In November, we challenged the Pix4D community to build 3D models of small objects in our first Pix4Dchallenge ever. We would like to introduce you to Anders Eibl, who won the first place with his project “Tractor 3D”.
Can you tell us about your professional background?
I started flying drones a couple of years ago, first as a hobby but after a while I tried to get some earnings from the drone. My first income was from aerial photographs and video, but then I came across photogrammetry and 3D-modelling. Today I use Pix4Dmapper and my customers are mining and energy companies. They need volume measurements on a regular basis but also the ortho photographs are useful to them. I tried a lot of different photogrammetry software but my conclusion was that Pix4D is the best solution. It offers user-friendly interface, reliable measurements and good support. Another thing that is a deal breaker is the possibility to set the scale without GPS GCP.
What made you decide to enter this competition? I guess I like challenges and to compete, also I have never captured photos handheld before so that added to the challenge.
What was your approach to modeling a small object? I went with one of my daughters favorite toy (like her, I played a lot with LEGO myself at her age) I also felt that I could end up as a nice 3D model since it consists of many parts and there are a lot of different angles and hollow areas. I captured images both with a 90° angle and ~45° angle in a circular pattern. I also made sure that the camera was set with correct exposure, white balance and that high quality JPEG was recorded.
What kind of challenges would you like to see in the Pix4D community?
I think it would be fun to see bigger 3D models. Like buildings…
Any tips for people who would like to participate in such a challenge?
Practice makes perfect. I did three attempts before I submitted my model. The two first attempts were OK, but the third was the best (the object was the same on all three attempts)