EPFL Spinoff Turns Thousands of 2D Photos into 3D Images

New EPFL spin-off Pix4D generates 3D images from simple snapshots and drones using cloud computing and takes time into account as well. Wouldn't it be cool if you could upload a bunch of photos of your favorite building and your computer could spit out a stunning 3D model? Researchers in EPFL's Computer Vision Laboratory thought so. They developed a computer program that generates a 3D image from up to thousands of 2D shots, with all the processing done in the cloud. Since April, the EPFL start-up Pix4D has been offering the modeling service with an intriguing plus: a fourth dimension—time. Now, individuals and small businesses looking for fast, cheap, large-scale 3D models can get them without investing in heavy processing. "All the information we need to make a 3D model is contained in the photos and the differences we find among them," explains Pascal Fua, head of the Computer Vision Laboratory. "Along with the image, our program takes additional information such as the time the photo was taken and even corrects the GPS location for more precise localization." - With Pix4D, users upload a series of photos of an object and within 30 minutes they have a 3D image.