When the "Execute" button is pressed the merge process occurs and the resulting merged project (if the merge was successful) is loaded into PhotoModeler. The resulting merged project is indistinguishable from a standard PhotoModeler project. This project can be saved, have photos, tables and 3D viewers opened, be orthophotoed, be textured, and be processed.
These are the steps taken during merge:
• The base project is loaded and has its Scale/Rotate (if any) applied to all its 3D data.
• The next project in the list is loaded and has its Scale/Rotate (if any) applied to all its 3D data.
• If this project requires a named-point match transform, all Object Points that are 3D in the base project and this project are searched for and if they have exactly the same user name (case sensitive), they are matched. If there are sufficient matches (3 or more points) a coordinate transformation is computed for this project.
• The 3D data in the project is transformed as requested (either none, translated, or the results of 3. applied).
• All types of data in the project (points, lines, edges, cylinders, curves, materials, layers, photographs, stations, etc.) are merged into the base project.
• If the check box, "Reference Named and Coded Points", is checked then any user-named/coded target object points with the same name/id respectively are referenced together (note this is independent of the named-point match coordinate transform). For the coded target points (see Coded Targets) to be merged properly all projects being merged must share the same code set (8 bit, 10 bit, 12 bit, etc.). If this option is not selected and the code already exists in the destination project the point being merged will become uncoded. As with name matching, coded targets can also be used to establish the coordinate transform.
• If the current project has a photograph with a file path name that is identical to a photograph in the base project, all the marking on that photograph (points, edges, cylinders, curves, etc.) are copied and merged into the matching photograph of the base project. All Marked Points are searched to see if they are within the distance in pixels specified in "Mark Point Match Threshold" box of another Marked Points. If so they are welded.
• If there are any projects left in the merge list, it goes back to step 2.
Once the processing is complete the final project is loaded into PhotoModeler like any other normal project.