XGrids, Portalcam?21197
Pages:
1
 WGAN Basic Member Boston |
Noddy private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Hi WGAN folks, I just viewed this on Linkedin, info / video clip of XGrids Portal Cam, a walk around Guassian Splatting 3D camera.Link below. Looks interesting, do any of you know more about this? Not sure how / where the files are stored / transferred.. What do you all think of this vs Matterport? |
||
| Post 1 • IP flag post | ||
|
ron0987 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Noddy no prices listed and or file outputs yet. It looks more like pointcloud but you have to book demo to get more information. | ||
| Post 2 • IP flag post | ||
|
WGAN Basic Member Boston |
Noddy private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Thanks @ron0987, I just found a link to a seller in Ohio, $5k for the camera, here's the link FYI https://e38surveysolutions.com/products/portalcam-standard-kit Appears to be a legit distributor, but beware of any scams  |
||
| Post 3 • IP flag post | ||
 TosoliniProductions Bellevue, Washington |
Tosolini private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I ordered mine from https://www.lidaholics.com/. Once I get it, I'll report back. You can see an example of scan in this post. | ||
| Post 4 • IP flag post | ||
|
WGAN Basic Member Boston |
Noddy private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Great to hear @Tosolini! & thanks for the link |
||
| Post 5 • IP flag post | ||
|
MeshImages private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Be aware that the XGrids Portalcam is fully depending on the LCC software from XGrids, which is priced at 1500 per year for the basic version. It is an impressive device, but I don't want to move from Matterport to the next lock-in business model. More info here | ||
| Post 6 • IP flag post | ||
|
WGAN Basic Member Boston |
Noddy private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @ Meshimages, -good to know about that software license fee! Quite a high price to start, and likely the license fee will climb over time.. Thanks. | ||
| Post 7 • IP flag post | ||
 WGAN FanClub Member Queensland, Australia |
Wingman private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I do not understand this hype about this camera. We are photographers and we own professional cameras that can record clear 4K video. That is all you need to create 3D Gaussian Splatting. They are created from videos and they do not require any $5000 devices just for that. Need more angles, just do multiple videos. It looks like another pointless device like an electric pizza maker, when it is being offered to people who have electric/gas ovens already. |
||
| Post 8 • IP flag post | ||
|
Tosolini Productions Bellevue, Washington |
Tosolini private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @meshimages I passed your concerns to XGRIDS and here is their answer: > Thanks for sharing this feedback! Just to clarify, XGRIDS is absolutely an open ecosystem. We’ll continue supporting more and more third-party hardware datasets in the near future. We’ll never lock users into only our platform. Our position is to serve as the infrastructure for 3D content, not to be another walled garden. @wingman I think the value of a dedicated device is in capturing good quality images, fusing them with lidar data, and in the software that makes things simple to process. It's true that you don't need a PortalCam to create 3DGS, but probably there are enough advantages that they decided to invest in manufacturing a new device. Since I don't have my unit yet, I can't elaborate if this is a good purchase or not. |
||
| Post 9 • IP flag post | ||
|
|
MeshImages private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Tosolini But you still need an active LCC software subscription to process the scan data from the PortalCam, right? I cannot export to any 3rd party software solution and process the raw LCC scan data in there (or for free with open source solutions like Lichtfeld). You always need to go to the LCC software, then you can export any sort of .ply and then move the dataset to another software. As far as I know, it is only the LCC software that can read and process the scan data from the PortalCam. @Wingman One major benefit, that I see in the XGRIDS solution is in the real time preview of the captured data while scanning. This makes it much easier to control the capture quality on site. Furthermore it simplifies the capture process and makes it a more scalable solution with less trained technicians. On the other hand I think, that for smaller objects you will be able to achieve comparable results with the next generations of the iPad and lidar - plus software like polycam, Kiri3D or Scaniverse. You can also merge multiple small models and then create a larger experience. And for larger areas I am looking into capturing with 360 cameras from the ground (Insta X5) and from above with the 360 Antigravity drone. The biggest challenge for XGrids will be the fast development of mobile capturing, also with headsets like Quest. And of course political developments, like Trumps expanding blacklist of Chinese tech companies, that can be "dual-use" - civil and military. |
||
| Post 10 • IP flag post | ||
|
Tosolini Productions Bellevue, Washington |
Tosolini private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @meshimages I believe you are right. Only LCC software may be able to decode PortalCam raw files. After all, they need to make money somehow, so I don't blame their business model. The external competition of the likes of Insta360, http://splatica.com, Meta Hyperscape, etc. will crowd the market eventually, and might force XGRIDS to keep / reduce subscription fees and enhance their software quickly. In a few years, 3DGS may be commoditized as it happened with MP. |
||
| Post 11 • IP flag post | ||
|
|
MeshImages private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Tosolini Yes, absolutely. It is ok, that they charge for the software. It will be interesting to see, what will happen to Matterport. Capture times for a Matterport tour are x10 compared to 3DGS. |
||
| Post 12 • IP flag post | ||
|
|
