Roofy.

3D Capture: Facades

For a complete 3D model of roof and facades, the nadir and orbit images from the roof flight are not enough. You also fly an orbit around the building and capture the facades with a horizontal camera.

This guide complements the drone-imaging basics. Fly the normal nadir roof flight first, then the facade orbit. For drone, pre-flight and weather see the Capturing drone images guide.

Why extra facade images?

The nadir images (camera pointing straight down) capture the roof surfaces perfectly but barely see the facades. For a 3D model with facades you also photograph the walls horizontally, with the same good overlap as on the roof flight. That way every area gets enough texture when the model is built, and the 3D model becomes more accurate. Without these facade images the walls stay full of holes or distorted.

Orbit flight around the building

After the normal nadir roof flight you circle the building once (or twice for tall buildings) and point the camera horizontally at the facade.

Camera angle
~0° horizontal (frontal to the facade), or as shallow as possible while an orbit around the building is still feasible
Overlap
70-80 % between consecutive images
Orbit radius
Such that the facade fills the frame (similar detail resolution as the roof flight)
Height rings
1 ring for low buildings, 2 rings (top/bottom) from ~2 storeys

Step by step

  1. First the normal roof flight (nadir and oblique orbit shots) as in the drone-imaging guide.
  2. Then the orbit: set the gimbal to ~0° (horizontal), camera frontal to the facade, or as shallow as possible while an orbit around the building is still feasible.
  3. Once around the building at an even distance, releasing every few metres (70-80 % overlap), a little slower at the corners.
  4. For tall buildings a second ring at a different height for the upper and lower facade areas.

Important: keep the overlap high (70-80 %) and avoid fast pans. Gappy or blurry facade images lead to holes in the 3D model.

How many images in total?

Nadir images (roof) and orbit images (facades) count together. The total budget is at most 300 images per measurement.

  • Single-family houseRoof 30-50 + facades 30-50 = ~60-100
  • Apartment buildingRoof 50-80 + facades 50-90 = ~100-170
  • Large building / hallup to ~300 total (roof + 1-2 rings)

Better a few more facade images with good overlap than too few. But stay under 300 in total.

What to watch out for

  • Even lighting

    Overcast sky is ideal. Hard cast shadows and glaring sun on one facade make reconstruction harder.

  • No motion blur

    Fly slowly, stabilise briefly when releasing. Blurry images are unusable for 3D reconstruction.

  • Glass and obstacles

    Large glass facades reconstruct poorly. More viewing angles help. Trees and neighbouring buildings limit the radius; vary it where needed but keep the facade in frame.

Quick checklist for 3D

  • Normal roof flight first (nadir and oblique orbit shots).
  • Orbit around the building, camera ~0° horizontal to the facade (as shallow as possible).
  • 70-80 % overlap, fly slowly, no blur.
  • 1 ring low, 2 rings from ~2 storeys.
  • Under 300 images total (roof + facades).
  • Choose the «Precise + 3D» quality level on upload.

Next step

Upload images

Once the roof and facade images are in the bag, it's time to upload.

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