DIY Photogrammetry Scan Table
Convert an Ikea Lack table into a scan table
Photogrammetry Turntable
Photogrammetry and Ikea don’t normally go in the same sentence, but I decided to take on that Ikea hack challenge.
Today I show you how I changed an old Ikea Lack Table I had into a photogrammetry capture turntable. If you know me, you’ll know that I’ve been into photogrammetry capturing for quite some time. Here is an article I wrote about the subject in case you are curious for an explanation of photogrammetry. Photogrammetry and Visual Effects
DIY can be fun most times, and this project was no exception. It was nice getting the hands dirty for a change instead of typing on a keyboard in front of a monitor. Which of course I am doing write now. This project was not 100% DIY as I had bought two items to make it the way I wanted, but the table part was definitely a full DIY mentallity.
This project taught me that I didn’t have the right tools available to do this project easily. I did however tap into my inner MacGyver along the way. My first task was to draft out the circular opening I needed to cut. For this I used an old chain with an “S” hook. I next hammered a nail into the center of the table, then attached the “S” hook. This allowed me to draw a circular guideline for the opening. The guideline was about 3/4″ smaller than the TamBee Lazy Susan inner dimensions. [Imgs 2-7]
After drawing the guide, the next step was cutting though the table top. I had read online in a few spots about the table being thin pressboard, and thought I could just use a utility knife.[Imgs 8-9]
After eight passes, I gave up and decided to drill a hole in the middle to inspect further. I quickly realized that a utility knife wasn’t gonna work. The table top was at least 1/4″ thick and I had barely carved a groove in it.[Imgs 10-12]
Using my 1″ hole cutting bit to drill a series of holes just inside the guidelines was the only logical next step. After that I was able to use a handheld hacksaw to slice through the gaps connecting the holes. Once the gaps were cut, I had to tug a bit on the inner piece to pry it out. Turns out the interior of the table has this honeycomb’esque cardboard support structure that is glued to the top and bottom surfaces. [Imgs 13-16]
Slicing through the inner structure was much easier. This material was made of thin cardboard, so I was able to rip it easily. After cutting some clean areas along the edges, I then just grabbed at the materials with my hands and plucked it out. [Img 17]
The remaining rough edge was then easier to cut away at with a utility knife. Using a pair of pliers helped pull the material free as I cut it. It was more of a scoring and snapping method actually. [Ims 18-20]
At this point it felt natural to just drill some pilot holes in the top for the lazy suzan pegs to slip into. This was a much easier task, and a nice break from all the cutting. Having these holes would allow the lazy suzan to sit nearly flush with the table surface, and lock it into place. [Imgs 21-22]
It was time to flip the table over and repeat the process on the bottom half. The legs of the table just unscrew. Working the bottom was bit more awkward since it was not sitting two feet lower than before. [Imgs 23-24]
Finally the bottom half was complete. [Imgs 25-26]
Next the table legs were put back together, the lazy suzan was then set back into place. This is pretty much where day one was complete. I placed the 22″ Round Fab Glass on top for a quick test of the moment and it was smooth. [Imgs 27-29]
It was time for some polishing details and cleanup. Four inch wide black gaff tape was used to line the inner opening. This cleaned up the look, kept sawdust particles from leaking everywhere, and would help cut down on light reflection during photogrammetry capture time. [Imgs 30-34]
At this point I wanted to add some marking on the lazy susan. These are basically a marking in degrees along the outer edge of the lazy susan. This helps during photogrammetry capture time by giving me a visual clue as to how far I have rotated the glass top inbetween each photo. I normally use ten degree increments when capturing on a table top surface. After researching online I came across a nice Azimuth Circle to use. The markings were nice and clear. I took the image into photoshop and scaled it to fit my measurements of the lazy suzan. [Imgs 35-38]
The Azimuth circle was printed on multiple sheets of paper which were cut out, and then taped together. With a little bit of help from my wife, and some double stick tape, we got the Azimuth placed right onto the aluminum ring. For kicks I even used my label printer to place an arrow marker as a starting locator when capturing. [Imgs 39-40]
Finally the table was fully complete. I was thrilled with the end result, and had to immediately do a test capture to try the system out. I grabbed an old table top water fountain I had laying around, and proceeded to setup my various camera gear that I’ve picked up over the last twenty years. For those interested, there are two Alien Bee 400 strobes, and two Canon 5D Mark III cameras, some old original Pocket Wizard MultiMAX for sync, and a Sirui tripod being used. [Imgs 41-42]
The resulting photogrammetry capture of the dragon fountain came out really well. I was very happy with the results. My plan for being able to capture the bottom details of an object as well as the primary detail worked. The video shows the Agisoft PhotoScan cameras, and 3D details that I was able to capture.
My take away from this entire project was that I definitely need to find a way to get a workshop with proper wood working tools. As far as the finished product goes, I would advise that you make a wider circular opening on the bottom half of the table if you plan to make this. The Ikea Lack table is two inches thick, so it creates a bit of an obstruction when capturing below it. My original plan was to use a thinner table, but was unable to really find anything. I did however have the old Lack table sitting around. Actually it was my wife’s, but I did replace it with a new one so we weren’t out a table if this project went horribly wrong. Since it didn’t, we now have a cool snack serving table when I’m not doing photogrammetry work.