MMST 3ds Max Class Blog

We're seeing a major initiative to bring 3D scans into our applications for clean up, retopology, and redeployment in virtual scenarios, i.e. games, simulations, or VFX.  Specifically, this means converting a hi-res triangulated mesh into a reduced quad-poly version that retains the detail of the original -- and to do this in a tight time frame.  Autodesk 123D Catch lets you use any camera (phone to DSLR) to capture a series of images of the object from different viewpoints.  It  then uses photogrammetry (the practice of determining the geometric properties of objects from photographic images) to generate a hi-res mesh from these bitmaps with texture maps synthesized from the photos.  This video takes you the next step -- how to use 3ds max and Mudbox to make this mesh usable in 3D applications.  It's surprisingly easy.