OpenMVGOpenMVS

OpenMVGOpenMVS is a commonly used workflow that combines OpenMVG for structure-from-motion with OpenMVS for dense multi-view stereo to produce 3D models from photographs. It is not a single software package, but a pipeline that interoperates two open-source projects: OpenMVG handles feature detection, matching, and sparse camera pose estimation to generate a sparse point cloud, while OpenMVS takes that result and performs dense reconstruction, mesh generation, and texturing to yield a textured 3D model.

The typical workflow starts with capturing a set of overlapping images of a scene. OpenMVG components are used to extract features, compute matches, estimate camera poses, and build a sparse structure. The resulting SfM data is then exported to a format readable by OpenMVS. OpenMVS processes the data through stages that densify the scene, reconstruct a surface, and apply textures, producing a final mesh usually exported as PLY or OBJ with texture maps. The modular nature of the pipeline allows users to adjust parameters at each stage or substitute components as needed.

Applications include architectural modelling, cultural heritage documentation, reverse engineering, and robotics localization and mapping. The workflow is popular in research and hobbyist communities due to its open-source availability, cross-platform support, and access to a complete end-to-end 3D reconstruction solution from image inputs. While powerful, the pipeline can require careful preprocessing, parameter tuning, and computational resources to achieve high-quality results, especially on large or complex scenes. OpenMVGOpenMVS demonstrates how complementary SfM and MVS technologies can be integrated to produce detailed textured 3D models from photos.