Fisheye lenses for 3D modeling: Evaluations and considerations

Fisheye lenses are becoming more popular in complete image-based modelling projects of small and narrow spaces. The growing interest in fisheye lenses is confirmed by the availability of different commercial software incorporating a fisheye camera model. Such software are now able to carry out the steps of the image processing pipeline in a fully automated way, from camera calibration and orientation to dense matching, surface generation, and orthophoto production. This paper highlights the advantages (and disadvantages) of fisheye lenses when used for 3D modelling projects through different commercial software. The goal is not only a comparison of commercial software, but also an analysis of the additional issues that arise when a fisheye lens is used for 3D modelling. Results confirm that a fisheye lens is suitable for accurate metric documentation, especially when limited space is available. On the other hand, additional issues where found during the camera calibration/image orientation step as well as the texture generation and orthophoto production phases, for which particular attention is required.