Seller Spotlight: Drones Imaging

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My name is Loïc, CEO of the company Drones Imaging and I have been working in 3D modeling for about 10 years. My first job, for 16 years, was as an imagery intelligence (imint) analyst in the French army. Expert in remote sensing and military recognition from aerial images, my job was to extract information of military interest from images collected by satellites, planes, helicopters or drones.

Enlisted since 1999 on conflicts such as the former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Ivory Coast and Afghanistan, it is in this context that I began to work to the benefit of special forces. Most of the time, this consisted of studying imagery from drones or satellites to write reports such as track reconnaissance: infiltrations/exfiltrations or to make detailed maps of sites to invest or destroy.

It was in Afghanistan in 2006 that I created my first 3D models with Sketchup, which finally allowed the special forces to simulate their interventions, to be able to measure elevation, heights of walls of speakers, or to evaluate the effect of their armaments: it was a real revolution. Convinced of the added value of 3D in our military profession, we naturally sought to automate our 3D reconstruction methods because at the time we did everything manually. This is how I naturally approached the techniques of 3D modeling by aerial photogrammetry.

Therefore, certain that photogrammetry would quickly become unavoidable under the impetus of IT developments and aerial operations market, I decided to leave the French army and launch Drones Imaging in 2013: a company specializing in post-processing and imagery analysis services for the benefit of civil drone operators.

Rendering example for topographic surveying 3D modeling of the “Pic du midi d’Ossau”: a 2884 meter high peak on the French side of the Pyrenees made in 2015 on the occasion of 70 years of UNGE (National Union of Experts Surveyors). More

 

In operation for almost 5 years, we work today for a hundred companies that subcontracts us for the processing and analysis of the data collected by their drones. We work primarily in the field of technical inspections, building information modeling (BIM) or surveying. So, aerial photogrammetry is our area of excellence and each day, we provide to our customers some geospatial data (point clouds or orthomosaics) with centimeter accuracy. For that, our computers work 24 hours a day!

Rendering example for bridge surveying – BIM Building information Model
3D modeling of the “Chaumont viaduct”: a 654 meter length viaduct fully modeled to prepare for its renovation

 

Here is our best 3D model: the castle of Palmyra in Syria created in 2015 for the benefit of UNESCO for the visualization, the archiving and the safeguarding of the world heritage.

 

Our pricing structure is simple. Our best 3D models are marketed according to the level of rendering and we apply only two rates: $25 for a simple model or $35 for a more detailed model.

For us, Sketchfab is by far the best tool to add value to our work and to diffuse our 3D models around the world. In a few years, our gallery has just become the showcase of the know-how of our company. Each new achievement is the subject of an article we publish on our Facebook page.

Now, thanks to the Sketchfab store, we can go further by offering a wide range of our best 3D models ready to print, usable in video games or virtual reality.

But we think that in the very short term it is the 3D printing that could really boost sales of 3D models. Indeed, if each household will soon be equipped with a 3D printer, it will be necessary to give them objects to print! That’s why we bring, at Drones Imaging and through our 3D projects, a special attention to historical monuments and the cultural heritage of humanity.

 

About the author

Drones Imaging

Drones Imaging is a french lead data provider in the field of surveying and technical inspections.



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