camera), not the values associated with the camera properties.

 

Kim

Edited May 7 by Bertrand Kim

[B. Ludin]

Dear Kim

Great - thanks a lot for this! This is indeed somewhat better than what I had but still an iterative trial&error procedure with a lot of fiddling. I'm hoping/looking for a more deterministic approach (as you propose in the other thread)