New! How do I check the accuracy of my project ?

The accuracy of your project can be checked in a number of ways. Accuracy checks are normally done first in PhotoModeler to ensure the project is strong and without significant error. External accuracy checks are then done to study PhotoModeler's results. The checks are described below.
:: Total Error: A total error number appears after processing. This can be described as "goodness of fit". An analogy can be used to further explain total error. If you are a door manufacturer and you are checking accuracy, you would check how well the door fits into the frame. If the door fits into the frame with only a small consistent gap around the edge, this is a good measure of quality. The better the fit, the smaller the error. This gap error is similar to the value in the total error dialog. As a general guideline, a project should have a total error under a value of 1.0.
:: PhotoModeler's Internal Precision Values: PhotoModeler provides a number of internal precision values, such as Point Precision and Marking Residuals, that can be used to study accuracy. For example, Point Precision values, found in the Point Table under the Quality configuration, represent what PhotoModeler expects for the accuracy of the point coordinates. These numbers should be very low in a strong project. Note that the following assumptions are made when calculating these values: a) there are no "gross errors", meaning there are no mismarked or misreferenced points and the camera calibration is good b) the input marking precisions reflect the true precision (in the Preferences / Process tab, the default Point Standard Deviation Weight values for normal marks should be "1").
:: Compare with External Measurements: Measure your results in PhotoModeler and compare to external measurements taken on the actual object or at the scene using a measuring device such as a total station, laser tracker, or steel measurement tape. This is a true assessment of the project's accuracy.

Does PhotoModeler work with Windows 2000 and XP?

Yes, PhotoModeler Pro has been tested with Windows 2000 and XP and all functions (photo viewing, 3D viewer, processing, help, tutorials, etc.) work properly. The installer will put up a warning, "PhotoModeler requires NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 or greater. ..." when PhotoModeler Pro 3.1b is installed on a Windows 2000 machine but this message can be ignored (just press OK) and the install program will work properly.

If you are having problems selecting in the 3D Viewer, try turning off Hardware acceleration (in Win2000, XP, ME)
Click Start / RUN / and type in dxdiag.exe. Click OK. This will bring up the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
Click the Display tab
Click the Disable button next to "Direct 3D acceleration"

I have a hardware lock version of PhotoModeler (parallel port dongled) and I get error messages about the lock not being detected.

There are a number of reasons this might happen.
:: Are you confident your parallel port is functioning properly? Test with a printer perhaps. Some new computers with parallel ports have them disabled during this legacy transition phase - see if you can turn the parallel port back on.
:: Visit the Rainbow Support website (the lock used by PhotoModeler is made by Rainbow).
:: Some Toshiba laptop computers have trouble detecting the lock if you run Windows 2000 or XP. Visit http://www.rainbow.com/support/thor.html and type "Toshiba patch" in the search engine to bring up the article describing the problem and instructions to fix.

Will PhotoModeler Pro 5 run on Win98? The CD case and box do not list Win98 under its minimum requirements.
:: The box lists the minimum recommended requirements. Although we recommend a newer OS, PhotoModeler Pro 5 has been tested and does run on Win98 without a problem. Many of our customers use Win98, and the vast majority of them do not have any problems running PhotoModeler Pro 5. Those few that do have problems can usually get around them by updating video drivers or updating other legacy equipment.