Tools & Add-ons
Introduction
Site reconstruction is a pipeline, and each stage has a small ecosystem of tools. This page maps them: the satellite/GIS tools that build the georeferenced baseline, the camera-matching tools that build the matched camera, and the modeling add-ons that turn both into measured geometry. The goal isn't to install everything — it's to know which tool fits which stage, and when a free option is good enough versus when you need a heavier one.
Satellite & GIS Tools (Anchor 1)
These build the georeferenced, 1:1 baseline.
| Tool | Type | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BlenderGIS | Blender add-on | Importing satellite imagery / maps directly into a scene | Native georeferenced import — the workhorse for getting imagery into Blender |
| Blosm | Blender add-on | Live slippy-map background (OpenStreetMap and tile providers) | Quick georeferenced backdrop; less for precise measurement |
| QGIS | Standalone GIS app | Offline satellite prep, vector data, Global Building Atlas footprints | The serious GIS layer — batch imagery, building footprints, coordinate work |
| Google Earth Pro | Standalone app | Quick imagery access, rough measurements, historical imagery | Fastest way to sanity-check a site before importing |
Rule of thumb: use Google Earth Pro to find and check, QGIS to prepare and georeference, and BlenderGIS to bring it into Blender at 1:1.
Camera-Matching Tools (Anchor 2)
These recover the photo's camera.
| Tool | Type | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| fSpy | Standalone app + Blender importer | Classic vanishing-point solve from a single photo | The "fSpy process" — free, the de-facto standard for one-off matches |
| Perspective Plotter | Blender add-on | Real-time, iterative camera matching inside Blender | Faster for repeated matches; better viewport control; the tool to reach for in regular/professional work |
| Manual / Dolly Zoom add-on | Blender | One-point-perspective matches, single camera | Cheapest option when you only have a simple shot and known shapes |
Rule of thumb: for one or two cameras occasionally, fSpy is free and fine. For regular or multi-camera professional work, Perspective Plotter saves time through iterative refinement.
Modeling & Measurement Add-ons (Module 04)
Blender builds the geometry. Two add-ons from the walkthrough join in:
| Tool | Type | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forensic Spatial Auditor | Blender add-on | Logging repeated measurements | Log four or five trials per edge; the add-on returns the sample mean |
| Edit Mesh Tools | Blender add-on | Forcing an edge to a measured length | Set Edge Length forces the edge to the value you measured |
How the Tools Fit the Pipeline
Every tool on this page serves one module:
| Module | Stage | Tools |
|---|---|---|
| 02 · Imagery, Scale & Measurement | Build the measured baseline | Google Earth Pro, QGIS, BlenderGIS, Blosm |
| 03 · Camera Matching | Solve the photo's camera | fSpy, Perspective Plotter, Dolly Zoom |
| 04 · Modeling from Matched Photos | Build and check the geometry | Blender, Forensic Spatial Auditor, Edit Mesh Tools |
The handoff runs one way. GIS tools produce the 1:1 baseline, matching tools lock the camera to it, and Blender turns both into geometry. Unit 06 covers the limits of every number these tools produce.
Knowledge Check
Test what you just read. A few questions, immediate feedback on every answer, and a different set each attempt.
Knowledge check
Check what you just read. Every answer gets feedback.
Summary
Pick tools by stage. Google Earth Pro, QGIS, BlenderGIS, and Blosm build the measured baseline in Module 02. fSpy, Perspective Plotter, and Dolly Zoom solve the camera in Module 03. Blender with the Forensic Spatial Auditor and Edit Mesh Tools add-ons builds and checks the geometry in Module 04.
Next, Investigative Context takes the finished model and states what it can claim.
Resources
- QGIS — offline imagery prep and building footprints
- BlenderGIS — satellite and map import into Blender
- fSpy — classic vanishing-point solve
- Perspective Plotter — matching inside Blender
- Google Earth Pro — quick imagery access
Sources
- fSpy — the camera-matching solver used in Module 03
- QGIS — the GIS used for imagery preparation
- BlenderGIS — georeferenced satellite import