Digital replica — best practices and QC

Advisory guidance for high-quality Digital Replicas: photo acquisition, project organisation, workflow optimisation, team collaboration, and a per-phase Quality Control checklist that summarises the acceptance criteria introduced in the phase guides.

Photo Acquisition

  • Maintain consistent overlap (80% front, 60% side)

  • Use appropriate GSD for target resolution

  • Separate photo sets: geometry (many photos) vs texture (quality photos)

  • Avoid blur, ensure proper focus

  • Control lighting for texture sets

Project Organization

  • Use the Extended Matrix standard folder structure (EM 1.5)

  • Download template: https://github.com/zalmoxes-laran/ExtendedMatrix/raw/refs/heads/EM_1.5_dev/07_FolderTree/EM_FolderTree_v1.5.zip

  • Keep raw photos in 05_RB/01_RAW/photos/

  • Save all Metashape projects in 05_RB/02_PROCESSING/metashape/

  • Organize outputs in 05_RB/03_Model_Library/[ModelName]/

  • Use numeric prefixes for verbal communication (e.g., “zero-five, zero-three”)

  • Name files descriptively and consistently within each folder

  • Keep backups at each major phase

  • Document coordinate system and units used in project notes

  • Prepare datasets for publication in 09_Dataset_Publication/ (Zenodo-ready structure)

For the complete file-by-file location guide, see File locations — Digital Replica reference.

Workflow Optimization

  • Process smaller test areas first

  • Verify quality at each phase before proceeding

  • Use Blender collections to organize complexity

  • Leverage LOD system - don’t work in LOD0 unnecessarily

  • Regular saves and incremental backups

Collaboration

  • Share folder structure template with team

  • Use relative paths where possible (except exports)

  • Document custom settings and deviations from workflow

  • Version control for .graphml and .xlsx files

  • Establish naming conventions for entire team

Quality Control Checklist

Before finalizing each phase, verify:

Phase 1 (Canvas) — see Phase 1 — High-Resolution Mesh Preparation (Metashape):

  • [ ] Mesh density = 1000 poly/m² (±10%)

  • [ ] No holes or non-manifold geometry

  • [ ] Clean topology (no flipping faces)

  • [ ] Proper scaling (verify in Blender)

Phase 2 (Segmentation) — see Phase 2 — Mesh Segmentation (Blender + 3DSC):

  • [ ] Tile sizes between 60-100 m²

  • [ ] No floating fragments

  • [ ] Tiles properly aligned at seams

  • [ ] All tiles exported successfully

Phase 3 (Texturing) — see Phase 3 — High-Resolution Texturing (Metashape + 3DSC Scripts):

  • [ ] Texture resolution ~1.2 mm/texel

  • [ ] No missing textures

  • [ ] Minimal color seams between textures

  • [ ] PNG format (not JPG) for quality

Phase 4 (LODs) — see Phase 4 — LOD Generation (Blender + 3DSC):

  • [ ] All LOD levels generated

  • [ ] Texture quality appropriate per LOD

  • [ ] LOD switching works in viewport

  • [ ] File size reasonable for target platform

Phase 5 (RB File) — see Phase 5 — Final Reality-Based File:

  • [ ] Collections properly organized

  • [ ] All LODs accessible

  • [ ] File saved with descriptive name

  • [ ] Backup copy created

See also