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    Anyone good at matching a model to a Photo?

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    • JClementsJ Offline
      JClements
      last edited by JClements

      Is there someone confident in their ability in doing this process?

      I've got a photo that I can't for the life of me figure out how to establish the vanishing points via the red, green grids, etc., as explained in the Help file.

      I opened a simple model with a few cubes and cylinders (see attached), then tried to follow the procedure of importing the photo via Camera > Photomatch. The photo is a landscape shot of yard with a building far in the background on a hill. The side of the buildng faces the camera almost dead-on. I want to keep the model oriented as you find it when the .skp is first opened, looking at the butt end of the pipe which points to the rear of the scene. I couldn't figure where to place the red and green axis handles without the model going bonkers.

      If someone wants to try a tutorial to help me see the light .....


      Model.skp


      Photo.jpg

      John | Illustrator | Beaverton, Oregon

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      • GaieusG Offline
        Gaieus
        last edited by

        John,

        Although I'm not an expert (or even a novice) in photomatch (thus I'd definitely not be your help in this case) to my best knowledge the ideal photo for thios is when a building is shot from a corner so that two adjacent walls can be clearly seen.

        Now in your photo I can hardly see the building at all, not to speak about any clue how the adjacent wall would look like.

        Gai...

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        • A Offline
          anglaret
          last edited by

          John
          It is simply impossible to do it without any base; you can only guess through the back building, that you are under it with your point of view
          In your case what I could say is that it is not so important to have a precise point.
          The realism of your building will come more from the visual fusion of your model in the background, with added plants...

          If you can identify the slope of top wall of the back building you will have one hint

          Marc

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          • JClementsJ Offline
            JClements
            last edited by

            Well, thanks for sharing.

            This is where I think SketchUp should give us an alternative method to the current Photomatching process.

            1- If possible, allow a photo (a "background" photo like this) to remain STATIC and act like image on your Windows desktop. That way you could tweek the the field of view manually until the foreground, 3D-geometry matches the FOV of the photo without the photo being distorted.

            I haven't used Layout much, perhaps it could do what I am suggesting above?

            2- Another issue occurs when trying to adjust the lighting of the 3D-geometry to match that of the photo. If you turn on Use Sun for Shading, then the photo usually darkens and looses contrast because it is on a vertical plane. So it would be helpful if photo had a Use Sun for Shading attributewhich could be toggled on/off independently of the Scene setting.

            Come to think of it, it could be very useful if SU had a toggle on/off Use Sun for Shading attribute for any objectvia Entity Info (similar to the Cast Shadowsand Receive Shadows attributes).

            John | Illustrator | Beaverton, Oregon

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            • GaieusG Offline
              Gaieus
              last edited by

              John,

              In an extreme case you can try to use the photo as a watermark image though it is extremely hard to model in this way (as I tried).
              See attached file.


              Crazy Photomatch.skp

              Gai...

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              • JClementsJ Offline
                JClements
                last edited by

                G:

                Obviously, I didn't explain my objectives very well. What I was trying to do is match an existing model or component to the photo. Attached is an example where I painted a rectangle with the photo as a texture. The rectangle was tilted backwards a bit so it wouldn't darken when the sun for shading was turned on.

                I will try your Watermark method next.


                Photomatch Test.skp


                Photomatch Test (exported as 2D from the skp file).jpg

                John | Illustrator | Beaverton, Oregon

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                • GaieusG Offline
                  Gaieus
                  last edited by

                  Ha, that's cool! Yes, I) totally misunderstood you but now at least I1m glad that (though incidentally and ignorantly) could be of any help.

                  Gai...

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                  • JClementsJ Offline
                    JClements
                    last edited by

                    Gaieus:

                    The Watermark method worked pretty darn good and made it easy to adjust focal length, lighting, and shadows without modifying the photo's attributes (display shadows on ground was turned on).

                    Thank you, thank you, thank you for bearing with me.

                    It really helps sharing ideas. Helped me to try a different approach.

                    Regards, John


                    Piping Model with Photo as WaterMark (this works good).jpg

                    John | Illustrator | Beaverton, Oregon

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                    • soloS Offline
                      solo
                      last edited by

                      here is another idea.


                      http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/8961/photomatch20test1cy1.jpg

                      http://www.solos-art.com

                      If you see a toilet in your dreams do not use it.

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                      • T Offline
                        tomsdesk
                        last edited by

                        John, do you know anything about the topography? If can draw a portion of it you can fudge the view until you match the photo. For me that's what it's usually about: professional fudging...as I've not yet had a good photo (having enough of the right info, as Gai said) to work over (so I do the watermark thing too). But having some of the site info to work with complete the "professional" tool kit started by the one perspective line of the building eave, and the other that appears to disappear into the center of the photo (the end wall of the building has no thickness?).

                        BTW, both of your matched models look "perfect".

                        http://www.tomsdesk.moonfruit.com/
                        2.5D Trees & Shrubs!

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                        • JClementsJ Offline
                          JClements
                          last edited by

                          Yes, Pete.

                          I did something similar a few minutes ago where I made a second image of the photo and rotated it 90° so it was horizontal. Then lined it up with the vertical photo near the base of the hill at the end of the grassy field. Yours is better because the blades of grass don't appear to be so distorted with a better transistion to the vertical part of the image (the photo is now a darker shade with less contrast, though).

                          John | Illustrator | Beaverton, Oregon

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                          • JClementsJ Offline
                            JClements
                            last edited by

                            Hi Tom:

                            No, unfortunately, I don't have any info on the topography.

                            Thanks for the compliment ... should be directed to Gaieus. 😉

                            John | Illustrator | Beaverton, Oregon

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                            • soloS Offline
                              solo
                              last edited by

                              Try this.


                              http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/1271/photomatch20testd1yx4.jpg


                              Photomatch%20Test[1].skp

                              http://www.solos-art.com

                              If you see a toilet in your dreams do not use it.

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                              • JClementsJ Offline
                                JClements
                                last edited by

                                Even better. Thanks.

                                John | Illustrator | Beaverton, Oregon

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