Processing a 3D scan with 123D Catch

You'll need to visit the Autodesk website at http://www.123dapp.com/catch. Here, you will be able to download the application for use on a PC, or use the web app if you're using a Mac or Linux OS. A free account will need to be set up with Autodesk, or you can use your social networking account, such as Facebook, to log in.

You'll also need the folder containing the series of photographs of your objects.

Connect to the Internet, open 123D Catch, and sign in to the Autodesk server, if necessary. Proceed as follows:

A photograph is basically a flat two-dimensional record of a three-dimensional space. It contains most of the information of this three-dimensional space, except for the data needed to provide information about its depth. By taking more photographs, we supply more information. When we took a series of photographs around our object, we not only recorded the shapes, colors, and textures, but also mapped out a three-dimensional scene.

When the photo files are uploaded to the Autodesk servers, their system begins the tedious process of correlating all the images together. It first determines the camera position and aiming angles of each photograph and then uses a system of triangulation to map out the space. It then creates a 3D mesh of your scene from this information.