Brittany Bradley Graduate Student @JFK University
Mastering the Art of Photogrammetry

Reality Capture Technology Summer Camp
Friday July 18th marked the close of our first technology summer camp at History Park. We were extremely fortunate and pleased to have a great group of students participate in our inaugural classes. We were fortunate to have Graduate students Brittany 
Bradley and Elizabeth York of John F. Kennedy University's Museum Studies programs as the first interns to train at The Reality Capture Technology Training Center (RCTTC). Their unique perspective on the modern fields of art, curator-ship and museum administration provided great insight into the modernization of museums.

We were really please to have Aaron Rhetta and Adam Rhetta as the first high school and community college students to participate in our program. Both Aaron and Adam attended our weekend training at History Park last Spring.and we were happy to have them take part in our inaugural Summer camp. The laser scans of the Associated Oil Station in this post were captured by the Rhetta Bros. back in April. After getting a sample of laser scanning last Spring the brothers decided to sign up for the Summer Technology Camp and gain more experience with the technology.

MEP Specialist/NVentum President
Ken Hanna-Laser Scanning 101
W/the FARO 3D FOCUS

Being the first technology camp, we decided to limit the number of participants to 8 people; 4 college interns and 2 high school and 2 community college students. For various reasons, several students either did not show or cancelled within the last 48 hours of the opening day of camp. As it turned out, 4 four students was the perfect number for our first tech camp. Students used both the Z&F laser scanner and the FARO 3D Focus scanners to document the Santa Ana One Room School House. One of the most interesting aspects of these trainings is one that we anticipated when we first established the program; the diversity of the interest of those involved in the training provided a variety of opinions and valuable input to the training process. For example had an MA in photography and was a current MBA student specializing in museum studies. Another student is seeking a degree in environmental engineering. These very different vocations have a common interest in the use of 3D technology. This program offers the first inter-disciplinary, participatory program with interest across any fields on reality capture technology.

Antique Bicycle and FARO 3D Focus,
Aaron and Adam's Project

The first scans of the historic school were completed by Liz  and Brittany using the Z&F laser scanner. Those scans were followed by Aaron and Adam's documentation of the school house using the 3D FOCUS with it's built-in camera. We wanted to make sure the students had and opportunity to use two different types of scanners and understand the strengths and drawbacks of each. In addition to scanning the exterior and grounds of the the school house, we also scanned and photographed the interior of the building.

During the week, we worked at the collection center and had the opportunity to experiment with the art and technology that is photogrammetry. With Autodesk's free online software, we were able to experiment with a variety of instruments including cell phones, tablet phones, point and shoot phones and professional quality SLR cameras. The week also included tours of the collection center, Trolley Barn, a visit to the SJ Fire Museum and Ice Cream!

Laser Scan of Associated Oil Station by
Aaron and Adam Rhetta

By far, one of the more challenging aspect's of the camp proved to be the photogrammetry training. As stated by Tatjana Dzambrozova, the Technology Whisperer, the key to photogrammetry is taking good pictures;easier said than done! There is so much potential for this technology and it is so easy and accessible that we are planning to use this technology  for many more applications than first expected.

We are currently planning a series of weekend training opportunities for both laser scanning and photogrammetry technologies for students from 10th grade through graduate school level who are interested in cutting edge engineering technology, 3D environments, art and/or preservation. We expect to have our next training opportunity in late September with bi-monthly trainings or workshops to follow.

Now that the first camp is completed, we've collected lots of raw point cloud data and photographs of artifacts and the Santa Ana School House. As we collect data from the park, we will occasionally post still and fly-through models on this blog and the HSJ website. Stay tuned for our news of future trainings and workshops.