RealityCapture 1.5 Released with Radiance Field and COLMAP Export
Michael Rubloff
Nov 20, 2024
Structure from Motion is the critical first step in almost all Radiance Field reconstruction pipelines. Many methods rely on COLMAP, which can notoriously take a long time to process. An promising alternative has always been Epic Games owned RealityCapture, but up until April required a paid subscription and exporting into a format that could be used in Postshot required a bit more technical knowledge.
Now RealityCapture, a leader in photogrammetry software, has just rolled out version 1.5, marking a significant milestone with the addition of support for Radiance Fields. This update also comes packed with several improvements, new features, and bug fixes that will make the software even more powerful, user-friendly, and pipeline agnostic for Radiance Field reconstruction.
Some people had incorporated workflows to export RealityCapture data to use in Postshot, but now the documentation and steps are being formalized by RealityCapture.
RealityCapture's latest update now allows for the export of Radiance Fields transformation files. This feature represents a major enhancement, as Radiance Fields hold the potential to revolutionize how 3D environments are captured and visualized. With the support for Radiance Fields export, users can now better integrate their RealityCapture projects with Radiance Field based methods like Gaussian Splatting and NeRFs.
Excitingly, RealityCapture also now supports exporting COLMAP files, which makes it easier for users to leverage COLMAP's advanced structure-from-motion capabilities in their workflows. I would recommend using the COLMAP output for applications such as Nerfstudio and Postshot right now. More information about the COLMAP export can be found here.
The software can also export Digital Surface Models (DSM) and Digital Terrain Models (DTM) in 16-bit PNG files, providing greater flexibility in downstream geospatial analysis. These can be used as height maps to create landscapes in real-time 3D application such as Unreal Engine, so you don't have to import the whole model there.
Additionally, users can export their models in USD and USDZ formats, ideal for those working with AR and VR content or transferring models to popular animation and rendering software. Adding to the support for GLB format, users can now export normal maps directly, enriching the range of export options for game development or 3D visualization.
Several new command-line interface commands have been added, giving advanced users more options for automating and customizing their workflows. Depth maps can now be scaled during export, offering more control over the output and allowing for easier integration with other tools or more efficient data storage.
This update introduces support for relative paths for input files, making project files more portable and easier to work with across different environments. Users can also import models with only an unwrap layer into Nira, and models without textures can be uploaded to Cesium, expanding flexibility in visualization and collaboration.
The update also addresses numerous bugs and inconsistencies, such as issues with untextured parts, flawed artifacts during LSP texturing, CPU maxing out after inactivity, and more. Users will notice improved stability and smoother overall performance.
One known issue remains: when exporting a Radiance Fields transformation file using the 'Registration' export button, the file name isn't automatically set to 'transforms.json'. This is a minor inconvenience but worth noting for users.
RealityCapture's latest update solidifies its position as a cutting-edge tool in the photogrammetry and Radiance Field landscape. With new support for Radiance Fields and enhanced texturing, export options, and stability improvements, RealityCapture continues to evolve, empowering creators to push the boundaries of 3D content generation.
RealityCapture's parent company, Epic Games, has been surprisingly quiet in the world of Radiance Fields thus far, but hopefully this is the beginning of larger involvement in the world of hyper-real 3D with Radiance Fields.