MeshImages private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Adding to my post this morning.. I’ve tried to get some more information about ownership and management structures of XGrids, such as public filings, company registry records, and investor disclosures and found virtually nothing. This extremely low transparency around funding and ownership makes it nearly impossible for me to engage major clients here in Europe. Enterprise buyers demand: - Transparent ownership (only Skywalker Group is vaguely cited) - Defined governance (org chart, board members - they have 51-200 employees) - Direct channel to decision-makers, not just to marketing or resellers Until XGrids provides this level of visibility, winning large-scale contracts will be an uphill battle — shiny video demos on LinkedIn won’t let me pass due-diligence. |
||
| Post 13 • IP flag post | ||
|
AnjumDesign private msg quote post Address this user | |
| can you Share the ply file? | ||
| Post 14 • IP flag post | ||
|
WGAN Fan Club Member Queensland, Australia |
Wingman private msg quote post Address this user | |
| It is 4 months old video but apparently splatting is not cool anymore, it is Gaussian Triangles now. Details are in the video with all links to try it However it does not seem to be related how you capture videos for it, just what tool you use to process it and how it's displayed. |
||
| Post 15 • IP flag post | ||
|
Tosolini Productions Bellevue, Washington |
Tosolini private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I started a new thread to share 3DGS from this device: https://www.wegetaroundnetwork.com/topic/21306/page/1/share-your-xgrids-portalcam-scans-here/ Some thoughts on Gaussian Triangles vs ellipsoids splats vs something new. This is a software challenge. If XGRIDS figures out that triangles are better than other shapes, they can take the same visual input from the camera, reprogram their reconstructing app (called LCC Studio) and output triangles. I don't think the camera will become obsolete for that. |
||
| Post 16 • IP flag post | ||
|
Tosolini Productions Bellevue, Washington |
Tosolini private msg quote post Address this user | |
| This new tool previewed at Adobe Max conference sounds interesting |
||
| Post 17 • IP flag post | ||
|
|
aerialpixels private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Hi @Tosolini I was talking to my local portalcam reseller and getting unclear replies. Hope you can help. They said that on one hand, if we dont renew the LCC subsricption (1500 per year), we can still use a desktop PC with good GPU to process and create the Gaussian Splats. But in another email, they said if I dont subscribe to LCC software, I need to process the data via one of their recommended processing partners, chargeable as an option. Since you own one, can you clarify if the unit effectively becomes useless without a LCC subscription? Rather hear this from a user than a sales rep |
||
| Post 18 • IP flag post | ||
|
WGAN Fan Club Member Queensland, Australia |
Wingman private msg quote post Address this user | |
| There are at least two tools you can process 3DGS from videos. Postshot which has a free subscription but only work with up to 4K video and you cannot export splats. They also have $30/month subscription where you cannot still process 8K videos but you can process up to 4K video and export results. The last tier with postshot is Studio subscription where you can do to 3DGS from up to 8K video but I do not remember how much it costs per month. Postshot is a desktop app and on my machine with 12GB of VRAM 150 seconds 4K video usually is processed within 90 minutes. Another tool I have found online is located at teleport.varjo.com They have a free account which lets you to process up to 5 videos to create 3DGS. You can share them but I do not think they will let you export 3DGS. So you do not need a good PC with a good video card to do it. It will be processed on a cloud. if Portalcam produces just videos in a video format you can use either without paying much or paying at all to XGrid. I have done processing using both tools and shared my results on teleport.varjo.com in the following topic Insta360 Ace Pro: the best action cam and good for 3DGS and even 360 |
||
| Post 19 • IP flag post | ||
|
|
MeshImages private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @aerialpixels As far as I know, you cannot use the XGRIDS camera without the LCC software subscription. You need to process their proprietary LCC file format in their proprietary XGRIDS LCC software. Without the software you cannot create .ply or other standard 3DGS file formats. Every scan has to run through their software first, then you can create other file formats and store, re-process, host, show from your hosting infrastructure or offline. XGRIDS creates great quality, but it is another subscription-only business model for now. Similar to Adobe. |
||
| Post 20 • IP flag post | ||
|
Tosolini Productions Bellevue, Washington |
Tosolini private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @aerialpixels I own a PortalCam but I don't have any PC/GPU as I use a Mac. Therefore, I can't leverage the free LCC software license that I received with the camera. At this time, I'm processing all my scans through the LCC Cloud using some free codes courtesy of XGRIDS. I tried to rent some GPUs online, but the process is not very smooth. To answer your question: I'm not 100% sure that you can own a PortalCam and get away without their software. The camera generates some proprietary binary raw file that needs to be processed first by an XGRIDS app (either the LCC cloud or LCC Studio). These apps will output a 3DGS either in PLY or LCC file format. From this point on, there are third party apps that can ingest the optimized LCC file format (now open sourced) and visualize it in other platforms. I'm not aware of any third party app that is able to reconstruct the 3DGS directly from the raw output of the camera. If you think of it, this is where XGRIDS IP shines, in combining four different cameras and lidar inputs into one beautiful 3DGS. I'd be surprised if they open source this part, and this is where they make recurring money. Here is the structure of a raw source scan.  To @wingman 's point, there are other apps out there that can ingest video and generate 3DGS. Personally I find the PortalCam workflow very practical and the quality very good. The subscription is annoying, but hopefully it pays by itself with some projects. |
||
| Post 21 • IP flag post | ||
Pages:
1