How to make repairs in minutes with AI Photogrammetry inside Artec Studio

A custom 3D-printed surfboard nose guard, captured using AI Photogrammetry

Surfing can be a pretty extreme sport – even if you’re riding artificial waves rather than the more hostile open sea. To his detriment, Artec 3D expert Mikhail Shumikhin recently discovered this for himself, with his surfboard being flung into a barrier by a strong imitated current.

The incident left him with a significant dent in the top of his prized board. Though not uncommon in the surfing community, this kind of damage remains fairly difficult to prevent and repair.

You could buy a general use nose guard, but it might not necessarily fit your specific board. For repairs, many surfers also smooth over damaged surfaces with epoxy material. However, this leaves an untidy finish that’s likely to rankle with those who take pride in their equipment.

This left Shumikhin with a conundrum – the same one we all encounter every day as product users – how do you make fixes or improvements without a 3D model to redesign?

In this case, he realized that AI Photogrammetry would be perfect for the job. New to the Artec Studio 3D software, this groundbreaking feature makes it possible to turn photos and videos captured with any device – even your smartphone – into incredibly realistic 3D models.

Digitizing for repairs in <1 minute

In order to create a fix for his surfboard, Shumikhin began by taking his iPhone and capturing a 360-degree video of its dented tip, in a seamless process that lasted less than a minute. From there, generating a 3D model was simply a case of sending this clip to Artec Studio.

No longer just a 3D scan capture and processing software, Artec Studio now features two powerful algorithms: one powered by AI for realistic object 3D modeling, and another for large area digitization. To create a 3D model with either algorithm, you first need to run ‘sparse reconstruction,’ which gives you an initial dataset to work with.

Then, it’s possible to adjust the ‘cropping box,’ so you only work with the data you need. Finally, hitting ‘dense reconstruction’ generates a fully featured 3D model right before your eyes.

Shumikhin’s AI Photogrammetry model after dense reconstruction

“For my project, photogrammetry provided more than enough dimensional data for my repair,” explained Shumikhin. “Using video was also much more convenient than taking photos because you don’t have to stop and go – you just walk around an object, changing position.”

Photogrammetry for design iteration

Once Shumikhin had finished polishing his 3D model, he used Artec Studio’s measuring panel to assign dimensional values to individual features, so he could make repairs with precision.

Photogrammetry models don’t traditionally give you any idea of scale, making them difficult to apply in areas like reverse engineering. However, using a combination of Artec Studio’s built-in scale bars and real-life dimensions, Shumikhin found it possible to give features true values.

Artec Studio’s built-in measuring tools being used to size up surfboard repairs

With handheld 3D scanners like Artec Spider II, it’s possible to capture with a much higher accuracy of up to 0.05 mm, and achieve true one-to-one 3D models. But in use cases like this one, Shumikhin says “being half a millimeter out wasn’t the end of the world,” as he could still capture enough technical detail to achieve “almost exactly accurate” results.

Using captured data, he was then able to design a custom protective nose guard that slotted easily onto his surfboard in the popular Fusion 360 engineering software.

AI Photogrammetry: the tip of an iceberg

Turning this design into a physical product was as simple as exporting the STL to Shumikhin’s Creality desktop 3D printer.

In just 45 minutes, he had a physical, perfect-fitting prototype for protecting his board. Later, it proved possible to accessorize further inside Artec Studio, changing the protector’s visual appearance with the platform’s built-in tools.

A surfboard repaired with Shumikhin’s custom nose guard (left) and another patched up with traditional epoxy material (right)

Cosmetic tweaks aside, the device itself was ready to use. Having mended his prized surfboard, Shumikhin is now convinced that AI Photogrammetry has a bright future, not only as an intuitive capture software, but a tool for rapid repair, 3D modeling, and creative design.

“AI Photogrammetry has huge potential – in repair – but also customization,” added Shumikhin. “This could be in car dashboard and bike modifications, or the design of custom sports equipment. Nowadays, there really is an application for accurate 3D models in every sphere of life. It’s very easy and doesn’t require a professional camera either. Anyone with a smartphone can give it a try!”