How to Create 3D Models from Photos with Agisoft Metashape: Step-by-Step Tutorial

Agisoft Metashape is one of the most powerful tools for generating 3D models from photographs, widely used in surveying, archaeology, architecture, and research. This tutorial will guide you through the entire process—from capturing images to exporting a 3D mesh—so you can produce high-quality 3D models even if you’re just getting started.

What You Need Before You Start

Before diving into Metashape, make sure you have the following:

A set of overlapping photographs (minimum 60% overlap)
Agisoft Metashape installed (Standard or Professional)
A reasonably powerful computer with at least 16GB of RAM and a dedicated GPU

Step 1: Capture Your Photos

Photo quality and overlap are crucial for successful photogrammetry. Use a DSLR, mirrorless, or high-end smartphone to take your images. Make sure lighting is even and avoid reflective or transparent surfaces. Move around the object or site, keeping at least 60–80% overlap between consecutive images.

Step 2: Add Photos to Agisoft Metashape

Launch Metashape and create a new project:

Go to Workflow > Add Photos and select your image set.
Once added, your photos will appear in the Workspace panel.

You can optionally align your photos into different chunks if you’re working with large datasets.

Step 3: Align Photos

This is where Metashape calculates the camera positions and generates a sparse point cloud:

Go to Workflow > Align Photos
In the dialog box, leave accuracy on High and check Generic Preselection and Reference Preselection (if GPS data is available).
Click OK

After processing, you’ll see a sparse point cloud representing the 3D space captured by your photos.

Step 4: Build Dense Cloud

The dense cloud adds more detail to the model:

Go to Workflow > Build Dense Cloud
Choose a quality setting (usually Medium or High) and set depth filtering to Moderate

This process may take time depending on your image count and hardware specs.

Step 5: Build Mesh

The mesh is a 3D surface generated from the dense point cloud:

Go to Workflow > Build Mesh
Use Dense Cloud as the source data
Select surface type: Arbitrary (for general 3D objects) or Height Field (for terrains)

Once complete, your model will have a full 3D geometry.

Step 6: Build Texture

Textures give the model realistic color and appearance:

Go to Workflow > Build Texture
Select mapping mode (Generic works for most models)
Set the texture size (e.g., 4096 x 4096)

The texture will be mapped directly onto your 3D mesh, enhancing visual realism.

Step 7: Export the Model

When your model is ready, export it for use in other software or platforms:

Go to File > Export > Export Model
Choose file format: OBJ, FBX, STL, or others
Include texture and coordinate system if needed

Bonus: Tips for Better Results

Lighting: Use diffuse lighting to avoid shadows and reflections
Focus: Always keep the subject in sharp focus
Overlap: Increase overlap for complex surfaces
Background: Use a neutral or uniform background when scanning small objects

Conclusion

Creating 3D models from photographs using Agisoft Metashape is a powerful and accessible process. Whether you’re scanning archaeological sites, buildings, landscapes, or small objects, Metashape provides a professional-level workflow that delivers accurate and detailed results. With practice and the right setup, you can produce stunning 3D content for use in research, design, visualization, and digital archives.

Start your photogrammetry journey today with Metashape—and turn your photos into fully navigable 3D models.