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3D Landscapes

3D Landscapes

The web-app Photosynth, by Microsoft Live Labs, represents an innovative application of bundle adjustment methods taken from photogrammetry.  See Erle's blog on Photosynth for more info.  We are interested in exploring the potential application of this technology for 3D reconstruction of human landscapes.  Here are links to a few of our synths from around campus and Baltimore. 

Photosynth requires an installation for viewing or you can view through their web-based Silverlight viewer, but this also requires an installation.  Use (p) to switch between photo view and point cloud view.  You can also use (~) to enter Grid View to navigate among the photos.

  Campus Walk 1 This synth was generated from several hundred photos taken on a short trip with Dr. Ellis' Landscape Ecology class.  We took photos from the ground and gained access to the nearby rooftops to get a few different perspectives on the scene.  Navigation can be tricky, but it looks like the program was able to recreate some of the scenes fairly well.  
  From the Crow's Nest This is one of my first synths, taken from atop an old fire tower.  It is remarkable how some of the trees have been resolved, especially the unique shape of the boughs of the white pines, bright green points in the cloud.  It is also interesting that some of the buildings and rooftops in the 'background' of the photos seem to have been resolved fairly well.  
   A Sunny Day with the Trees This synth was taken at the base of the fire tower with the intention of capturing the tree trunks and understory.  Some of the trunks came out very well and it appears that the program was even able to capture some of the understory branches.  However, the blue sky seems to be throwing off some of the bundling, as some of the trees are represented as blue instead of green.