Reverse Engineering Comes to Google

By DE Editors

French developer Qualup has released Pixdim, a plug-in for Google Sketchup that makes 3D measurements on digital photographs. The plug-in uses photogrammetry to define relief from two flat images of an object taken from two different positions.

Pixdim is compatible with Google SketchUp 6 (Pro, free, and evaluation versions). Supported operating systems are Windows 2000/XP/Vista 32-bit. Users will need a series of digital photographs, taken at least 25 degrees apart, of the objects to be measured. All points you want to measure must be visible on at least two photos. You must also make a real measurement to serve as a reference. Then load the photos in Sketchup with Pixdim installed. Once you indicate a number of characteristic points on the photos and enter a real measured distance, you can use the Google measurement tools to make 3D measurements on the photographed objects.

The higher the number of reference points marked on the photo, the greater the measurement precision. Qualup says that the software provides constant relative precision from a few millimeters to several kilometers—Pixdim can measure a 100mm part with a precision of +/-1.00mm as well as a distance of 1km between two buildings with a precision of +/- 10m. Actual precision will vary depending on the camera being used.

A free trial version of Pixdim is available at www.pixdim.com. Retail price is US$406.50 (€295) for the commercial version. Educational and academic versions cost US$620 (€450), with unlimited site licensing.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.