Today, we’re releasing six new video tutorials (with more to come!) to make it easier for new users to learn 3DF Zephyr, thanks to on-screen instructions that mirror the user interface of the latest version.

While the previous tutorials are still conceptually sound (and are still available), they’re starting to show their age, so what better time than the release of version 9.0 to update them? Visit the dedicated YouTube playlist or our tutorials page to get started!

The post New 3Dflow Academy videotutorials available! appeared first on 3Dflow.

3DF Zephyr 9.0 is finally available for download! This one took a while, and for good measure as 3DF Zephyr now features a brand new Gaussian Splatting workflow and yes – it’s available also on 3DF Zephyr Lite!

With integrated Gaussian Splatting generation, faster photoconsistency, satellite map data right in the viewport, revamped selection tools, and much more, we’re sure you’ll love this release!

As always, this new version also ships with a long list of smaller improvements and fixes. Highlights include pseudo Mercator support and automatic online lookup of projected reference systems, a new preset for sequential walkthrough/video streams, CSV export for camera statistics and reprojection data, and clarified terminology and reporting for Ground Control Points and Check Points.

Along with updated ffmpeg libraries, high-DPI layout fixes, and many other quality-of-life tweaks throughout the interface, Zephyr 9.0 is yet again the best release to date!

Check out the new major features in the video below or find the full changelog slightly further down!

3DF Zephyr 9.000 changelog

Major features and updates

Gaussian Splatting: Added Gaussian Splatting generation directly integrated in Zephyr
Improved photoconsistency speed: Photoconsistency has been sped up when dealing with a big number of points
Satellite data tiles: Added support for satellite and hybrid maps data inside the Zephyr render
New camera controller: Added a new tripod-style camera controller (similar to the one in Scarlet) to make defining control points and drawing elements on bubble view images easier
Uniform selection tools: Selection tools have been unified: every subtool (By Hand, Plane, Color, Points, Triangles) now exposes a consistent target selector to operate on all visible objects or on specific ones
Volume of interest selection: Volume of interest selection is now available across all selection subtools (Plane, RGB, By Triangle, By Points, etc.)
Meshes in point filtering tool: The point filtering tool now also accepts meshes as input
New grid object: New antialiased grid object on viewport
ESRI tiled mesh export: Added export option for ESRI i3s tiled mesh format
Custom reference system on export: Added the option to convert to a custom reference system on export for every kind of object: cameras/sparse point cloud, dense point cloud, meshes, textured meshes, and orthophotos

Minor bug fixes and updates

Video Stream preset: Added a new preset for sequential walkthrough / video streams
Pseudo Mercator support: Added support for pseudo mercator reference systems
Reference system online getter: Search and download new projected reference system automatically
Gaussian Splatting export: Added support for exporting Gaussian Splatting objects, and merge workspace now correctly includes Gaussian Splatting objects
Fixed crash on merging unstructured dense clouds: Merging two unstructured dense clouds no longer produces an invalid structured cloud that crashes subsequent operations like orthophoto generation
PLY loader fixed: Fixed regression where some valid PLY files were skipped on load
STL import with non-Latin filenames: Fixed charset issue preventing STL files with Japanese (and other non-Latin) characters in their filename from being imported
Laser scan color toggle fixed: Fixed a bug where laser scans remained stuck on uniform colors after toggling the option off in mixed projects
Circular markers detection fixed: Fixed circular marker detection: the “number of markers” parameter is now correctly honored
Pivot camera controller in Ground Extraction: Fixed pivot camera controller behavior inside the Ground Extraction Filter dialog
Masquerade for orthophoto-to-mesh segmentation: The orthophoto tool can now open Masquerade in a special mode to mask and cut meshes directly from an orthophoto
AI training preparation tools: Added batch processing dialogs to prepare .zep files for AI masking and AI classification training pipelines
Select by plane dialog fixed: Fixed selection not working in the SelectByPlane dialog
Quad buffer picking fixed: Fixed offset 3D picking when using quad buffer stereo devices
High DPI / scaling fixes: Fixed several layout issues with specific resolution and scaling configurations: new project cutting phase buttons, fixed size behavior, and the camera calibration tool now displays correctly at full screen
Path saves: Zephyr now correctly recognizes the folder of the currently open project when using save dialogs
Save As disabled on empty workspace: Save As is now correctly disabled at startup when the workspace is empty
OBJ texture loading fix: Fixed loading of OBJ files exported from other software when the texture filename contains spaces
Image undistortion consistency: Fixed an inconsistency between FlowSaM image undistortion and the box resizer scale factor calculation
GSD as orthophoto property: The GSD used during orthophoto generation is now exposed as a property of the orthophoto object
CSV export of camera stats: The Camera Stats dialog now supports CSV export
Camera Visible Points CSV export: The “Camera Visible Points and Mean Reprojection Error” section of the PDF report can now also be exported as CSV, useful for forensics workflows
Polyline area in properties: Added surface area information to the polyline properties section
Non dataset-dependent multicamera settings: The multicamera wizard now supports saving and loading camera constraints independently of the dataset, so the same XML can be reused across different projects
Improvements to input options dialog: The input section in the options dialog has been improved: hotkey collisions are now reported with the conflicting key shown, message colors have been revised, and a search/filter field has been added
Updated Constraints / Check points terminology: Reviewed and clarified the terminology, accuracy and weight handling for Ground Control Points and Check Points across dialogs, advanced settings and the PDF report; report figures and tables now clearly separate GCP from ChP statistics
Coordinate header labels: Reviewed and made consistent the header strings for coordinate fields when working with geographic coordinate systems (Latitude, Longitude, Altitude/Ellipsoid height)
FPS overlay: Added an optional FPS overlay (off by default)
Network drive warning: Added a warning when saving projects or using image datasets stored on a network drive
Updated ffmpeg libraries: ffmpeg libraries have been updated, expanding video format support, including HEIF video files
Labeled slider update: General improvements to the labeled slider widget used across dialogs
Advanced settings: General improvements and reorganisation of the advanced settings panels
Grid startup effect: Added a cool grid effect on startup
Brand new bugs: Ad maiora semper!

