User-provided camera parameter file

If a camera is not supported in PIX4Dreact, it is possible to process the dataset if a file with the internal camera parameters is provided.

This feature is available since PIX4Dreact 1.1.

How to use the camera parameter file

The camera parameter file is to be provided in the .xml format described below.

To use the file, perform the following steps:

1. On the dashboard, open the PIX4Dreact settings and select Camera parameters file.
2. Click Select file and select the .xml file in the file dialog.
3. Exit the settings and open/create a project to process the dataset. The camera parameters file is used automatically.

The file can be un-linked by clicking Remove in the Camera parameters file page of the settings. The parameters will then not be used anymore.

If a camera parameter file is provided for a specific camera, its values override any corresponding values in the image Exif data or the internal database. 

How to obtain the camera parameter file

There are 2 ways to generate a camera parameter file:

• From a template. Use the template given below and fill the entries with values provided by the manufacturer or by a calibration procedure.
• PIX4Dmapper export. Calibrate the camera with PIX4Dmapper and export the camera parameters from there in the correct format. 

Camera parameter template

The camera parameter file is a text file in XML format. Its structure depends on whether the camera has a perspective or fisheye lens. Here are examples for both types, and a description of the fields that must be filled in:

Perspective lens:

<cameraModelDB>
     <version>19</version>
     <cameras>
          <camera name="S.O.D.A._10.6_5472x3648">
               <imageWidth>5472</imageWidth>
               <imageHeight>3648</imageHeight>
               <pixelSize>2.4</pixelSize>
               <principalPointXmm>6.54</principalPointXmm>
               <principalPointYmm>4.348008</principalPointYmm>
               <lensType>perspective</lensType>
               <focalLengthmm>10.633008</focalLengthmm>
               <radialK1>0.033</radialK1>
               <radialK2>-0.209</radialK2>
               <radialK3>0.315</radialK3>
               <tangentialT1>0</tangentialT1>
               <tangentialT2>0</tangentialT2>
               <bandConfig>
                   <band name="Red" centralWaveLength="660" width="0"/>
                   <band name="Green" centralWaveLength="550" width="0"/>
                   <band name="Blue" centralWaveLength="470" width="0"/>
               </bandConfig>
          </camera>
     </cameras>
 </cameraModelDB>

Fisheye lens:

<cameraModelDB>
     <version>19</version>
     <cameras>
        <camera name="PHANTOMVISIONFC200_5.0_4384x3288">
            <imageWidth>4384</imageWidth>
            <imageHeight>3288</imageHeight>
            <principalPointXmm>3.085</principalPointXmm>
            <principalPointYmm>2.31375</principalPointYmm>
            <lensType>fisheye</lensType>
            <poly1>1</poly1>
            <poly2>-0.00643155</poly2>
            <poly3>-0.127019</poly3>
            <poly4>-0.017398</poly4>
            <c>3853</c>
            <d>6.74</d>
            <e>6.74</e>
            <f>3853</f>
            <bandConfig>
               <band name="Red" centralWaveLength="660" width="0"/>
               <band name="Green" centralWaveLength="550" width="0"/>
               <band name="Blue" centralWaveLength="470" width="0"/>
           </bandConfig>
        </camera>
     </cameras>
 </cameraModelDB>

The following tags and their attributes need to be filled adapted to your specific model. The values to provide are:

 

Tag	Attribute	Description
Camera	name	A string in the following format: <model>_<lens-model>_<focal-length>_<width>x<height>
		The following information is read from the image Exif information: <model> = Exif.Image.Model <lens-model> = Exif.Photo.LensModel or Exif.Canon.LensModel <focal-length> = Exif.Photo.FocalLength
		If the lens model is not provided in the Exif, the format of the string is: <model>_<width>x<height>
		Read from the images: <width> = image width <height> = image height
imageWidth, imageHeight		Image width/height (in px)
pixelSize		Pixel size (in micrometer)
principalPointXmm, principalPointYmm		Principal point X/Y (in mm)
lensType		perspective or fisheye
focalLengthmm		Focal length (in mm; perspective only)
radialK1, radialK2, radialK3, tangentialT1, tangentialT2		Radial and tangential distortion coefficients (perspective only)
poly1, …, poly4		Polynomial coefficients (fisheye only)
c, d, e, f		Affine deformation parameters (fisheye only)
bandConfig		Ordered list of bands
band	name	Band name (one of: “Red”, “Green”, “Blue”, “NIR”, “Alpha”, “Gray”, “Red edge”, “Thermal IR”, “LWIR”, “Garbage”, “Unknown”)
	centralWaveLength	Central wavelength of the band (in nm)
	width	Full width at half maximum of wavelength distribution (in nm; 0 if unspecified)

For more information see How are the Internal and External Camera Parameters defined? article. 

Camera parameter file export from PIX4Dmapper

Alternatively, one can use PIX4Dmapper to obtain calibrated camera parameters in the correct .xml format.

With this approach, first the camera needs to be calibrated. For more information on how to calibrate cameras in PIX4Dmapper see How to calibrate a Perspective Lens Camera and How to calibrate a Fisheye Lens Camera articles.

Second, export the user camera database:

• In PIX4Dmapper, click ‘Help’, ‘Settings’.
• On the ‘Camera Database’ tab, under ‘User Database’, click ‘Export…’ and save the file in a suitable location.

How to import the XML file to PIX4Dreact

1. Open PIX4Dreact
2. Click on SETTINGS
3. Select the tab Camera parameters file >Select file  and import the xml file. You will be able to process datasets from the new camera while the xml is linked to PIX4Dreact.