Photo to CAD
How to film the turntable video
One slow turn of the part on a lazy susan gives the model its outer shape from every angle. Ninety seconds of setup makes the difference between a part that matches and one that doesn't.
Silent, 80 seconds. The part shown is a customer's machined housing.
The five steps
- The setup. Stand the part upright in the middle of a lazy susan. Put a plain, lighter background behind it: a sheet of white card is ideal. Even light, no strong shadows. Nothing else on the turntable.
- The camera. Prop the phone so the lens is level with the middle of the part. A cup or a small box under the phone works. Step back until the whole part is in frame with room around it, and zoom in a little rather than moving close. Do not shoot down from above: the outline then mixes top and side, and the shape comes out wrong.
- The turn. Start recording, then turn the lazy susan slowly and evenly through one full turn, about 10 to 15 seconds. A little more than one turn is fine. Steady speed matters: a motorised photo turntable, around $20, is ideal. No jerks, no stops, no hands in the frame.
- Upload. On the Photo to CAD page choose the clip, say which way the turntable turned (seen from above) and where the camera was, and press Analyse the video. The site finds one full turn, takes the outline every 10 degrees, and saves four frames, front, right, back and left, as photos 1 to 4.
- One measurement. On photo 1, click both ends of the part along its base and type the real distance in millimetres. That sets the scale. Every other size is then measured from the outlines, and each numbered dimension on the drawing stays editable.
Checklist
- ✓ Part upright, centred on the lazy susan
- ✓ Plain lighter background, good light
- ✓ Phone level with the part, whole part in frame
- ✓ One slow, even turn, 10 to 15 seconds
- ✗ Camera looking down from above
- ✗ Hand-spun jerky turn, or stopping partway
- ✗ Dark cloth, clutter or a ruler across the part
What the video can and cannot see
The turn gives the outer shape all the way round: tapers, steps, arms, rounded corners. It cannot see the top face, into pockets, or through blind holes. Add a photo taken straight down from above for the top outline, and ask for the pockets and holes in words after the build; each becomes an editable value.
If the site reports that the outlines do not agree with each other, the turn was uneven or the camera too high. It then uses the four frames as square-on photos instead, and tells you.