Photogrammetry is the process of converting a sequence of overlapping images into a 3D model. It is made up of three main stages: Structure from Motion (SfM), dense mesh reconstruction, and texturing. Part of the Structure from Motion pipeline (such as Feature Matching) relies heavily on hardware acceleration optimized for GPU cores, while the densification of the point cloud and meshing phases also leverage GPU acceleration for speed.
Some photogrammetry apps are strictly Command Line Interface (CLI) based, while others provide a Graphical User Interface (GUI). We tested the leading open source GUI based photogrammetry apps, and here is what we found.
1. Proximap
A new open source photogrammetry software by ProximaXR. It features an intuitive user interface with automated processing for beginners and customizable parameters for experts. It does not require an NVIDIA card for processing, although hardware acceleration is available if a CUDA GPU is present. It runs smoothly on older hardware and delivers decent results across the board.
Pros: Does not require a dedicated GPU or high end hardware to deliver close, and sometimes better, results than commercial tools.
Cons: Early in development with some missing features, though it is actively being updated.
2. Meshroom
An open source photogrammetry app powered by AliceVision. It features a visual node based photogrammetry pipeline, where each node handles a specific function across the reconstruction process. It strictly requires CUDA support to operate.
Pros: Very versatile and highly optimized for CUDA based machines.
Cons: Requires an NVIDIA graphics card with a large amount of VRAM.
3. Regard3D
Regard3D is a free, open source photogrammetry and Structure from Motion application that converts 2D photographs into detailed 3D models. It works across Windows, macOS, and Linux, relying on powerful third party libraries to process image sets.
Pros: Runs on almost any hardware platform, similar to Proximap.
Cons: No longer receives active software updates or maintenance.
4. OpenDroneMap (WebODM)
OpenDroneMap is an open source photogrammetry toolkit tailored primarily for aerial mapping, drone imagery, and spatial terrain processing. Its GUI interface, WebODM, allows users to process drone footage into 3D textured meshes, elevation models, and georeferenced maps directly in the browser.
Pros: Highly optimized for processing large datasets, aerial mapping, and generating spatial geographic assets.
Cons: Requires Docker for local installation and can be resource heavy when processing extensive high resolution datasets.