Tools & Addon Ecosystem
Module Overview
Site reconstruction is a pipeline, and each stage has a small ecosystem of tools. This module maps them: the satellite/GIS tools that build the georeferenced baseline, and the camera-matching tools that build the matched camera. 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 |
| QGIS Terminal add-on | Blender add-on | Running QGIS from inside Blender | Bridges the two workflows |
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.
How the Tools Fit the Pipeline
[TODO: a short flow diagram or paragraph tying the two tool groups to the two anchors — GIS tools serve Module 02, matching tools serve Module 03, and everything hands off into Blender for Module 04.]
Knowledge Check
[TODO: 2–3 questions — e.g. which tool for offline satellite prep; when Perspective Plotter beats fSpy; what Global Building Atlas gives you.]
Summary
[TODO: one paragraph.]