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Photogrammetry Import/Export

PHOTOGRAMMETRY DATA IMPORTER
📖5 min read

Introduction​

The Photogrammetry Importer/Exporter add-on is exceptionally powerful because it supports importing reconstruction results from a wide range of Structure-from-Motion (SfM) and Multi-View Stereo (MVS) libraries. It brings solved cameras, sparse/dense point clouds, and meshes directly into Blender while preserving scale and orientation.

Supported libraries and formats:

  • Colmap: Model folders (BIN and TXT), workspaces, NVM, PLY
  • Meshroom: MG, JSON, SfM, PLY
  • MVE: MVE workspaces (requires Pillow to read image sizes)
  • Open3D: JSON, LOG, PLY (requires Pillow)
  • OpenSfM: JSON
  • OpenMVG: JSON, NVM, PLY (requires Pillow for point color computation)
  • Regard3D: OpenMVG JSON
  • VisualSFM: NVM (requires Pillow)

Common point cloud formats:

  • PLY, PCD, LAS, LAZ, ASC, PTS, CSV (requires pyntcloud for parsing; LAS/LAZ parsing requires laspy and lazrs)

These broad format supports mean you can move results from many photogrammetry pipelines straight into Blender without conversions.

Key Features​

Camera Import

Import solved camera positions and orientations from Colmap, Meshroom, OpenMVG/OpenSfM, VisualSFM, and more.

Point Clouds

Visualize and manage sparse/dense point clouds (PLY/PCD/LAS/LAZ/ASC/PTS/CSV) directly in Blender.

Visualization

Tools to adjust point size, color, and camera frustums; quick layer visibility controls for efficient scene inspection.

Addon Link

GitHub: SBCV/Blender-Addon-Photogrammetry-Importer

Installation & Usage​

Installation​

  1. Remove any previous version of the addon:
  • In Blender: Edit → Preferences → Add-ons, search for "Import-Export: Photogrammetry Import Export Addon", click Remove.
  • Close Blender, then reopen before proceeding.
  1. Download the addon (Blender 2.80+):
  • Option A (Release): Download photogrammetry_importer.zip from the addon’s Releases page.
  • Option B (Latest): Clone or download the repository, then create photogrammetry_importer.zip containing the photogrammetry_importer/ folder structure.

Final zip structure:

photogrammetry_importer.zip └─ photogrammetry_importer/ ├─ blender_utility ├─ ext ├─ file_handler ├─ ... └─ __init__.py

Convenience scripts in the repo can build the zip: create_blender_addon_zip.sh (Linux) or create_blender_addon_zip.bat (Windows).

  1. Install and activate:
  • Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → Install...
  • Select photogrammetry_importer.zip → Install Add-on
  • Check the box to activate: "Import-Export: Photogrammetry Import Export Addon".
  1. Optional dependencies (recommended for full format support):
  • Install via the addon GUI: "Download and Install Optional Dependencies" (requires Blender 2.83.5+). This installs pillow, pyntcloud, laspy, lazrs as needed.
  • If issues occur, consider a fresh Blender install or install packages manually per the addon docs.

Usage​

Use File → Import and select the importer matching your source tool (e.g., Colmap TXT/BIN, Meshroom JSON/SfM, OpenMVG/OpenSfM JSON, VisualSFM NVM). The addon will create cameras, point clouds, and meshes in the correct scene coordinates. Adjust point display and camera frustums in the addon panel for better visualization.

Summary​

Photogrammetry importers are essential for reconstruction workflows. They allow you to verify the accuracy of your scans and use the solved camera data for animation or compositing.