3Dflow has released 3DF Zephyr 4.0, the latest version of its image-based modeling software to create 3D configurators that improves processing speed, updates mesh decimation, and adds new camera calibration and preset manager.
The company has also released a new product, FlowEngine: a C++ SDK based on the underlying technology.
Faster, more accurate geometry reconstruction.
The 4.0 release focuses on the speed at which geometry is generated: 3Dflow describes the structure of motion (SfM), multi-view stereo (Mvs) and mesh phases as significantly faster.
In 3Dflow’s own tests, SfM shows the largest constant increase in speed – somewhere between 20 and 80% – with MvS a smaller but consistent increase.
The meshing was very variable: with own data sets the times were almost halved, with others they even increased.
In the before and after comparisons shown in 3DFlow’s blog, the resulting geometry is also significantly sharper, especially when using the new high-frequency gain option.
New mesh decimation and enhancement mesh algorithms.
The release revises the mesh decimation algorithm of 3DF Zephyr to get more details from the high-resolution model when a mesh is reduced to a target polygon number.
In addition, 3Dflow has introduced a new option, Enhance Mesh, which reverses the process and increases the number of geometries to a user-defined level.
It’s a post-process, so it’s not recommended for projects that require absolute accuracy, and this sometimes only increases the noise, but in some cases the resulting “fake” detail is quite noticeable.
New camera calibration and preset manager as well as new functions for aerial users.
Other new features in version 4.0 include a camera calibration manager that allows users to import calibration data corresponding to real cameras from the 3Dflow online database or from an XML file.
Presets can now be shared in the same way or downloaded from the 3Dflow server.
Users of the high-quality Aerial Edition of the software get two exclusive features: the possibility to generate a DTM file (digital terrain model) and to create an orthophoto from unstructured point clouds.
There are also a number of minor changes and enhancements, including a better 32-bit texture workflow and support for allquad meshes in OBJ or FBX format when exporting or re-importing meshes for texturing.
FlowEngine SDK now also available as a separate commercial product.
3Dflow has also released FlowEngine, its new C++ SDK for developers who want to integrate photogrammetry functions into their own products.
The price is set on request, although it looks like research costs will be minimal. It is available for Windows and Linux and there is a free trial version that processes up to 50 photos.
Prices and availability.
3DF Zephyr 4.0 itself is available for 64-bit Windows Vista and higher.
The free version includes a number of tools, works with up to 50 source images or video images and runs on a single GPU. The Lite version, on the other hand, supports up to 500 source images and two GPUs.
The high-end, Pro and Aerial editions support unlimited source images and offer a number of advanced features.
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