Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

openMVG VS COLMAP

Compare openMVG VS COLMAP and see what are their differences

openMVG logo openMVG

openMVG: "open Multiple View Geometry" is a c++ library for computer-vision scientists...

COLMAP logo COLMAP

Image-based 3D reconstruction pipeline with a graphical and command-line interface
  • openMVG Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-02-18
  • COLMAP Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-17

openMVG features and specs

  • Open Source
    openMVG is an open-source library, meaning it's free to use, modify, and distribute. This can significantly reduce costs for projects compared to commercial alternatives.
  • Feature-Rich
    The library includes a comprehensive set of tools for multiple-view geometry, including image matching, feature extraction, and robust triangulation.
  • Active Community
    It has a growing and active community that contributes improvements, features, and bug fixes, ensuring continuous development and support.
  • Documentation
    openMVG provides thorough documentation and examples, which make it easier for users to understand and implement its features.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    The library is designed to be cross-platform, allowing it to run on various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux.
  • Scalability
    openMVG can handle large datasets effectively, making it suitable for complex and large-scale projects.

Possible disadvantages of openMVG

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Despite its documentation, openMVG can be challenging for beginners to master due to its complexity and the depth of knowledge required in multiple-view geometry.
  • Performance
    Being an open-source project, it might not be as optimized for performance as some commercial software, potentially leading to longer processing times.
  • Sparse Support for Non-Standard Workflows
    The library is designed with standard multiple-view geometry workflows in mind, which might limit flexibility for custom or non-standard applications.
  • Reliance on Additional Libraries
    openMVG often requires integration with other libraries (e.g., OpenCV, Eigen) for full functionality, which can complicate setup and dependency management.
  • Limited User Interface
    The library does not offer a robust graphical user interface, necessitating more command-line proficiency and manual coding.

COLMAP features and specs

  • Comprehensive Toolkit
    COLMAP offers a wide range of features for 3D reconstruction, including Structure-from-Motion and Multi-View Stereo, allowing users to handle complete reconstruction pipelines.
  • Open Source
    COLMAP is open source, enabling users to study, modify, and adapt the code to fit their specific needs without licensing costs.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    The software runs on multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it accessible to a wide user base.
  • High Accuracy
    COLMAP is known for producing precise and accurate reconstructions due to its advanced algorithms.
  • Active Community
    There is an active user and developer community that provides support, tutorials, and documentation, facilitating new users to get started.

Possible disadvantages of COLMAP

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users may find COLMAP challenging to master due to its comprehensive set of features and complex workflows.
  • High Computational Requirements
    The software demands significant computational resources for processing, which may limit its use on less powerful systems.
  • Interface Complexity
    The user interface can be overwhelming for beginners, as it presents a wide array of options and settings.
  • Limited Real-Time Capabilities
    COLMAP is not designed for real-time processing or applications, focusing instead on high-quality offline reconstruction.
  • Sparse Documentation
    While there is community support, the official documentation may not cover all user scenarios extensively, requiring users to seek information from multiple sources.

openMVG videos

ArcheOS videotutorial: openMVG-GUI

More videos:

  • Review - OpenMVG+GCP UI+OpenMVS

COLMAP videos

Free Photogrammetry: Photos to model in 6 minutes with COLMAP

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to openMVG and COLMAP)
3D
57 57%
43% 43
Architecture
48 48%
52% 52
Freelance
45 45%
55% 55
Photos & Graphics
73 73%
27% 27

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, COLMAP seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

openMVG mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of openMVG yet. Tracking of openMVG recommendations started around Mar 2021.

COLMAP mentions (1)

  • How to do Structure from motion (SfM) from a video in Blender?
    First there's COLMAP that seems to be able to work with SfM data. And then there's Blender-Addon-Photgrammetry-Importer which can take the output of COLMAP and import that into blender. Source: almost 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing openMVG and COLMAP, you can also consider the following products

Regard3D - Regard3D is a free, multiplatform, open-source structure-from-motion application.

ContextCapture - Acute3D develops breakthrough photogrammetry software solutions to automatically turn photos into photorealistic high resolution 3D models

3DF Zephyr - Next up in my series of Photogrammetry Software Reviews — after ReMake, PhotoScan & RealityCapture — is 3DF Zephyr (including the Free version).

RealityCapture - RealityCapture is a software solution which automatically produces high resolution 3D models from photographs or laser-scans.

Pix4Dmapper - Photogrammetry software for professional drone-based mapping, purely from images.

Botlink - Botlink enables users to fly drones, create aerial maps, and automatically sync those maps with...