Archive notice: This article was originally published on 9 July 2020. It has been translated into English and lightly edited for clarity while preserving its historical context, including contemporary requirements and pricing.
After several months in public beta, 3Dflow released version 5 of its photogrammetry tool under the codename Dragonfruit. The release represented one of the larger updates since the software’s first version, targeting processing speed, edge and texture quality, and out-of-core meshing.
Performance and mesh processing
The Samantha structure-from-motion system was substantially faster on large datasets of more than 1,000 images. In 3Dflow’s 3,000-image van test, version 5 processed the dataset at more than twice the speed reported for version 4.5.530.
Interface and tools
Version 5 added a utility bar, Drawing Elements, Merge Workspace and an optional information widget for the 3D viewport. Point Picking exposed coordinates, elevation and other data for a selected point, while measurement tools expanded inspection inside the workspace.
Additional features
The release also included 3DF Scarlet, a standalone application for capturing laser-scan data. Other additions included a Photoconsistency filter for sharper, more realistic edges, WIC as an imaging engine, an updated Revit plugin, Invert Mask for Masquerade and gizmo pivot support.
Availability and editions
Existing users could install 5.0 through the auto-update system. At publication, the software supported Windows 8 or later and required an Nvidia GPU to use CUDA acceleration. Contemporary promotional prices were €3,120 for a perpetual 3DF Zephyr licence and €119.20 for 3DF Zephyr Lite, while 3DF Zephyr Free remained available.
The former Pro and Aerial editions were consolidated around the Aerial feature set. Existing Aerial users kept the same capabilities, while Pro users received the additional features without an extra charge. These archived specifications and prices may no longer apply, so verify current requirements before production deployment.
