Alexander Tullo

Creating a 3D set from scattered photos

Added 2025-09-27 00:39:14 +0000 UTC

I'm going to create a much deeper video on this in the next few days, but I wanted to share with you a very big problem I hit in my new piece, and the (only somewhat convoluted) solution I found to get around it.

The Problem

The other artist on this piece had a folder of pictures he took that I wanted to use in this piece, however it was an assortment of random photos that I couldn't easily stitch together.

The Goal

My plan was to have an HDRI of the environment matched up to a 3D set, where I could have a camera pan through the scene and follow a character. However without a 3D scan, or more intentional photo taking, it seemed impossible.

The Solution

I was of course able to figure this out. But it wasn't without effort. I ended up creating 3 FSpy files (a free software that I featured in the Masterclass #01) and made a set that matched up to all 3 exactly; something like a middle ground.

This is kind of convoluted to write, which is why I want to create a short video showing the entire process and how I reached the end goal of having a set that is 1:1 with the photos. While the set looks very simple, the goal of it is simply to have the shadows be rendered out, and placed on the HDRI (which will be painted over).

Let me know if any other parts of this process interest you to see in the video, and I'll include them!