Creating 3D models from images
Important!
As of March 31, 2022 we’ve consolidated our four project sizes into two.
Small Projects at or under 75,000 sq ft - 100-250 images
Large Projects above 75,000 sq ft - 200-900 images
Pricing will not change for existing users. Upon renewal, prices will reflect the same prior residential and commercial amounts. For any questions, please email us at accounting@scanifly.com.
Uploading Images to Scanifly is easy!
Before uploading your drone photos to Scanifly, you will want to make sure that you have access to a computer with a high speed internet connection.
You also want to make sure that you do not upload any photos from our Do not upload these photos to Scanifly page and that all of your photos are geotagged.
We also recommend following the flight plan recommendations in the Example Residential Imagery and Example Commercial Imagery depending on your project size and photo count.
Photo Uploading Tips
- Ensure you have a stable and high speed internet connection- Using a wired (ethernet cable) internet connection is recommended
- Upload images from your computer rather than directly from an SD card
- Use this Upload Time Calculator to estimate how long it will take you to upload your images to Scanifly.
1. My Projects page > "New Project" Button
Navigate to your my projects page and click on the "New Project" button.
2. Add Customer Info
- Enter your project name
- Enter your customer's information - you can upload a single drone image and it will automatically populate the address, latitude and longitude
- If the yellow pin is not over the correct house, click and drag it to the correct location
- Click Save & Continue to get to the Consumption Data Field
Consumption Data
The input field for consumption data can be found below the Customer Info tab, within the Project Name menu.
Customer usage information is not required to upload images.
3. Project Info
- Add any teammates that you would like to share this project with. It can also be updated at another time
- You may also designate this project to a Folder at this point
- Click Save & Continue
4. Designs
The "Designs" tab is where you upload your drone images to Scanifly. After selecting the +New Design button, you will be able to upload images to the design.
- Drag your images from a folder you have open into the pop-up box, or select "My Device" within the menu in that box and find the images in your device
Once you have uploaded your images, a bounding box will appear, sized around your images and according to your subscription to Scanifly.
5. Image Location review
You should see your photo locations overlaid on the google base layer in the location that they were taken, based on the image metadata.
You can visually check here to make sure the photos you took are showing up in the right location on the map.
6. Beware of Null Island!
If you notice a view like the one below, instead of the view above, you have images in your dataset that do not contain location metadata. These images are called "Null Island" images and will need to be removed from your dataset. "Null Island" images just have coordinates of (0,0).
Typically these images are a result of the pilot flying before they had a full GPS lock, or if they were flying in an environment where they lost GPS signal during the flight. It is not something caused by the Scanifly software or upload process. You will need to review you all your images to see how many are impacted. If all are impacted, a re-fly of the site will be necessary. If only some are impacted, you will want to remove them and upload the images with location metadata.
If you would like to learn more about geo-tagged images and how to resolve issues related to null islands, checkout our support article What is a geo-tagged image?
7. Image review and preview in the upload window
You can click on the yellow image dots outside of the bounding box in the upload window to bring up the name of the photo and a photo preview. If you need to delete an image within the bounding box, move the box with your cursor.
It is best to do this review outside of the Scanifly software on a computer before uploading to Scanifly, but if you notice any outlier photos be sure to remove them before uploading.
8. Removing images from the dataset
You will see the list of images loaded. Simply select an image from the list or click on a yellow dot to highlight the image in the list. The trash can icon will turn red and you can then select it to delete an image. You may select multiple images at once for deleting.
9. Adjusting Bounding Box
When adjusting your bounding box, be sure to include the entire area that you captured on site and that you would like to model in Scanifly.
As you change the size of the bounding box, the project type will adjust accordingly. If you have found yourself with a Large project type, simply reduce the size of the bounding box to change it to a Small project type.
10. Rotate, Move and Resize the Bounding Box
Click the Rotate & Move Bounding Box Button to rotate and move the bounding box.
Click the Resize Bounding Box to adjust the height and width of the bounding box.
Bounding box & photo alignment locations
The bounding box does not need to include all of the photo locations. The goal of the bounding box is to define the area that you want to reconstruct. It is best to make sure your entire site and surrounding shading obstructions are reconstructed, to make sure you get the most out of your Scanifly model.
11. Click Upload Project and wait for the progress bar to appear
Depending on your internet speed, the upload can take a few minutes or longer. See our System Requirements page for more information on recommended upload speed.
Leave the upload window open while the upload is in progress. Your upload has not completed until it has reached 100% and you see the window go away. If you have any problems with this step please contact our chat support for more assistance.
12. Wait for your project to finish processing
Typically Scanifly projects are finished processing well under 24 hours after uploading. If your project has been taking longer to process, take a look at this page.
Your projects is completed processing when you can see the Thumbnail image without the overlay "Processing" on it.