# 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](../../../addons/blendergis.mdx) | Blender add-on | Importing satellite imagery / maps directly into a scene | Native georeferenced import — the workhorse for getting imagery into Blender |
| [Blosm](../../../addons/blosm.mdx) | Blender add-on | Live slippy-map background (OpenStreetMap and tile providers) | Quick georeferenced backdrop; less for precise measurement |
| [QGIS](../../../tools/QGIS/index.md) | Standalone GIS app | Offline satellite prep, vector data, [Global Building Atlas](../../../tools/QGIS/6-global-building-atlas.md) footprints | The serious GIS layer — batch imagery, building footprints, coordinate work |
| [Google Earth Pro](../../../tools/google-earth-pro.md) | Standalone app | Quick imagery access, rough measurements, historical imagery | Fastest way to sanity-check a site before importing |
| [QGIS Terminal add-on](../../../addons/qgis-terminal.mdx) | 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](../../../addons/fspy.mdx) | Standalone app + [Blender importer](../../../addons/fspy.mdx) | Classic vanishing-point solve from a single photo | The "fSpy process" — free, the de-facto standard for one-off matches |
| [Perspective Plotter](../../../addons/perspective-plotter.mdx) | 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](../../../addons/dolly-zoom.mdx) | 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.]