The post 3DF Zephyr 9.0 has been released! appeared first on 3Dflow.

MORE special offers!

We have more special offers for the full version of 3DF Zephyr! (the following offers do not apply to 3DF Zephyr Lite)

• Current users who renew their (expired) software licenses will receive 2 extra years of technical support and software updates, for a total of 3 years.
• Bulk License Discount: Users who previously purchased multiple licenses will receive a 50% discount on renewals.
• Customers purchasing new licenses during the Black Friday – Cyber Monday time span will receive 3 years of software updates and technical support at no extra cost.

Contact your local reseller or our sales team at support@3dflow.net for more information!

Frequently asked questions

Q: Will the 90 days license offer autorenew ?
A: No – this is not a subscription, but a special license that only lasts 90 days. It is identical to a full edition of 3DF Zephyr, it just will stop working 90 days after you purchase it. You will need to manually subscribe to the 30-days subscription plan or purchase the perpetual version, if you want to keep using 3DF Zephyr.

Q: Is the 3DF Zephyr Lite version offer limited in some way?
A: Not at all! This is a lifetime, full version, of 3DF Zephyr Lite, with included 12 months of updates. You’re just getting it with a heavy discount

Q: Is the 3DF Zephyr 90 days license version offer limited in some way?
A: All features are available. The only limitation is the time duration. This license will not work 90 days after purchase. All your project files are 100% compatible with the other 3DF Zephyr versions, of course.

Q: Are these licenses transferable/can I resell them?
A: No. Transfer and resale is – as usual – explicitly forbidden.

Q: Can I purchase the 90 days promotion now and start using it later?
A: No. The 90 days starts immediately upon purchase.

Q: Can I get both offers?
A: Yes, of course! You will have to make two separate orders, but nothing stops you from purchasing both packages while the offer is still valid!

Q: Other terms I need to keep in mind?
A: This offer is strictly online. You will need to pay online while the offer is valid in order to get the special price! Pease contact support@3dflow.net for more information.

The post Get the Black Friday 2025 Photogrammetry Deal! appeared first on 3Dflow.

The 3Dflow World Cup 2025 results are in!

All winners will be contacted via email.

So, without further ado, we’re happy to announce the winners of the 3Dflow World Cup 2025! With our congratulations, the winner who will bring home the grand prize (12 months of 3DF Zephyr, 1 AMD Radeon Pro W7600 GPU, 12 months Nira professional) is…

Winner – 1st Place

Charming Chickens (Stephanski) – Clockwork

Winner – 2nd place

Happy Hamsters (GrzegorzS) – Coin

Winner – 3rd place

Adventurous Cats (Vale) – Radio

Of course, congratulations also to the 2nd and 3rd place winners, who will win 12 months and 6 months of 3DF Zephyr respectively! Likewise, congratulations also to the runner ups for the 3 months of 3DF Zephyr: Cezary (Busy Octopuses), tswift (Adventurous Dolphins) and Mechanite (Intrigued Orcas).

Last but not least, a big thank you to everyone who took part of the 3Dflow World Cup 2025!

The post 3Dflow World Cup 2025 – Final results! appeared first on 3Dflow.

