Tuesday, February 7th, 2017 Posted by Jim Thacker

Agisoft ships PhotoScan 1.3

An example of PhotoScan-to-Cinema 4D workflow from Agisoft’s YouTube feed. The developer has just released version 1.3 of the photogrammetry software, adding support for GPU-accelerated image matching.


Agisoft has released PhotoScan 1.3, the latest version of its popular photogrammetry software, adding support for GPU acceleration during the image matching process.

The implementation supports OpenCL as well as CUDA, meaning that it should work with any suitable GPU.

A powerful, affordable image-based modelling tool for entertainment artists
Since the start of the decade, PhotoScan has build a reputation among entertainment artists as a powerful, affordable image-based modelling system.

The Standard edition offers a range of standard features for generating textured 3D models of real-world objects or point clouds from sets of source photographs, and for stitching panoramas.

The more powerful – and much more expensive – Professional edition adds toolsets geared towards surveying and research work, including support for DEM data, plus measurement and spectral analysis tools.

New in 1.3: GPU-accelerated image matching, rolling shutter compensation
First released in preview form last year, the main new feature in PhotoScan 1.3 is support for GPU acceleration during image matching: the initial phase of the photogrammetry process.

The implementation uses CUDA on Nvidia cards and OpenCL on other manufacturer’s hardware, with Agisoft actually recommending high-end gaming rather than workstation cards.

There are also a number of smaller features, which you can read about in the release notes, along with those added in the original preview, which include rolling shutter compensation and new GUI themes.

Pricing and availability
PhotoScan 1.3 is available for 32-bit or 64-bit Windows XP+, Mac OS X 10.8+ or 64-bit Debian/Ubuntu Linux with glibc 2.13+. The Standard edition costs $179; the Professional edition costs $3,499.


Read a full list of new features in PhotoScan 1.3 in the release notes

Visit the PhotoScan website