From dive video to a 3D model
The technique is called photogrammetry. The software matches visible details across overlapping video frames to recover the camera positions and an initial set of 3D points. It then compares the views to build a denser point cloud, creates a surface from those points, and applies colour and texture from the video.
We have been working with underwater photogrammetry for years. Our 2021 article about creating 3D models from Blueye footage showed models of wrecks and underwater structures, processed in specialist software. Blueye Cloud builds on that experience by bringing 3D reconstruction to the web, alongside the dive logs and media files you already sync from the Blueye App. You can build, inspect and share models in the same place as the rest of your inspection data.
Blueye Cloud checks the sharpness and visible detail in the video frames, and uses the movement recorded in the dive log to decide which frames to keep. As the drone moves and turns, it selects new viewpoints; while it hovers, it reduces the number of nearly identical images. It also checks the dive log to avoid repeating the X3 Ultra's turbidity filtering or colour correction. Contrast adjustments help match the frames, while white balance adjusts the model's colours.
You do not have to convert the video to still pictures, choose a frame interval or prepare the images by hand. The dive log supplies the depth, attitude and position data used to scale the result.
This means you can build models without buying a separate photogrammetry software licence or investing in a computer with a powerful GPU. You select the footage and review the result in your browser; Blueye Cloud does the processing.
Add videos and press Build
Sync your dive logs and recordings to Blueye Cloud using the Blueye App. Then create a project and add the dives you want to use. Only Blueye drone video with its dive log can be used. Both main-camera and guest-port recordings are supported, including footage already in Blueye Cloud.
The X3, X3 Ultra and X7 main cameras have underwater calibration. For older drones and guest-port cameras, a warning before the build explains that scale and straight edges are approximate.
Open the project's 3D models tab, click New 3D model, give it a name, and select the videos that show the same object or site. You can combine several clips, including recordings from different dives. Then press Build. We have designed this workflow so you can get started without previous photogrammetry experience or learning complex processing software.
Fast quality and automatic image enhancement are selected for you. If you want to adjust them, Standard and High spend more processing time on finer detail, and the Frames panel lets you preview and change the image enhancement.
When you press Build, Blueye Cloud shows the estimated processing time and frame usage, then asks you to confirm. Once processing starts, the workspace shows progress, and you can leave it running and return later. The person who starts the build receives an email when the model is ready or the build fails. The outcome also appears in the organisation's notification bell.
Explore and measure
The finished model opens in a 3D workspace. Drag to rotate it, zoom in on a blade root, or turn on the camera positions to see how the propeller was filmed. The View menu lets you display the coloured point cloud, textured mesh and wireframe. Looking at the points can help where the mesh smooths over a detail.
Save a named view of a detail you want a colleague to check. Anyone opening the model can click its name to return to that viewpoint. The source videos are listed alongside the model, with links back to their dives.
On a model with metric scale, choose Measure and click two points on the surface or point cloud to read the straight-line distance between them. Save a label such as “Blade tip to hub” with the measurement. Only Operators and Admins can save measurements and named views to the model.
How the model gets its scale
Photogrammetry recovers the shape from the images. To give it dimensions in metres, Blueye Cloud needs a reference from the dive log.
With a DVL (Doppler Velocity Log), Blueye Cloud aligns the reconstruction with a valid underwater position track to establish scale and orientation. If the log also carries a geographic position, the model can be placed on the project map.
You can also build models without a DVL. Blueye Cloud can estimate scale from the depth sensor and the drone's attitude when the drone rose or descended past the object while filming. These measurements are marked approximate. Footage taken at almost one depth, without a usable position track, can produce a model with no metric scale. In that case, the measurement tool is disabled.
Without an underwater position track, map placement is approximate, using a recorded surface position where one is available. The heading is unknown, and you can move and rotate the model on the map.
Measurement quality depends on the footage, camera calibration and how well the views join. Check scale warnings and compare unclear areas with the source video before relying on a dimension.
Add more footage later
A first recording may show the front of the propeller well but leave gaps behind the blades. Film another pass, choose Add videos in the existing model, then Build with the new videos. You can use recordings from the same dive or a later visit.
Include some of the area already filmed so the new views can be matched to the existing model. Blueye Cloud reuses the earlier processing and adds the new frames before updating the combined model. The previous result stays visible while it works. Changing the quality preset requires a full rebuild.
Sharing, embedding and export
Share the project with a customer and they can rotate the model, open the saved views and see your measurements alongside the dive recordings. On a model with metric scale, they can also take their own measurements while reviewing it; these are not saved to the model. A public project share link opens without a Blueye account or any software to install.
Explore the 3D models in our public example project, including the propeller model and the Dora Quay model.
You can also embed a 3D model on your own website, so visitors can explore it without leaving the page. The Dora Quay model below is one example.
In the 3D workspace, choose Export to download the model for use in other software. Public share links do not include the export tools. Available formats include:
- GLB: the textured mesh, with the colour texture included in one file.
- STL: the surface geometry for CAD and 3D-printing workflows, without colour.
- PLY: the coloured point cloud for further inspection and processing in point-cloud software.
If you need full control over the reconstruction, you can use the original videos and dive log files to prepare and process it on your own computer. You choose the software, extract the images and adjust the processing settings yourself.
Getting good results starts during the dive
Photogrammetry needs sharp, overlapping views of a stationary subject. When filming for your first model:
- Move slowly around the subject. Change the camera's position as well as its angle, keeping the subject in view throughout the pass.
- Give the views plenty of overlap. Keep the same surface details visible across several frames. When starting another pass or clip, include part of the area you have already covered.
- Keep the image clear and the lighting consistent. Avoid stirring up sediment and making abrupt lighting changes. Blur, reflections and surfaces with little visible texture make matching harder. Film with digital zoom off so the footage matches the camera calibration.
- Vary your depth if you have no DVL. Rise or descend by a metre or more while keeping the object in view, rather than circling at one depth.
Review the point cloud as well as the textured mesh to check which surfaces were captured well.
Get started in Blueye Cloud
3D photogrammetry is available now at cloud.blueye.no. Building models requires a Blueye Cloud Pro plan.
Try a Fast build with a short, steady recording of a propeller or another object you know well. We would like to see the results from your own inspections and hear what needs improving. Use the feedback button in Blueye Cloud.
