Tutorial for Autodesk ImageModeler
Designers and visualizers worldwide use ImageModeler to create high-quality 2D and 3D models of buildings and installations. According to the Autodesk developers, the program was designed as an easy-to-use product to allow you to create "stunning, photo-realistic models with real-world accuracy." In October 2009, Autodesk decided to combine ImageModeler with another of its products, 3DS Max, in an effort to boost sales. In an Architosh article, Anthony Frausto-Robledo reported that Autodesk officials wanted to "refine and simplify their product range" by streamlining their catalog.
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Instructions
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1
Select your images. ImageModeler will ask if you want to use multiple images in the project or a single image. Autodesk recommends you use multiple images for your project. Upload at least three. After selecting either "Multiples" or "Single," click "Load Images." This process will bring up a dialog box that will allow you to browse your computer for usable images. Click "Add Images" to import them to the project.
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2
Load your images. In the dialog box, select all images and click "Open." This process will open another dialog box in which you can add extra information to the pictures, such as the estimated focal distance from which the picture was taken. When all the images are loaded, click "OK." This process will install the images into the "Shots" folder and into the viewports on ImageModeler.
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3
Create your first reference point. In the "Calibration" menu, select the "Place Marker" tool. Move the cursor over Image 1. Click on your reference point. This point should be a defined point on your image that visible in all of your uploaded images. When modeling a building, the reference point usually is one of the upper corners of the building. Clicking on the reference point will bring up a magnified view. Keeping the mouse button pressed down, drag the mouse cursor to the precise position of your reference point. Repeat this process for the other images. Select exactly the same reference point each time.
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4
Create more reference points. Autodesk ImageModeler requires eight reference points to calibrate the design. Choose seven more reference points on Image 1 that are all visible in the other images. Spreading the reference points out across the whole image will allow the program to create a more thorough and detailed model. After you choose eight reference points, calibration should begin automatically. If calibration does not occur, start manually by clicking on the "Calibrate" tool in the "Calibration menu."
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5
Create guiding lines. Create a ninth reference point in Image 1. Because the cameras are now calibrated, this process automatically creates a guiding line in the other images to show where the corresponding reference points should be placed. Place the corresponding reference point in Image 2 to create another guideline. The program will automatically place the reference points in the remaining images based on these guidelines.
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6
Create constraints. In the "Calibration" menu, select the "Create Corner" tool. Move the cursor across Image 1 and select the reference point on the apex of your corner. Select the reference points at each end of the lines emanating from the corner. This process will draw a corner on the image. Use the "Calibrate" tool in the "Calibration" menu to manually calibrate the constraint. Autodesk recommends only using one constraint per planar surface.
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7
Define world space. In the "Calibration" menu, select the "Worldspace" tool. This process will make the world space manipulator appear in the viewports. Drag the light blue origin marker until it corresponds with the first reference point, which should be labeled "Locator." Drag the green disc of the Y axis and the red disc of the X axis into position along the lines of the corner defined in Step 6. ImageModeler will calibrate the Z axis automatically.
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8
Set the reference distance. In the "Calibration" menu, select the "Define Reference Distance" tool. Define the reference distance by dragging the endpoints of the light blue arrow to "Locator 1" and "Locator 2." Type the distance between the two points in the "Reference Distance" box and click "Apply." This process will apply the extrapolated dimensions to the rest of the model.
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9
Measure additional distances. ImageModeler may not be able to automatically calculate all the necessary distances because of a lack of reference points. For example, ImageModeler may be unable to calculate the distance between two floors of a building. To remedy this issue, add another reference point like in Step 4. Use the "Distance Ruler" tool in the "Measuring Tools" menu to measure the distance between the two. Repeat this step for other uncalculated distances.
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10
Render the model in 3D. In the "Modeling" menu, select the "Create Primitive" tool. In a viewport of your choice, select a reference point and click on it. This point becomes the first corner of the box. Select a reference point for the second, third and fourth corner of the box. These references should be on the same planar surface and on the extremities of an object in your image. Set the height of the box by selecting a reference point at the bottom of the object. This process creates the object "Cube" in the "Objects" folder.
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Extract texture. Select the "Object Selection" tool in the "Texturing Menu." Select the "Cube" object in the "Objects" folder. Click "Extract Texture" in the "Texturing Menu." This process will open a dialogue box with basic extraction settings as default. However, Autodesk recommends altering the "Density" value to 20. Click "OK" to create the 3D model.
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