I use Sketchup to plan solar installations, we have modeled our ground mounts and solar panels in Sketchup and use drones to acquire accurate images of the buildings. Now, we have advanced to using photogrammetry to produce 3D models of the buildings, which we export as KMZ files into Sketchup.
The imported models have a mesh of black wireframes. How can I hide those?
hello,
first go to view > edge style and uncheck profiles
then, enter your landscape group / component select all, right click and pick smooth. in the smooth panel check smooth coplanar and adjust smoothness
What other files types can you export from your drone software?
OBJ to Sketchfab is working very well, but I donāt know what to do with the end result.
Which software are you using? Do you have an option to export Point Clouds?
Looks like I have that option
- Textured 3D Model OBJ, MTL and JPG texture files. Dimensions in meters. (Opt In Only)
- Textured 3D Model (small) 100k face version of the OBJ, MTL and JPG texture files. Point cloud information is in the OBJ file. Dimensions in meters.
- Point Cloud XYZ RGB and LAS outputs for compatiblity with CAD and GIS software. (Opt In Only)
- 3D KMZ 250k face Google Earth and SketchUp compatible 3D model.
I donāt use the meshes as much because they arenāt as accurate - but they do have a little better color. KMZ files can also be opened in Google Earth Pro but they donāt have as much utility for what I do.
Point clouds are more accurate, so if you want terrain or to copy buildings (draw them) they work better IMO. I usually bring PCs into SU. I just process for the meshes (either OBJ or FBX) for fun. They are like a non-buildable reference.
So, if youāre using meshes you could put something like a solar panels on the mesh to show a home owner what the project might look like. If you want to use the models to build from, the point clouds do a better job.
Mesh:
Point Cloud:
Mesh:
h
Point Cloud:
Mesh
Point Cloud:
Mesh:
Point:
Itās more than just showing the client, we want to calculate how many panels fit on a roof.
You could get somewhat close with meshes and that may be all you need. Or, if no model is necessary, just photos with something(s) of a known length (8ft level) to scale to.
PCs are closer (excuse the poor modelling practices - this is older but is from the first example).
I started with drone photos, kmz output to sketch up is a huge improvement. The only issue is when there is a Bush where I want a ground mount, removing it opens a hole in the model. Other than that, itās fantastic.
I usually fly āfree flightā oblique to get more details of the sides of (and beneath) structures. Sometimes that just doesnāt work out though.
Pix4D can create more outputs than those you mentioned. If you simultaneously generate an orthomosaic (or topology) you might be able to tuck that in/under a mesh or PC.
Lotās of fun. I like getting As-Built models. I started bringing them into SU before I learned SU very well :^)
If you free fly the elevation shots, how do you set the camera angle? I think Mapsmadeeasy likes 45 degree camera angles to enhance 3D images, is there a way to set that?
Iāll do a free flight āgridā or āgridsā. As an example, I might start at 25ft. Aim camera. Fly sideways, rightward for 20ft while manually taking snapshots. Drop to 20ft, adjust camera angle, fly leftward 20ft back while taking photos. Drop, adjust camera, fly across while taking photos.
The elevations and distances are based on the size of what Iām trying to capture -could be way more than 25ft.
The camera angle is determined by what I need to see. 45 degrees is better than 90 degrees for getting the sides of structures (90 might get you holes under trees). But if you are lower because you want to get clearer shots under structures your camera angle could be a lot less. I donāt pay attention to the angle - I watch the camera viewer.
Left and right is determined by the āedgeā of what Iām trying to capture.
Iāll do flat grids, up or down, without turning. If I want more āsurroundā Iāll turn/rotate the drone, then do another up/down grid. Itās way too tough to try to turn/rotate on any elevation. Youāll have a hard time trying to recreate the return flight path if you rotate. Thatās why I do flat grids up/down, back and forth across.
I use DJI Fly or Pix4D Capture. If I recall, when setting up a flight pattern or grid, they both set the camera to nadir / 90 degrees / straight down. I do use that sometimes - usually for large area grabs. There may be a setting to change that to other camera angles - not sure. You could probably create flight plans/paths that would do vertically or with turns somewhat automatically. Thatās not been useful for me.
Here are some examples of meshes I made (I just make them but donāt bring into SU):
The models look very good, nice technique.
So then the question for me is, I do a model like your āThe Big Oneā, and I want to show what a solar cap parking structure would look like, so I build it in SU. How do I combine the two in an accurate photo realistic way?
I called it āThe Big Oneā because I used 1,000 images. Because, why not?
Not sure about, āPhoto realisticā. Mesh models donāt look realistic to me. Point clouds look more realisticā¦ but in a pointallism / transparent way.
If you want photorealism, maybe you could just take a photo and use it as a back drop?
Also, the number of triangles in meshes needed to make terrain look good is really high. Undet can extract terrain meshā¦ but itāll crush your computer if you get lot of detail. But if you did extract a terrain, you might be able to paint it. Same with extracting building planes.
hmmm. Will you send an example project?
For me, all the models from photogrammetry are photorealistic, they are not drawings.
Hereās the project I started working on. I wanted to show the client what it would be like to have solar panels in her front yard. Everything is to scale so it works. Iām not saying its good, but itās accurate.
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What I mean about āaccurateā is that the triangles of the meshes usually arenāt aligned to and contained within flat surfaces. If these are working for you, good.
Will you share the SKP and OBJ (and whatever else) files?
Oops - I had Skimpā¦ no longer. SKP with OBJ imported?