How It Works

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To get started, you'll need to have ArcGIS Pro open. You'll also want to ensure that you have the GeoModelPro Add-in installed. Once your project is loaded, make sure that there's a Scene layer. If not, head to the New Map button, then click "New Local Scene". 

Next, you'll need to navigate to the GeoModelPro tab at the top of the screen. Select the GeoModelPro button and that will open up the GeoModelPro pane on the right-hand side. 

In the GeoModelPro pane, you'll have a Model Name text field and two buttons: Import and Generate. Type in a name (no spaces or special characters) and click Generate. For this example, we'll import a 20 second video of a recycling bin. Select the file path to the video using the Select File button underneath File(s) Path  and (optionally) set where you want to export the model to under Export File Path using the Select File button. Exporting the file allows you to use the file outside of ArcGIS Pro.

GeoModelPro uses photogrammetry to generate 3D models. More photos means fewer angles missed and higher resolution means better texture. However, it also means longer processing times. For videos, you can extract more images by increasing the Frames Per Second. You can also select Color Correction to reduce shadows in images. 

For our example, we'll keep the workload light with the default settings: 300 pixel count, 5 frames per second, and color correction disabled. We'll also set the location to 48° Latitude, 2° Longitude, and 450ft elevation.

Once all of your preferences have been selected, click the Submit button. A confirmation message should appear. Click "OK", then a progress bar appears above the Submit button. The length of time it takes to finish depends  on your preferences, computer specifications, number of images, or length of your video. For the default settings with the 20 second video, it takes about 2 minutes to generate the model and add it to the scene. Optionally, you can cancel the process.

After the model has been added to the scene, you can use the ArcGIS Pro Edit tools to orient, move, scale, and crop your model to your needs. For this example model, I needed to rotate the model about 90°, then crop off the extra features captured during the photogrammetry process.

Now that your model has been added to your scene, you can integrate it into your existing products. If you've opted to export the model, you can also now use the generated .OBJ file to use outside of ArcGIS Pro, such as Blender, MeshLab, and more!