Automated Dome Imaging

[NickRaposo]

Hi there,

I'm starting an imaging program at a maritime museum. I know from speaking to colleagues that many maritime collections are not well recorded. I'm hoping to use an RTI/Photogrammetry method to record these works, and create 3D models of them for study. Because time is a major factor, I hope to optimize my image capture through automation.

I will have a smallish studio, a 50mp Canon 5DS, and an excellent computer (which I'm building, optimized for photogrammetry which should support RTI).

Jorge Cano at the Factum Foundation has proposed a method using just four lights (15 degrees at NSEW) to capture up to 50nm resolution. The four images are put into Adobe Substance Maker to obtain a heightmap and that is brought into GIS software for stitching and precise height/normal mapping.

Whether I use Cano's method or RTI, I would like to build a folding dome capable of imaging at least an 8in x 8in section of each artwork. (I will be visiting multiple museums, so portability is important.)

I will probably build my own dome, to which I will attach lights, and which will allow me to mount my camera at the center.

I need guidance on what lights to use (strobe, flash, LED, etc.) and how to trigger the lights sequentially in sync with the camera's shutter.

There are a lot of references to Arduino boards, custom PCBs, etc. A company called RTI-Dome in France has a fully automated system for image capture and filing. Custom Imaging also has an automated system. I don't know whether either of these can fire LEDs strong enough for larger scale objects.

Any help/direction would be much appreciated.

Nick Raposo

americanmarineart.com