How To Take A Reality Capture (KB-AM018) – vGIS Support Center

vGIS’ reality capture technology uses a variety of technical means to capture a digital 3D model of an object, objects or surface from the real world. Our solution either uses LiDAR or photogrammetry technology to reconstruct a 3D image using georeferenced video frames to create detailed and accurate digital representations in minutes.

In this guide you will find:

App Users
How to take Reality Capture scan (LiDAR and photogrammetry methods)
Photogrammetry Top 10 Best Practices and Pro Tips
Sending Reality Capture scans to the Admin Portal/vSite

Portal Admins
Viewing Reality Capture Scans from the vGIS Admin Portal.
Enabling Reality Capture for your Teams/ Projects
(New!) Reality Capture & vSite Introduction

Capturing Reality Capture Scans

Once you have identified the subject you want to capture as a 3D model, use the vGIS AR app to record a video of it using the built-in reality capture tool. To use the feature in the vGIS AR app you will need the latest version of the app on your device(s).

LiDAR

Disclaimer: the device used in this method must be LiDAR enabled. We also recommend downloading our separate app called vGIS Scan.

LiDAR Process

1. When in the mobile app, access the AR View (Fig. 1). (Note: You will have to verify your position and hit Next)

2. Tap on "Tools" and tap on 3D Scan (Fig. 2).

3. When selected, a new layout will appear to start your scan. For LiDAR users, you will be presented with a Record button, tap it to begin your scan (Note: the vGIS Scan application must be installed so it can seamlessly open in the background before taking your scan.

4. When you're ready to scan, the area you want to scan will turn red. Using a steady pace without moving too fast, start scanning the area until your desired object(s) starts to fill in the spaces. When you are finished tap the red record button again.

5. Once you are satisfied with the scan and process time, tap Start to finish the scanning process. You can delete, reprocess, measure, or share your latest scan. When you tap share and Send to vGIS, your admin will now see the scan in the Admin Portal.

Note: For clearer, more accurate scanning, we recommend using a LiDAR-enabled device and downloading a separate vGIS Scan application. With both apps installed , the 3D Scan button now opens vGIS Scan in the background, seamlessly integrating both apps.

Photogrammetry

vGIS photogrammetry reality captures utilize the camera form your mobile device, taking multiple instanced where your location is tracked in order to make the scan. Before the process steps, we recommend reviewing the following tips for the most accurate scans.

Best Prctices and Tips

1. Record in landscape mode.
2. Keep your device at a 45 to 90-degree angle.
3. Move at a constant walking pace and try to adopt a slight 'S' pattern.
4. Don’t pivot around a central point.
5. If you need to capture sideways, don’t pivot; walk sideways instead.
6. Start filming before the start point and stop recording once you are past the end point.
7. Only film what is necessary.
8. Avoid moving objects such as people or machinery.
9. Capture wide areas by circling it.
10. Make sure objects are adequately illuminated.
11. For dark trenches use the "wave" technique.
12. Avoid reflective and plain evenly-coloured objects.
If reflective objects are unavoidable, cover them with some dirt or put other objects on top of them.

Pro Tips
1. Identify what you want to capture before you start recording.
2. Objects that are not within the camera's field of view won't be captured.
3. Avoid recording the same area/object twice.
When capturing wide trenches film from the side at an angle.

Photogrammetry Process

1. When in the mobile app, access the "AR view". (Note: You will have to verify your position and hit Next)

2. Tap on "Tools" and tap on "3D Scan"

3. When selected, a new layout will appear to start your scan. Tap the record button it to begin your scan. Using the best practices and pro tips, your scan should be clear and accurate

Sending your Reality Capture Scans to the Admin Portal/ vSite

Once your recording is finished, your screen will show you the following:

Title section - An area to rename your new datasource, and a brief summary of the vertices and faces that make up your scan
Scan Options -
1. Scan Visualization: Add flat colours, textured, normal or wireframe shaders to your scan
2. Camera Projection - change perspectives of your scan, Ortho will use Orthometric height, Perspective will default to the perspective direction of the scan, and Floor Plan will give you a top-down view of your scan
3. Set Camera View: this will instantly place your line of view from either the x,y, or z axis, looking directly at your scan
4. Show Grid: enable or disable the grid background of your scan
5. Show bounding box: enabling this switch will show you the entire area occupied by your scan, labelled with it's dimensions
Process Scan Menu - This area will help you control the size and quality of the data being uploaded into the system. Select one of the quality presets; HD, Medium, Fast, and Custom(each selection will change the Estimated Time below).
Help Button - a pop up will appear with quick tips to help a new user

Once you are satisfied with the scan and process time, tap Start to finish the scanning process. You can delete, reprocess, measure, or share your latest scan. When you tap share and Send to vGIS, your admin will now see the scan in the Admin Portal.

Admin Troubleshooting

Viewing Reality Capture Scans from the vGIS Admin Portal.

There are a few ways to view the metadata for reality capture scans:

1. Reality Capture Tab - You will see a map with pins of the locations of your collected reality capture scans. Below the map will be a list of your scans with details on when it was created, it's name, assigned team, and the method used (LiDAR, Rezo, or vGIS Scan).

When any scan is clicked, a pop up will appear with a summary of the scan including it's geographic location and a Viewer that can be accessed with clicking the View Model button.

2. Data Sources Tab - When scans are created and sent to the portal, they will collect here in the company's main database. This will present your reality capture scans as a normal datasource ready for vGIS configuration. There will be steps below on this process

3. Reports - this is mainly used to track the progress of the reality capture scan to ensure the scan went through and was sent to the portal.

Assigning a Reality Capture to a Project

If a specific team or project needs a reality capture assigned to them, you need to access the vGIS Admin Portal. From there, you can locate the reality capture model stored within a data source. You will need to enable it for your team(s) to visualize.

1. Access the Data Sources tab from the side menu.
2. Select your reality capture from the list of data sources. You can quickly identify the name of the scan and when it was taken

3. When you open the Reality Capture datasource, you will see a structure similar to any other datasource in vGIS.

4. Select the ROOT folder and assign it to a Layer Group.
5. Under the Additional Details option and assign the Elevation Type and Vertical Datum.
6. You may assign individual models to different Layer Groups.
7. Make sure you assign the reality capture datasource to the correct team or project in the Teams tab
8. Save changes and Process Data to complete the process.

Reality Capture and vSite

With the latest vSIte expansion, your Reality Capture scans can now be viewed in this desktop, browser-view of the worksite. Because your scans are recorded with it's geographic location and elevation, the scan will be placed where it should be in the real world, and will be blended in with your base maps, showing the progress of your project in the real world.