Fast Photogrammetry: KIRI Engine vs Reality Capture for White Vegan Shoe

Every footwear project starts with the same questions: “How fast can we show the client a 3D model, and how clean will the details look when we zoom in for hero shots?” To answer both, I scanned a white vegan sports shoe that gave me 178 pic.

Develop them both several times through “one click” with KIRIEngine’s cloud pipeline and once through Reality Capture’s desktop workflow (Auto). Below is the exact capture setup, the two processing paths, and clear guidelines for when to reach for each tool.

Below the KIRI Engine model, “one click export” in Photogrammetry mode with a Pro account, quads 50%.

Here is a detail of the Quad Autoretopology model from KIRI Engine “One Click Export” 50% Target Quad Count and 50% Target Curve Ratio

Here is the Sketchfab link to see the exported model with auto retopo. https://skfb.ly/pypQ6

Here is the Sketchfab link for the RAW KIRI Engine model as scanned; https://skfb.ly/pyp7D

Here is the KIRI Engine link for the RAW KIRI Engine model as scanned;

And here is the Reality Capture Screenshoot after simplification and post-processing (still raw though)

Below: vertices, vertices, and vertices of Reality Capture simplify 1.5 million poly Model

Here is the Sketchfab link for the Simplified RAW Reality Capture model as scanned. https://skfb.ly/pypQK

SECTION 1 • CAPTURE SETUP

– Rig: Texxiary semi-automated turntable with tripod lift (50 % vertical overlap between orbits) – Camera: Nikon D5300 + 50 mm prime, manual mode, ISO 100, ƒ/11, 1/60 s, RAW – Light: Godox Wistro AR400 ring flash with linear polarizing film (cross-polarization kills glare) – Frames shot: 178 (three orbits: low, mid, high)

Below is my ring light setup

Below is an example of one version of my rig for shoes. It is straightforward and semi-automated.

After shooting, I batch-synced basic exposure tweaks in Lightroom and exported JPEGs

SECTION 2 • RAPID CLOUD PREVIEW WITH KIRI ENGINE

Step 1: Drag-and-drop all 178 JPEGs into KIRI Engine’s 3DGS + AI + Photogrammetry mode to compare the results (where only Photo mode did the job).

Below are the 3 examples from three different KIRI Engine Modes;

Below are the possible artifacts, errors, etc, compared between the 3 different methods.

Step 2: Close the browser tab and keep working ;)

KIRI’s servers do the heavy lifting.

Step 3: Download the preview mesh; decide instantly if lighting, coverage, or focus need a re-shoot.

Why this matters

• Zero CPU/RAM stress on my local machine.

• A usable model in roughly 15–30 minutes.

• Perfect for same-day client previews or large batch days when multiple Shoes must be scanned.

SECTION 3 • HIGH-FIDELITY DESKTOP BUILD WITH REALITY CAPTURE

Step 1: Import images, choose High Detail alignment.

Step 2: Mask the turntable edge on ~20 key frames to avoid artifacts.

Step 3: Review tie-points and delete any wrong camera pairs.

Step 4-A: Reconstruct a high-res mesh (~20 M tris or in Auto = 3.5 M Tris) and bake 16/32 K textures.

or

Step 4-B: post process in Zbrush Zremesh, Reproject high to low in Zbrush or reimport in Reality Capture, etc, etc = hours of work and heavy load to my local machine.Stuff I will eventually have to do later anyway.

Step 5-A: Simplify in Reality Capture to 1/1.5 M tris, unwrap, and re-bake for preview delivery (can do it but I never do it like that ).

or

Step 5-B: do a decimation in Zbrush, Blender, or whatever else than Reality Capture, since, for that task, everything is better than Reality Capture.

Why this matters

• Micro-pores in the knit, crisp edge stitching, and displacement-ready normals.

• Ideal for billboard renders, macro commercials, or archival scans.

• Requires hands-on time and a GPU-equipped workstation.

SECTION 4 • HEAD-TO-HEAD SUMMARY

Speed to first preview

• KIRI Engine: 15–30 min (cloud)

• Reality Capture: 1–3 h (local)

Hands-on work

• KIRI Engine: virtually none

• Reality Capture: alignment checks, masking, retopo

Output quality out of the box

• KIRI Engine: game-ready, good textures (8 K)

• Reality Capture: VFX-ready, ultra-clean textures (16 K and more)

When to pick KIRI Engine

• Same-day client sign-offs or e-commerce spin sets

• Limited hardware or simultaneous tasks on your workstation

• Early asset validation before a full hero build

When to pick Reality Capture

• Final marketing hero renders, print ads, and TVCs

• Projects that justify several hours of manual polish

• Scenes requiring sub-millimeter surface accuracy

CONCLUSION

A single evening in the studio handed us two very different success stories.

• KIRI Engine raced from RAW photos to a clean quad mesh in under half an hour, all while my workstation rendered something else. For client previews, e-commerce spins, or days when you must knock out ten SKUs back-to-back, that speed is unbeatable.

• Reality Capture repaid extra hours of masking and decimation with pore-level fidelity and 16-K textures. When the shoe will fill a billboard or star in a macro beauty shot, those extra passes are worth every minute.

The practical takeaway is simple: start with KIRI Engine for instant quality-control and stakeholder buy-in, then graduate to Reality Capture only if the brief demands pixel-peeping perfection. In other words, automate the first draft, hand-craft the final masterpiece.

Whichever path you choose, the core capture recipe for cross-polarised light, tight 50-percent overlap, and rock-solid exposure, does the heaviest lifting. Nail that once, and you can let the software fit the schedule, the budget, and the final use case.

Questions, benchmarks of your own, or wild success stories, drop them in the comments or ping me on @zeno3D. The more data we share, the faster every sneaker gets its day in the metaverse spotlight.

Zeno Bilucaglia

Owner of

Define Reality AB

Creative Studio

https://www.definereality.se/

info@definereality.se

define.reality.ab@gmail.com

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