How a technique that you have known from gaming for years is currently attracting a lot of attention worldwide

The magic word is “photogrammetry”-(Image source: game developer The Austronauts).

Turning objects from the real world into virtual 3D models thanks to numerous photos is complex but also impressive. The right technology is called photogrammetry, which we first reported on in detail at GameStar almost ten years ago.

At that time it was about The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, which also wanted to offer a look that was as real as possible thanks to this technique. The article linked below shows you what that looked like in this specific case. Photogrammetry, on the other hand, is currently receiving attention in a completely different dimension.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter – Almost photorealistic thanks to photogrammetry

The sunken Titanic up close

In order to find out more about what happened when the Titanic sank on the tragic night of April 14, 1912, her wreck was photographed in an extremely elaborate manner. With this data, the scientists have created an exact 3D model of it.

A total of more than 700,000 images of the Titanic, provided by Magellan Ltd, were used for this purpose. A suitable documentation for the major project is in the works at Atlantic Productions, as the BBC reports in contributions that have received worldwide attention.

If, on the other hand, you would rather have a virtual romp around on a completely intact Titanic, we recommend the following field report:

Titanic as a 3D model: Difficult conditions

The wreck of the Titanic lies at a depth of almost 4,000 meters, which made the creation of the numerous recordings very time-consuming. Remote-controlled diving robots spent a total of more than 200 hours analyzing the sunken ship in its entire length and breadth.

According to project manager Gerhard Seiffert, the procedure was extremely precise in order to ensure the best possible end result:

Ultimately, this resulted in an extremely impressive 3D model of the sunken Titanic, which allows us to view it as if there were no longer any water around it. As can be seen in the following video, the BBC thought right away: why not ship the Titanic wreck virtually to a football stadium?

Link to YouTube content

Please release the data!

Looking at this picture, we can’t help but wish we could explore the 3D model ourselves. Be it in a game or only as a virtual view of the wreck of the Titanic.

Since these are exclusively exterior shots, we could not look at the sunken Titanic from the inside. The virtual look inside should be much more exciting anyway with the intact version mentioned above.

This is now also possible with the current Unreal Engine 5. You can find out more about this in the following article, including a comparison video between UE4 and UE5:

Have you already seen the images of the new 3D model of the sunken Titanic for yourself? Do they impress you as they do us or do they leave you rather cold? Also, what do you think of the technique of photogrammetry and would you like to see it used more often, both in games and in other contexts like this one? Feel free to write it in the comments!