Agisoft Lens: A Beginner’s Guide to Photogrammetry WorkflowsPhotogrammetry turns ordinary photos into accurate 3D models. Agisoft Lens is a dedicated mobile and desktop tool that simplifies camera calibration, image capture, and initial processing for photogrammetry projects. This guide walks you—step by step—from planning a shoot to exporting a mesh, with practical tips to avoid common pitfalls and improve model quality.
What is Agisoft Lens?
Agisoft Lens is a camera calibration and photogrammetry capture tool designed to help users collect well-structured image datasets for 3D reconstruction. It supports both smartphone and DSLR workflows, offers lens profiles and calibration routines, and integrates smoothly with Agisoft Metashape and other photogrammetry software.
When to use Agisoft Lens
Use Agisoft Lens when you need:
- Accurate camera calibration for higher-quality reconstructions.
- A guided capture workflow for consistent image overlap and coverage.
- To gather ground-truth markers or scale bars and embed metadata.
- Capture datasets on mobile devices with immediate feedback on image quality.
Overview of a typical workflow
- Plan the shoot (scene, scale, lighting).
- Calibrate the camera/lens (in-app calibration or import profiles).
- Capture images with proper overlap and angles.
- Transfer images to Metashape or another photogrammetry package.
- Process: align photos, build dense cloud, mesh, texture.
- Clean, scale, and export final model.
1) Planning your shoot
Good results start before you press the shutter.
- Choose consistent lighting. Overcast days or controlled indoor lighting reduce harsh shadows and blown highlights.
- Prepare the object or scene: remove shiny or transparent surfaces (or coat with matte spray), add visual texture (stickers, markers) if surfaces are uniform.
- Determine scale: include a scale bar or ruler, or capture known-distance markers.
- Decide on capture pattern: circular orbit works for isolated objects; grid and ladder patterns work for architecture and terrain.
Practical example: For a medium-sized statue, plan 2–3 circular orbits—low, mid, high—with about 60–80% forward overlap and 30–50% side overlap between orbits.
2) Camera calibration in Agisoft Lens
Calibration corrects lens distortion, focal length variation, and principal point offsets. Accurate calibration significantly improves alignment and reduces warping.
- In-app calibration: use the Calibration tool with a printed calibration chart or capture a checkerboard/charuco pattern from multiple angles and distances.
- Lens profiles: Lens databases or saved profiles can be imported to reuse exact parameters across sessions.
- Key tips:
- Capture the calibration pattern filling the frame at several distances.
- Rotate and tilt the pattern so the algorithm sees corners across the sensor.
- Avoid motion blur—use a tripod or faster shutter speed if needed.
Outcome: Agisoft Lens will produce intrinsic camera parameters (focal length, principal point, distortion coefficients) and optionally save them as a profile.
3) Image capture best practices
Agisoft Lens can guide capture and provide immediate feedback (exposure, focus, overlap).
- Aim for consistent exposure and white balance across images.
- Keep sharp focus—use manual focus on DSLRs when possible.
- Maintain recommended overlap: generally 60–80% forward overlap and 30–60% side overlap.
- Capture from multiple heights and angles to cover occluded areas.
- Use a turntable for small objects to simplify orbit captures and keep the camera stationary.
Checklist for small-to-medium objects:
- 3–5 orbits at different elevations.
- 40–80 images total depending on detail level.
- Use a neutral background for easier masking later.
4) Managing metadata and markers
Agisoft Lens records camera poses, GPS (when available), and calibration data—useful for georeferenced projects.
- Place coded markers or ArUco tags when restoring scale or improving alignment.
- Use GPS data only as a rough prior for outdoor large-area projects; photogrammetry alignment uses image features for precise relative positions.
- Export metadata with images when sending to Metashape—this preserves calibration and improves automation.
5) Transferring images to Metashape (or other software)
- Export images and calibration profiles from Lens in a format accepted by your processing software (JPEG/TIFF + XML/JSON for metadata).
- For Metashape: import images, then load camera calibration from the saved profile (Camera -> Import Calibration or set camera parameters per chunk).
- Verify that camera models are recognized and check image quality thumbnails inside Metashape before alignment.
6) Processing pipeline in Metashape (brief)
After importing images and calibration:
- Align Photos: use high accuracy for best results; enable reference preselection if using GPS/pose priors.
- Build Dense Cloud: use High/Ultra High for final production—expect long processing times.
- Build Mesh: Poisson or Depth Maps approaches; choose based on noise and detail.
- Texture: use mosaicing or orthophoto-based texturing depending on needs.
- Scale & Georeference: use scale bars, markers, or ground control points (GCPs).
7) Troubleshooting common problems
- Poor alignment: increase overlap, add more viewpoints, improve calibration, or add markers.
- Holes in mesh: capture more oblique images of recessed areas or use fill/hole-filling tools in Metashape.
- Blurry texture: improve focus, increase image resolution, or use better lighting.
- Scale/size errors: ensure scale bars/GCPs are accurately measured and imported.
8) Optimization tips
- Shoot at the camera’s native resolution; downsample only when necessary for speed.
- Use RAW for better dynamic range, convert to TIFF for processing if supported.
- For large projects, split into chunks and align separately, then merge with shared markers.
- Use GPU acceleration in Metashape for dense cloud and mesh building.
9) Exporting and using results
- Export formats: OBJ, FBX, PLY for meshes; XYZ/LAZ for point clouds; TIFF/GeoTIFF for orthophotos.
- Choose precision vs. file size based on end use (VR/AR needs lower poly counts than inspection-grade models).
- For GIS use, include georeferencing and coordinate system information.
Example beginner project: A ceramic vase
- Calibrate with a checkerboard using Agisoft Lens.
- Place vase on a turntable, use neutral background and even lighting.
- Capture 3 orbits at different heights, 80% overlap → ~90 images.
- Export images + calibration to Metashape, align (high), build dense cloud (high), mesh (Poisson, depth 10), texture.
- Add scale bar, export OBJ and a 2K texture.
Quick checklist before processing
- Calibration profile saved and attached.
- Images sharp, evenly exposed, sufficient overlap.
- Markers/GCPs recorded if scale/geolocation needed.
- Metadata exported and imported into processing software.
Final notes
Agisoft Lens streamlines the early, critical stages of photogrammetry—calibration and capture—so that reconstruction software like Metashape can perform more reliably and produce higher-quality models. Start with small, controlled projects to learn the capture patterns and calibration routines; progressively tackle larger scenes as your workflow and confidence grow.
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