Wednesday, December 2nd, 2015 Posted by Jim Thacker

Creative Dimension Software ships 3DSOM Pro 4



A toy photographed on a mobile phone, reconstructed in 3D with 3DSOM Pro 4 and uploaded to Sketchfab. Version 4 of the software, currently available as a free public beta, includes a built-in WebGL export option.

Originally posted on 6 November 2015. Scroll down for news of the commercial release.

Creative Dimension Software has launched a free beta of 3DSOM Pro 4, the next release of its image-based modelling package, promising “greater flexibility, higher accuracy [and] more complex models”.

The update also makes the software compatible with 64-bit operating systems, and adds WebGL export.

Convert source images into textured 3D geometry
3DSOM Pro converts a set of source photographs of an object into textured 3D geometry.

It includes features for correcting lens distortion and masking out the background of a shot, along with both semi-automatic and manual tools for optimising the geometry and texture maps it generates.

The software is primarily used in design and research, but is capable of a wide range of output, including people capture, and can handle models with concave surfaces: a traditional problem for tools of this type.

Capture larger objects, create more detailed models
New features in 3DSOM Pro 4 include support for a wider range of camera calibration techniques, including the use of new ‘domino’ targets instead of having to photograph objects against a calibration mat.

The change should make it possible to reconstruct much larger objects.

In addition, the software no longer needs a structured light stripe pattern to generate point cloud data, so users should be able to generate more accurate models with a digital camera alone.

Previously, a digital projector was necessary to project the stripe pattern onto the object being captured.

In addition, the software now supports 64-bit operating systems, making it possible to create more complex models; while the processing engine has been updated to extract more high-frequency detail.

Finally, users can now export models in WebGL format for viewing in any standard modern web browser, in addition to standard 3D file formats like OBJ, Collada, 3DS, X3D and STL.

Updated 2 December: 3DSOM Pro 4 is now shipping. At the time of posting, the product website hadn’t been updated, but we’re received an email from Creative Dimension Software that it’s available in its store.

The software is available for 64-bit Windows only. The commercial version costs $995, including a year’s maintenance, and can be installed on one desktop machine and one laptop.

Visit the 3DSOM Pro website

Read more about 3DSOM Pro 4 in the software’s online user guide