Processing a New Model in Mapware

This article covers how to process a new model in Mapware.

Process a New Model

After you create a new project, and your data is uploaded, process your data into a new model.

To begin processing a new model, click the name of the Project containing the data you want to process.

On the project screen select the "Models" tab in the upper left-hand corner, then click "Process new model".

You can give the model a unique name or continue with a default name.

Once you have given the model a name, you will be asked to confirm the photos and files you want to process.

In the Photos tab, all photos you uploaded to the project are selected by default. Use the check marks to select or deselect specific photos to use in your model. At least 20 photos must be selected in order to process a model. You can also upload more files to the project on this screen.

In the Data/files tab, confirm the GPS correction files or ground control point files you want to include in the data you are processing.

Click "Next" to continue.

Determine Your Processing Parameters

Mapware allows you to choose several processing parameters involved in the processing of your model. We recommend using the default parameters, which will automatically select the highest quality outcome. However, if you want to choose your own parameters, here are your options:

Photo resolution

We recommend choosing the high setting, but other photo resolution settings can be useful for some purposes.

At the high setting, Mapware will process your model with 90% of the original resolution of your photos. The medium setting uses 50% of the original resolution. Low uses 25% of the original resolution. Higher resolution creates a more accurate model, but will take longer to process, while lower resolution is good for test runs.

Number of key points to extract

We recommend 50,000 key points. The maximum number possible is 100,000.

Key points are visual features such as edges, corners, or lines that are detected in each image as the first step in image matching. Key points, also called feature points, are described by their relationship to surrounding pixels.

higher number of key points means more of these visual features will be identified and used in the process. The more key points extracted, the longer processing will take and the higher the resolution of the final model.

Number of tie points

Tie points, also called match vectors, are key points that are common across a group of two or more images. Tie points are used to register, or align, matching images and connect them together in 3D.

We recommend using the “Unlimited” setting, which gives the software permission to find as many tie points as possible. The more tie points used, the better the image matching results and the higher the quality of the output model.

Review your ground control points (optional)

While processing a model, you can review your ground control point file, review ground control points in each image, add new ground control points, or select a different coordinate system.

Review your configuration and process your model

When all parameters have been set, you will see a summary of the selections you made for your model, along with the number of processing credits it will take to process. You can edit any of your selections.

If you are happy with the configuration you chose, click "Begin processing my model".

When your model has been submitted for processing, you will see a confirmation screen. When the model has completed processing, you will receive a confirmation email letting you know your model processing is complete.

Click "Done" to continue to Mapware and continue working while you are waiting for your model to process.

Track the status of my model

You can track the status of your processing order by clicking on the Project name. On the Models tab, you will see a status beside each model you have processed.