The 3Dflow World Cup 2024 results are in!

Thank you everyone for playing! There have been a lot of really cool submissions and it was probably the closest race to the top in the 3Dflow World Cup history!

In this edition, we have experimented with weekly prizes (with 3DF Zephyr Licenses and Mossy.Earth subscription and Treedom gifts as prizes) as well as two grand prizes for two categories, so there are two champions this year!

The winners will be contacted via email.

So without further ado, the winners of the 3Dflow World Cup 2024, bringing home the grand prize (12 months of 3DF Zephyr, 1 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse Wireless, 6 months Nira professional, and more) are…

Winner – Close Range Category

Honorable Eagles (ProyectoSCAN) – Antebellum & Parabellum

Winner – Urban Landscape Category

Adorable Bears (tomkl) – Hoyerswerda

The post 3Dflow World Cup 2024 – Final results! appeared first on 3Dflow.

The long wait is over and 3DF Zephyr 8.0 is finally ready for download!

With an improved core technology, OpenCL support for Intel and AMD cards, automatic AI-based classification and masking, and much more, we’re sure you’ll love this release!

Check out the new major features in the video below or find the full changelog slightly further down!

3DF Zephyr 8.000 changelog

+ Support for video card supporting OpenCL > 1.1 (Intel and AMD)
+ Automatic AI-based classification for Aerial photogrammetry dataset
+ Automatic AI-based masking added in Masquerade
+ Added Support for local floating license server for both Flowengine and Zephyr. Available only on specific request.
+ Much improved support for 3DConnexion devices and their latest SDK
+ Added Support for circular targets
+ Planar registration constraints have been added in Scarlet
+ New keypoint extraction method with improved accuracy
+ Several improvements to photoconsistency in terms of quality
+ The decimation algorithm has been improved on difficult scenarios
+ The OpenStreetMap layer is now shown in the orthophoto viewer
+ Leica LGSx native format for Cyclone can be directly read by Zephyr and Scarlet
+ Native format for Teledyne ladybug is supported with exterior/interior parameters loaded
+ Fixed precision data loss on XML export for drawing elements
+ Fixed quad buffer implementation to support 3D display
+ Point cloud/meshes are now rendered faster, especially the huge ones
+ Cuda/Qt/Python libraries have been updated
+ PDF report export and layout have been improved
+ Added match object center on the merge projects dialog
+ Improved Gltf/Glb loading
+ Solved issues on export with 3DPDF
+ Minor improvements to the export orthophoto dialog
+ Added function to look at a control point
+ Added dialog for camera group information that also allows the export final rig calibration
+ Brand new bugs added
+ Improvements in the label size and general navigation
+ The UI is more responsive when dealing with very big datasets
+ General improvements to the point inspection tool
+ Updated external file format plugins
+ Many Minor fixes and improvements

The post 3DF Zephyr 8.0 is out now! appeared first on 3Dflow.

MORE special offers!

We have more special offers for the full version of 3DF Zephyr! (the following offers do not apply to 3DF Zephyr Lite)

• Current users who renew their (expired) software licenses will receive 2 extra years of technical support and software updates, for a total of 3 years.
• Bulk License Discount: Users who previously purchased multiple licenses will receive a 50% discount on renewals.
• Customers purchasing new licenses during the Black Friday – Cyber Monday time span will receive 3 years of software updates and technical support at no extra cost.

Contact your local reseller or our sales team at support@3dflow.net for more information!

Frequently asked questions

Q: Will the 90 days license offer autorenew ?
A: No – this is not a subscription, but a special license that only lasts 90 days. It is identical to a full edition of 3DF Zephyr, it just will stop working 90 days after you purchase it. You will need to manually subscribe to the 30-days subscription plan or purchase the perpetual version, if you want to keep using 3DF Zephyr.

Q: Is the 3DF Zephyr Lite version offer limited in some way?
A: Not at all! This is a lifetime, full version, of 3DF Zephyr Lite, with included 12 months of updates. You’re just getting it with a heavy discount

Q: Is the 3DF Zephyr 90 days license version offer limited in some way?
A: All features are available. The only limitation is the time duration. This license will not work 90 days after purchase. All your project files are 100% compatible with the other 3DF Zephyr versions, of course.

Q: Are these licenses transferable/can I resell them?
A: No. Transfer and resale is – as usual – explicitly forbidden.

Q: Can I purchase the 90 days promotion now and start using it later?
A: No. The 90 days starts immediately upon purchase.

Q: Can I get both offers?
A: Yes, of course! You will have to make two separate orders, but nothing stops you from purchasing both packages while the offer is still valid!

