Hello 3D

Hi again, everyone.

This week we were given an assignment in class to make a 3D model with the help of a free program called Catch 123D. I was pretty geeked about this assignment because this was something I had never done but, after looking at the sample images, I knew it could produce some interesting results.

Last week I gave a glimpse into one of my minor obsessions with one of my images from that assignment; Hello Kitty. I probably, in hindsight, should have chosen just one thing for my model but I didn't know any better and went with one of my lunchboxes (I've used them as purses before, actually) and two beanies.

This assignment filled up most of my week as I tried a few other objects (two different I Love Lucy Barbies and a fake plant… I’ll explain why those didn't work later) and had to redo the pictures a few times as well. Thankfully I really love doing stuff like this or I probably would have given up. I read some of the tutorials but this is one of those projects that you don’t know you've done something wrong until it doesn't work. Things I learned that may be helpful to someone else using this program for the first time:

• Check and double check the settings on your camera. I used my cell phone and I wish I’d had a digital camera for this assignment. The key is consistency. Focus and lighting need to be fixed, don’t use the auto feature for anything. The pictures won’t match up correctly if you do.
• Make sure you take as many pictures as it recommends, I read 40-70 somewhere. You will need all of them to make the best 3D image.
• I also read to keep your image between 3 and 5 megapixels and do not crop them. I didn't crop mine but I did have to resize them because they were too big and it slowed things down a lot.
• Use an object that is solid and doesn't have anything sticking out or hanging off. I tried a fake plant and there were just way too many little things sticking up, the program couldn't pick up on all of that… well, maybe it could have but it’s definitely not something for beginners! One of the I Love Lucy Barbies also had a sheer skirt over pants, that didn't turn out. You’ll also see the handle on the lunchbox didn't turn out right on my final image. I learned from that so I’m not going to beat myself up over it.
• Lighting, lighting, lighting. I said it before and it’s worth repeating because I think this is the most important thing to ensure your pictures are similar in value. Use an even lighting and make sure you don’t have light glare spots. Again, mine could have been lit better so I learned this the hard way.
• I read that setting your object on a newspaper is a good idea. I would also recommend putting down other things like Post-Its or dots around your object to help when you need to suggest reference points in the program. The more, the merrier (I used four Post-Its and wish I had used more). Make sure the focus is set to make both the object and background appear clear in your image. The reference points are no good if you can’t see them. Another lesson learned the hard way.

Here is my 3D model:

I made a lot of manual reference points in my image to make sure it stitched as best as I could get it to. If my images were better, I probably wouldn't have had to do so much manual labor. The mesh healing (to fix any holes and get rid of the stuff I didn't want) was probably the easiest part and it looked really sweet too.

I learned a lot more about photography and, of course, 3D image creation this week. I think I’m going to change one of my classes to a photography class next semester because I realized how much I don’t know through doing all of these assignments!

I’m sure I will play around with Catch 123D again. The results (even though I’m not 100% happy with them… I’m a bit of a perfectionist LOL) were really amazing and made me concentrate on a lot of detail work which I kind of enjoyed as only a geek really can. 8-)

Stay focused!