Agisoft Photoscan

From all of the other posts about scanning a 3D object, I have yet to find anyone who has recommended this software. I just stumbled across it and thought it was pretty awesome. It has a very steep learning curve, but works fantastically. I know it is quite pricey, but so are most of the other 3D laser scanning setups I've seen posted here. The basic edition is actually quite reasonably priced. The pro version is just out of this world. Yeah, it is Russian software and I'm sure the commies are spying on us, but the software works.

I've only played around with it so far trying to learn it. From what little I've been able to do, I've been impressed.

I found some videos on youtube that may be of interest:

[www.youtube.com]
[www.youtube.com]
[twistedsifter.com]

I have used this software for a couple of years. Results over that time have varied. The software keeps on improving and you can get a good 3D image of a person or head. Its not great on very reflective surfaces and the object must remain still and evenly lit. I have used the software to digitise orniments and buildings, in some cases the camera being raised on a 4m pole to get better views. Its easy to miss something and end up with a hole in such as a church behind a buttress or inset window frame. You play and learn, at the time I got it there was nothing to compare. It also works very well with aerial photographs, which I believe was its primary purpose. You really want a camera you can set manually so it doesn't go hunting on autofocus or changing the aperture/light. Masking can be a laborious process, but the results can be amazing considering its made from 2D photograpghs.

Joules

Hi there,
I did notice that the entries above are a year back but I am just getting started on this issue. Which alternatives to the Russian software Agisoft are currently out there to produce high quality 3D models from 2D pictures? I need to record historic objects, historic interior walls, oriels, stuccos, ornaments etc. - nothing shiny or fuzzy which everyone on the web is moaning about. The results need to be really good, but no, I do not have funds for a 3D scanner, therefore SFM has now all my attention.
The German software aspect3D respectively the module imagescan sounds like the equivalent to Agisoft. Has anyone tried the latest version (see link below)?
Which other software progamms are available using SFM to get quality, high definition 3D data from 2D pictures?

Thanks in advance for your feedback

photogrammetry software aspect3d