Q: Other terms I need to keep in mind?
A: This offer is strictly online. You will need to pay online while the offer is valid in order to get the special price! Pease contact support@3dflow.net for more information.

The post Get the Black Friday 2024 Photogrammetry Deal! appeared first on 3Dflow.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Will the 90 days license offer autorenew ?
A: No – this is not a subscription, but a special license that only lasts 90 days. It is identical to a full edition of 3DF Zephyr, it just will stop working 90 days after you purchase it. You will need to manually subscribe to the 30-days subscription plan or purchase the perpetual version, if you want to keep using 3DF Zephyr.

Q: Is the 3DF Zephyr Lite version offer limited in some way?
A: Not at all! This is a lifetime, full version, of 3DF Zephyr Lite, with included 12 months of updates. You’re just getting it with a heavy discount

Q: Is the 3DF Zephyr 90 days license version offer limited in some way?
A: All features are available. The only limitation is the time duration. This license will not work 90 days after purchase. All your project files are 100% compatible with the other 3DF Zephyr versions, of course.

Q: Are these licenses transferable/can I resell them?
A: No. Transfer and resale is – as usual – explicitly forbidden.

Q: Can I purchase the 90 days promotion now and start using it later?
A: No. The 90 days starts immediately upon purchase.

Q: Can I get both offers?
A: Yes, of course! You will have to make two separate orders, but nothing stops you from purchasing both packages while the offer is still valid!

Q: Other terms I need to keep in mind?
A: This offer is strictly online. You will need to pay online while the offer is valid in order to get the special price! Pease contact support@3dflow.net for more information.

The post Get the Black Friday 2023 Photogrammetry Deal! appeared first on 3Dflow.

3DF Zephyr 7.5 is finally out now!

This latest update comes, among the many changes, with significant improvements in both quality and speed like never before in the quality of the reconstructed mesh (especially for thin structures), an all-improved UI and a lot more!

Check out the new major features in the video below or find the full changelog slightly further down!

3DF Zephyr 7.500 changelog

+ Improved mesh algorithm. Thickness is now computed automatically to better maintain thin structures.
+ Cameras group/rig relationship (translation/baseline and rotation) can now be specified during the project wizard.
+ Improved add photos wizard and workspace merge. Both can now work in a completely automatic mode.
+ The options dialog has been reworked and improved. You can now quickly search among the options.
+ Improved multispectral imagery support. The intra-bands adjustment works better, and several QoL improvements have been made.
+ Orthophotos are now embedded and saved with the workspace. Additionally, you can now directly generate an orthophoto from the Z axis (map) from the new project wizard.
+ Added an option to save partial reconstructions (unmerged clusters) on zep files at the end of the SfM.
+ Added an option to reset the gizmo rotation. Additionally, the camera doesn’t reset on cancel, and the object visibility doesn’t change when ok is pressed.
+ Export cameras in blender/json (nerf) format.
+ Added options to change the gizmo thickness and its screen size.
+ Improved 3D constraints importing and added an option to specify a projected coordinate system.
+ You can now define camera stations (groups of images with the same origin and pure rotation) during the project wizard.
+ Added support for las 1.4.
+ Added support for Leica Blk3d devices.
+ You can export an undistorted image with the full distortion bounding box.
+ Improved Nira exporter with native SDK support.
+ Osgb and kmz tiles are now exported with the new algorithm for improved performance.
+ Enabled orthophoto editor for multispectral datasets.
+ Support for NavVis cameras.
+ Added a utility to extract or generate bubble views stored in point clouds. Possibility to export mask and parameters.
+ Added progress bar and cancel button on several filters.
+ Many minor fixes and QoL improvements.

The post 3DF Zephyr 7.5 is out now! appeared first on 3Dflow.

The first round of the 3Dflow world cup contest has ended!

As usual a big round of applause and thank you to all contestants! So, without further ado, lets take a look at the eight players that advance to the final stage!

A big “Thank you!” to everyone who played, and good luck to the finalists!

If you’re a finalist, you should have received an email in order to validate your entry – make sure to check your spam folder!

Group A

Dangerous Dolphins (Stephan) – The Anice Artwork

Cultured Octopuses (Lahee) – King Cantaloupe

Group B

Honorable Eagles (ProyectoSCAN) – Vasija Precolombina Arqueologia UdeA

Young Lions (Includints) – Metal Olympic Plate

Group C

Whispering Pandas (Wekedoo) – Mesarosovsky manor-house

Calm Sharks (Il Conte) – Soazza Church

Group D

Mysterious Owls (iDeal3D) – Wooden Table Set

Brave Foxes (ryutosakura) – The Unsolvable

The post 3Dflow World Cup 2023 – Round 1 results appeared first on 3Dflow.