Open source software that transforms aerial videos and images into Geospatial 3D models
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Welcome to TeleSculptor

TeleSculptor is an open source, cross-platform desktop application for photogrammetry. It was designed specifically with a focus on aerial video processing leveraging video metadata standards (MISB 0601) for geolocation, but it can handle both images and video either with or without metadata. TeleSculptor uses structure-from-motion techniques to estimate camera parameters and a sparse set of 3D landmarks. TeleSculptor estimates dense depth maps on key frames using multiview stereo techniques. It then fuses those depth maps into a consistent surface mesh, which can be colored from the source imagery.

TeleSculptor’s flexible plugin architecture allows developers to reconfigure or swap out any algorithm in the pipeline for custom implementations. It is both an end-user application and a research platform.

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Latest News

VTK as a Metrology Tool for 3D Reconstruction

In the 3D reconstruction domain, an important step is measuring the quality of generated models. Often, this step is done subjectively and can lead to poor estimates and regressions. A better approach is to use metrology tools to compare reconstructions against a ground truth using objective metrics.. We present a pipeline leveraging VTK to perform […]

CVPR 2026

Kitware is proud to participate in the IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2026, one of the premier venues for cutting-edge research in computer vision and machine learning. Building on our long-standing involvement in the CVPR community, we look forward to sharing our latest work, connecting with collaborators, and engaging with researchers advancing the state of the art.

GEOINT Symposium 2026

At the USGIF GEOINT Symposium 2026, the leading event for the geospatial intelligence community, Kitware will present its latest advancements in AI test and evaluation (T&E), computer vision, and interactive visualization. Our work supports national security missions by enabling organizations to better analyze complex data and make informed decisions with confidence.

Learn More About TeleSculptor

Interested in learning more about Telesculptor? View the Telesculptor-related workshops and publications that feature Telesculptor work below.

Workshops, Talks, and Presentations
3D reconstruction from Overhead Imagery Using Open Source SoftwareUSGIF GEOConnect Series TrainingJune 23, 2020
Open source structure-from-motionConference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) TutorialJune 16, 2015
Publications
  1. M. Leotta, E. Smith, and D. Russell, "TeleSculptor: Dense 3D Models from Uncalibrated FMV," in Proceedings of the MSS National Symposium on Passive Sensors, 2018.
  2. M. Leotta, E. Smith, M. Dawkins, and P. Tunison, "Open source structure-from-motion for aerial video," in Proceedings of the IEEE Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision, 2016. [URL]
  3. M. Leotta, P. Tunison, E. Smith, and M. Dawkins, "MAP-Tk: Motion imagery Aerial Photogrammetry Toolkit," in Proceedings of the MSS National Symposium on Passive Sensors, 2015.
  4. K. Fieldhouse, M. Leotta, A. Basharat, R. Blue, D. Stoup, C. Atkins, L. Sherrill, B. Boeckel, P. Tunison, J. Becker, M. Dawkins, M. Woehlke, R. Collins, M. Turek, and A. Hoogs, "KWIVER: An open source cross-platform video exploitation framework," in Proceedings of the IEEE Applied Imagery Pattern Recognition Workshop, 2014. [URL]

Bibliography generated 2022-06-01-11:03:39 (5029)

About Kitware

Founded in 1998, Kitware is a global leader in developing advanced state-of-the-art AI and scientific research and development solutions. As early adopters of deep learning, this plays an essential role in everything we do. We are dedicated to researching and creating innovative techniques and technologies valuable to the computer vision community and our customers.

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