Making 3D models of the Mars surface
This is pretty neat.
The guys at Eos Software, who make the Photomodeler (photogrammetry) software, started using the photos delivered by the Mars Phoenix Lander to create 3d models of the Mars surface.
Why, I hear you ask? Just because they can. Using some of the photos from the University of Phoenix Mars Mission site, the photos are read into PhotoModeler and feeding in known camera specifications, the software then lets them pin-point a few 3D points on the photos and it starts to make 3D data out of it. This is a part-manual, part-automated process that also allows items such as the Lander's leg to be excluded from the model. Photogrammetry has definitely come a long way since I last used it.
The image below shows a screen shot of one of the models created. Click on that to see the video they made of making the model.
The guys at Eos Software, who make the Photomodeler (photogrammetry) software, started using the photos delivered by the Mars Phoenix Lander to create 3d models of the Mars surface.
Why, I hear you ask? Just because they can. Using some of the photos from the University of Phoenix Mars Mission site, the photos are read into PhotoModeler and feeding in known camera specifications, the software then lets them pin-point a few 3D points on the photos and it starts to make 3D data out of it. This is a part-manual, part-automated process that also allows items such as the Lander's leg to be excluded from the model. Photogrammetry has definitely come a long way since I last used it.
The image below shows a screen shot of one of the models created. Click on that to see the video they made of making the model.
