Photogrammetry Sept 2026

3D Imaging for Endangered Material Knowledge

Wednesday 9th September, 2026. 14:00–17:00. Senate House MakerSpace.

Gabriel Bodard (Digital Humanities Research Hub) & Juliette Quatre (Institute of Classical Studies)

This session will introduce the practice of photogrammetry, a 3D method suitable for capturing full 3D geometry and photographic surface colour using any digital camera (including a phone camera). Participants will have the opportunity to practice the photographic techniques required to model an object in the round, and to try out processing the photographs using Agisoft Metashape Professional software. We will also give you pointers toward some more advanced features such as aligning two partial 3D scans to make a complete model, editing and post-processing your model, preparing your model for 3D printing, and uploading to a 3D viewing platform such as Sketchfab.

Limitations of photogrammetry

Please note: photogrammetry is a powerful and flexible method for cheaply producing 3D models from multiple digital photographs of an objects. As it is a technology that relies on the reflection of light and static objects, however, it is not suitable for imaging objects that are: (a) highly reflective, such as shiny metal, glass or some very glossy ceramics; (b) transparent or translucent, including glass, crystal, some soft stones; (c) wispy, furry, flexible or difficult to keep immobile while photographing, such as hair, grasses, fabrics, or people who are moving. Other imaging methods, including lower resolution tool including phone apps and tools such as Gaussian Splat (not covered in this workshop) may be more appropriate for such cases.

Optional:

• If you would like to install the software on your own laptops in advance (or after) the session, we recommend a free 30-trial license for Agisoft Metashape (the most widely used and user-friendly photogrammetry software): https://www.agisoftmetashape.com/downloads/. This trial is for 30 days so please do not activate the trial too far in advance of the workshop.
• If you want to upload 3D models, you may like to create a free account on Sketchfab: https://sketchfab.com/

Further tutorials and resources:

• Photography for photogrammetry (3 min) (Alicia Walsh)
• Agisoft Metashape interface demo (10 min) (Alicia Walsh)
• Photogrammetry basic workflow in Metashape (19 min) (Alicia Walsh)
• Aligning and merging chunks (12 min) (Alicia Walsh)
• How to Make Your Scans Look Great on Sketchfab (by Thomas Flynn)

Programme

1. 3D imaging introduction
2. Photogrammetry practice
   1. Photography demo
   2. Agisoft Metashape demo
   3. Group work
3. 15-minute break (café in basement)
4. Post-processing
   1. Aligning chunks demo
   2. 3D printing demo
   3. Sketchfab demo (cf. https://sketchfab.com/icsehrenberg)
5. Questions and discussion
   1. Keep in touch! gabriel.bodard@sas.ac.uk
   2. Visit or use the MakerSpace: makerspace@sas.ac.uk

Questions

• Where do I go if I have more questions after this workshop is over?
• Where can I find a 3D printer?
• What are my options if I have an object that is not suitable for photogrammetric imaging, according to your advice?