Over the last few years, photogrammetry has revolutionized the digitizing process for surface topography. The process involves taking a series of photographs of an object from different angles to computationally generate a 3D model by comparing features across the photographs. Incidentally, Sutton et al. (2014)
recommend photogrammetry as the first method of choice for all surface-only 3D
digitizing.
As a proven and affordable alternative to laser or structured light scanning,
photogrammetry is increasingly becoming the method of choice for paleontological research.
Done correctly, it not only delivers highly accurate and (if so desired) textured models,
but is also user-friendly, relatively fast and inexpensive. Here, we provide a simple
introduction to the practical application of photogrammetry for paleontology and other
specimen-based research disciplines dealing with specimens in the centimeter-upward
range.