Sketchfab 3D Scanning Challenge: Horn of Plenty

Hello! And happy new year! (it’s not too late to say that right?) Tom aka nebulousflynn here to introduce the first 3D scanning challenge of 2017. The theme? Fruit and vegetables – we want you to help us fill a “Cornucopia” or “ Horn of plenty” with amazing scans of nature’s finest offerings. More info and rules below but the basic gist is: 3D scan a piece of fruit or veg, upload to Sketchfab and set ‘Downloadable’, tag with #3DScanFruitVeg to enter.

Update: we have a winner!

If you’re not sure what a “Cornucopia” is here’s the lowdown from Wikipedia:

The cornucopia (from Latin cornu copiae) or horn of plenty is a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers or nuts.

And here’s our sad, empty 3D cornucopia waiting to be filled with an abundance of produce:

Rules

We’ve been trying to think up new ways to make these challenges interesting to both new and experienced 3D scanning artists and also more community oriented – how can we work together to build something and give back to the wider 3D neighbourhood, so here’s how we’re running this challenge:

• You can use any 3D scanning method you wish but if you new to this kind of thing we are recommending you download a free trial of Agisoft’s PhotoScan for Mac or PC.
• Once you’ve created your 3D model, upload it to Sketchfab, tag it #3DScanFruitVeg and set it to Downloadable.
• Share what you’re planning to scan on the challenge thread in the forum, so that we can get a diverse collection of fruits and vegetables.
• Models must be set to Downloadable to take part in the challenge – partly so we can combine the top entries in our cornucopia scene but also because we are encouraging you to create a legacy of free and open 3D content that can be used by artists, game devs and hobbyists.
• Submit your entry before Monday, January 30.

Judges

• Thomas Flynn
• Alper Guler – KabaQ Augmented Reality Food
• The Sketchfab Community Team – Bart and Seori

Rewards

Agisoft has generously offered a PhotoScan Standard, Stand-Alone license for the winner of this contest! The winner will also receive 3 months of Sketchfab PRO.

Scanning your fruit

In case you’re new to 3D photo-scanning (photogrammetry), I’ve made the quick guide below to get you started – all you need is a digital camera (or smartphone) and a photogrammetry app, like the PhotoScan free trial version.

I made this scan of a custard apple using 50 photos, not perfect but OK for 20 minutes work:

1. I chose a subject that would be photogrammetry friendly – not too shiny, fair size.
2. I mounted it on a skewer so I could photograph all around the subject.
3. I roughly divided my 50 photos across 3 angles as I circled the apple: top, middle and bottom. (the GIF underneath gives you an idea of where the images were taken from)
4. I processed my images.
5. I downloaded the results and used a 3D tool to crop out extra geometry and decimate it to around 25k faces. I exported as an “OBJ” with a 4096 texture on the ‘Med’ setting.
6. Upload to Sketchfab, light and done!

3 planes of photography…

… where photos were taken from in 3D.

Terms and Conditions

• No purchase necessary.
• By entering this competition, entrants will be deemed to have accepted and agreed to the conditions.
• This is a contest for individuals, no teams.
• No alternative prizes available. The prize draw is not open to Sketchfab employees or their families.
• No ripping of models from anywhere on the Internet, all entries must be original work. Using work that is not your own will immediately disqualify you.
• The judges’ decision are final – in case of dispute, no correspondence will be entered into.
• Winning entries will be documented and may be used for promotional purposes.
• Contestants models must be uploaded to Sketchfab and tagged #3DScanFruitVeg to be considered.
• Winners retain all Intellectual Property as per Sketchfab standard Terms and Conditions.
• Winners and winning entries may be required to take part in any publicity resulting from this competition.
• The winners will be contacted by Friday, February 3rd.
• Promoter: Sketchfab Inc, 1123 Broadway, Suite 501, New York, NY 10010, USA.