There is potential of fully automating a project when RAD Targets or non-ringed Coded Targets are used.
For more information on these and other types of automated projects in PhotoModeler, please visit our website: https://www.photomodeler.com/pm-applications/manufacturing/targeted-projects-resources/
There is an option on the Getting Started Panel to start an Automated Coded Target Project. When this option is chosen, the Wizard asks for the settings needed to execute the project with minimal operator intervention.
You have a choice to perform a fully automated ‘RAD project’, or a project using ‘Automatic project with additional parameters’ for a more interactive process of controlling some of the project parameters.
The RAD project uses only RAD targets (see Create Coded Targets Dialog and Automatic Target Marking) in the project setup. You select a set of photos in which RAD targets are used, then select a camera (if the camera associated with the photos is not stored in your Camera Library), and PhotoModeler will mark the targets, then process the project automatically. See Getting Started Panel or New Project Wizard for information on setting up these projects in the Wizard. You can control some aspects of a RAD project setup using the settings in Preferences - Marking and Referencing.
See Using the Automated Tools, Automated Coded Targets Project, Letter Sheet Automated Target Projects and Coded Target Presets.
For a non-RAD automated project, the program can automatically carry out target marking, processing, automatic referencing (for non-coded targets), and coordinate system setup. These settings can be saved in a file so that if you have similar projects they can be run quickly and automatically by loading just the one configuration file. Once the Wizard has been filled out and the Finish button pressed, the remainder of the processing is automatic. See Getting Started Panel or New Project Wizard for information on setting up these projects in the Wizard.
We strongly recommend you get used to successfully processing coded target projects with the manual process (standard project, running automatic marking, running processing, setting up scale/rotate, etc.) before embarking on fully automating the work so that you can be confident with the setting used.
While this system could be used for projects without coded targets it is not that useful because only automatic marking can be carried out. The power comes when sufficient coded targets are used so that 3D points can be calculated (via implicit coded target referencing).
For a non-RAD project, you set up your project such that all key points are coded targets. Key points are those that are used to orient all the cameras well and define your scale and rotation. You record which code numbers define your scale and your coordinate system rotation. You then use the Automated Project Wizard to define your parameters, have all targets marked and referenced and have the project processed.
When placing targets on your object or in your scene, try to affix the targets so that they are as flat as possible. PhotoModeler can tolerate slight warp in the target, but if the inner dot plane is too different from the outer ring plane, miscoding can occur. Using rigid paper or material can help maintain a flat target.
Also, make sure that targets are placed in the scene such that they are not too distorted due to perspective. PhotoModeler can tolerate perspective distortion, but in an automated project, the more perspective in the images’ targets, the higher the likelihood of mis-codings. Try to include photos that are taken as directly towards the targets as possible to ensure they are recognized and coded properly. See also Targets - Do’s and Don’t’s for tips on using targets in your project.
There may be cases where a referencing error is made due to target mis-identification. In this scenario the processing stage may not complete (as with any other project that has a key point misreferenced). In this case you will need to study the codings made and unreference the offending point(s) before manually re-running Orientation and Global Optimization. A feature to assist you with projects that may have referencing or marking errors is the automatic point removal feature. During processing, if a point mark in the project has a high residual, PhotoModeler will attempt to make changes to the project by unreferencing the point. See Preferences - Processing and Cameras. This feature is turned on by default for Automatic projects. If it finds high residual points and makes a change, the Total Error Dialog will show a green bar. Any permanent changes it makes to the project are explained in the Project Status Report.
The Automated Coded Target Project Summary dialog appears at the start of automatic processing to provide feedback and is updated as the photos are marked and the project processed etc. The process launches automatically when initiated from the wizard.