Running COLMAP as a service, AI Code Tools

COLMAP Agency Implementation, Selling Photogrammetry Services

Learn how to package COLMAP's browser-based Structure from Motion as a productized service for clients who need 3D reconstruction without vendor data uploads. This course covers project scoping, frame extraction workflows, quality control via per-frame keypoint inspection, and delivery of point clouds and camera poses as client assets.

Open the decision record for COLMAP

What does running COLMAP for clients commit you to?

Published figures for this service. Blank fields are not published.

Monthly tool cost
Not published, COLMAP is open-source at the vendor level; agency must supply its own labor, hardware, and dataset storage costs
Time to first value
Time to value is hours per the published assessment, but the exact agency labor hours are not published
Payback
Not modeled
Guided implementation
8 hours

Is COLMAP worth running as a client service?

COLMAP browser workspace supports a locally delivered, privacy-preserving 3D reconstruction service with a low setup burden and hours-level time to value. The evidence does not support white-labeling, cloud collaboration, or any published agency pricing, so service economics remain unknown until the agency supplies its own labor, hardware, and client-price data.

An agency-fit judgement for reselling this service. It is separate from the tool description on the decision record.

Before you start

What has to be in place before the first client engagement.

Tools and subscriptions

  • COLMAP browser workspace (open-source, local processing)
  • Input image sequences or video files from the client
  • Export/import path for point clouds, camera poses, keypoints, matches, and masks
  • Microsoft MoGe (listed in tech stack) for AI-assisted geometry tasks
  • Local machine capable of running browser-based SIFT and sparse mapping

People and inputs

  • Documentation on inspecting keypoints, matches, and masks per frame
  • Benchmark dataset for validating speed and reconstruction quality
  • Workflow for video frame extraction prior to SfM
  • Process for cropping point clouds and camera positions before delivery

Included with the course

6 working documents for delivering this service.

  • Photogrammetry Project Scope Templatetemplate
  • SIFT Keypoint Quality Inspection Checklistchecklist
  • Video-to-Frames Extraction SOPsop
  • 3D Reconstruction Delivery Package Worksheetworksheet
  • Client Data Residency Compliance Guideguide
  • Point Cloud Cropping and Refinement Checklistchecklist

Listed by name. These documents are not yet published as individual downloads.