Captain Canuck
Posts: 8
Location: Canada
Registered: 16 Apr 2007
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Confused!!! need help please - thank-you
Posted: 22 Apr 2007 at 21:30 GMT
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 Here is what I have attempted to do thus far with 3dVista Stitcher.
I am using a Casio QV40 digital camera that has a 'panorama' option when taking pictures. The way this works is that the last 1/5 of the image on the right is placed in the view finder on the left (after the camera has processed the photo). You then line up the image on the left to the overlapping image when you pan the camera (approx 22deg)and keep taking pictures panning from left to right.
With the wide angle on this camera it takes 9 shots for a 360 deg pan. I import all pictures into 3D Stitcher and let it do its work. Picture are in the correct order and I allow Stitcher to Auto stitch photos. The result is less than desirable.
Let me tell you how the camera is set up on the tripod.
First, because the tripod screw mount hole on the camera is not directly behind the lens but to the left of the lens I have manufactured a bar that allows me to slide the camera lens directly over the pivot point of the tripod. This is to say that the lens face is directly over the tripod center pivot point. I use a bulls-eye spirit level to level off the bar and before I take any pictures I pivot the entire 360 deg to make sure that it stays level all the way around. In theory this should work.... right? but what I get are a series of photos that when Stitcher is finished with them, makes a sweep upwards in the middle of the series of photos and.. it does not stitch photos that have (according to the camera anyway)enough overlap.
here is what i get.
www.webwerqs.com/3dvista/3dvista_test.htm
Help me sort this out. I am sure I have probably missed something along the way but after two days of tweaking and trying different scenarios I can't get it to work. I have even tried manual stitching but get the same result. 
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Theo
Posts: 157
Location: Canada
Registered: 17 Jun 2005
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Re: Confused!!! need help please - thank-you
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 at 3:33 GMT
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Hi Captain Canuck,
It doesn't look like you found the nodal point? Unless I missed something in your post, what you did is having the lens centered, but centering the lens on the tripod won't give you perfect stitching because you need to find the nodal point and that's why you need a panoramic head.
Also your first shot should be leveled; you don't need to level the rest.
I think the panorama option found in many new digital cameras is meant for partial panoramas not a full 360 panos.
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zxcvbnm
Posts: 421
Location:
Registered: 3 May 2005
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Re: Confused!!! need help please - thank-you
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 at 10:00 GMT
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It may have improved now but when I tried the 3dvista stitcher a year or so ago it had the easiest user interface of any stitcher but the results were only ok.
You might try the demo of autopano.net or perhaps ptgui.com which is worth getting the hang of and you may well find they are much more sympathetic to coping with your images.
Stick you images up somewere and I'm sure some people will give them a quick go on auto.
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Captain Canuck
Posts: 8
Location: Canada
Registered: 16 Apr 2007
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Re: Confused!!! need help please - thank-you
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 at 12:10 GMT
updated: 23 Apr 2007 at 12:32 GMT
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Thanks for the replies.
I've placed the images in the web page addressed in the previous post. Anyone want to take a try is more than welcome. (*NOTE very large files so those with dialup may want to stay away from this) They are just a trial series. I figured I had better practice before I go an do the real job later this week.
Paragraph removed by editor (found article on how to find nodal point of lens. thanks)
Thanks again for the replies.
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John Houghton
Posts: 2336
Location: Hitchin, United Kingdom
Registered: 17 Jan 2005
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Re: Confused!!! need help please - thank-you
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 at 12:38 GMT
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Image 2 (774) is missing. There's no problem stitching the images apart from that. Parallax is not an issue. Please upload the missing image.
John
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Captain Canuck
Posts: 8
Location: Canada
Registered: 16 Apr 2007
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Re: Confused!!! need help please - thank-you
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 at 17:51 GMT
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Thanks for looking at this John (and others)
I have just uploaded the missing image.
Now I'm going back out and messing with trying to get the settings for the nodal point. I fear that I might have to revamp my homemade design some.
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John Houghton
Posts: 2336
Location: Hitchin, United Kingdom
Registered: 17 Jan 2005
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Re: Confused!!! need help please - thank-you
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 at 18:56 GMT
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Thanks, I was able to complete the panorama easily. There are some parallax effects visible so the camera position could be improved. They are not very serious and do not account for the difficulties your stitching progam had. The venue you used for the test was not ideal. Tree branches move about so matching up features can be problematical. Nice fixed architectural subjects are better. I used PTGui for my stitch; a small version of the output image is at: tinyurl.com/2g6wg4
John
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Captain Canuck
Posts: 8
Location: Canada
Registered: 16 Apr 2007
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Re: Confused!!! need help please - thank-you
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 at 19:01 GMT
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Thanks. I have posted the pictures and I also downloaded the autopanoPro trial version. You are right. Stitcher does have an amazingly east to use GUI but.... it is not very forgiving. Autopano Pro on the other hand is a little less intuitive but... ah there is the but again, it worked wonders on the same set of photos. Now I think I'll go out and panhandle for the cash to get it registered. Thanks for the information. You have all been very helpful. Great Group. I can only hope that one day I will be versed enough with this technology to be able to help some other poor student.
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Captain Canuck
Posts: 8
Location: Canada
Registered: 16 Apr 2007
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Re: Confused!!! need help please - thank-you
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 at 22:21 GMT
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Thanks to "zxcvbnm" and John. I have posted the pictures and I also downloaded the autopanoPro trial version. zxcvbnm, you are right. Stitcher does have an amazingly east to use GUI but.... it is not very forgiving. Autopano Pro on the other hand is a little less intuitive but... ah there is the but again, it worked wonders on the same set of photos. Now I think I'll go out and panhandle for the cash to get it registered. Thanks for the information. You have all been very helpful. Great Group. I can only hope that one day I will be versed enough with this technology to be able to help some other poor student.
But for now here is what I got. Thanks for the help.
www.webwerqs.com/pano/flash/index.htm
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