When scanning large objects or environments with Artec Ray II, capturing the entire surface, especially upper or hard-to-reach parts, can be tricky or even impossible.
The solution? Complement the laser scan with drone imagery. By applying photogrammetry to the drone photos, Artec Studio can reconstruct missing geometry and textures from above and seamlessly merge them with the precise Artec Ray II data. The result: a complete, high-quality 3D model with both accurate geometry and rich visual detail.
Below is the full workflow for combining Artec Ray / Ray II data with drone photo/video data.
1. Prepare Artec Ray II data
Import your Artec Ray II scans to Artec Studio 20
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Run Global Registration (registration by geometry)
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Run Fusion on the registered Artec Ray II data with the following settings:
Resolution: 6–7 mm
Fill holes - None (Watertight)
Save the result eg. Ray_Fusion_LO.
2. Create the Photogrammetry Model from Drone Data
Import video to Artec Studio and go to Create Preview
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Scene type – Scene (beta), uncheck the “Calculate Masks” option
Resulting object – Photo Scan 1
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Mark Photo Scan 1 in the object list and click on Create Model using the following settings
1. Scene Type - Scene (Beta),
2. Specify the required Resolution
3. Make object watertight unchecked.
Rename the model to eg. Photo_Model.
Create a duplicate eg. Photo_Model_DUP.
3. Align the Photogrammetry Model with Artec Ray II fusion
- Mark Ray_Fusion_LO and Photo_Model in the object list, go to Align tab, enable Allow Scaling
- Set:
Registered (blue): Ray_Fusion_LO
Unregistered (grey): Photo_Model
After alignment, the photogrammetry model will have the same scale as the Ray II mesh
4. Create Final Fusion
- Select the Artec Ray II point clouds and the aligned Photo_Model.
- Run Fusion with:
Resolution: based on your requirements
Fill holes: All (Watertight)
- Name the resulting object “Final_Fusion”.
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Apply Mesh Optimization to reduce quantity of polygons. Set the Target quantity of triangles according to your requirements or use the default value.
This object now contains geometry data from both sources (Ray II and drone video). Moreover, the Final_Fusion has the scale of the real object.
5. Prepare for Texturing
- Use Align (with Allow Scaling option checked) to align Final_Fusion to the duplicated mesh of the photogrammetry model.
- Set:
Registered (blue): Photo_Model_DUP
Unregistered (grey): Final_Fusion
Result: Final_Fusion has the same scale as the photogrammetry mesh, meaning that the Final_Fusion can be textured.
6. Texturing
- Select Final_Fusion, go to Texture with the following settings:
- Source: Photo Scan 1
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Texture size: according to project needs (8K–16K).
- Launch the texturing process
Now the Final_Fusion contains texture from the drone footage. The last step is to scale the Funal_Fusion back to the real dimensions
7. Return to Artec Ray II Scale
- Use Align (with Allow Scaling option checked) to restore real scale
- Set:
Registered (blue): Ray_Fusion_LO
Unregistered (grey): Final_Fusion
Now the Final_Fusion mesh combines geometry data from both sources (Ray II and photogrammetry), texture extracted from drone footage, and it is accurately scaled to real-world dimensions.
8. Export
Export as .OBJ or .PLY format
In case you experience any issues with your Artec 3D scanner or require technical assistance with your device or Artec Studio, in the first instance please contact your local Artec dealer/distributor directly. You can also contact the Artec Support Team by clicking on "Submit a request" button on the bottom right part of the screen or by emailing support@artec3d.com