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{"id":1405,"date":"2026-07-15T09:20:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T09:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/barradeau.com\/blog\/?p=1405"},"modified":"2026-07-15T09:34:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T09:34:59","slug":"macro-scans-on-a-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/barradeau.com\/blog\/?p=1405","title":{"rendered":"Macro-scans, on a budget."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you’re into Gaussian Splatting, chances are you saw the work of Dany Bittel<\/a>. Dany creates stunningly detailed <\/a>G<\/a>a<\/a>u<\/a>s<\/a>s<\/a>i<\/a>a<\/a>n<\/a> <\/a>S<\/a>p<\/a>l<\/a>a<\/a>t<\/a> <\/a>models<\/a> using macro photography. This was extremely inspiring to me and I wanted to capture tiny things too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating this kind of Gaussian models involves some pretty advanced rigs, often using dozens of synchronized cameras and controlled lights or at least a professional camera<\/a> and a stepper (rotator unit) there are plenty of good advices here<\/a> and there<\/a> on how to DIY.

Is it impossible then?
NONSENSE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A month ago I bought a digital toy microscope<\/a> for 60 euros, it supposedly has 200x optical zoom and produces extremely grainy<\/strong> 1280×720 videos and images with a very erratic white balance<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good point, it can be taken it off its base to go on a field trip which is quite amazing :)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

here are some images captured with the device, notice the typical ultra shallow DOF and what I believe to be the work of a software upscaler ; the patchy \/ blurry areas, like a median filter.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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With this amazing piece of hardware, I got into the rig part and the only sensible approach was of course : LEGO!
here are some tentative rigs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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this would theoretically be enough, the circle can rotate about it’s diameter, the camera would be tied to a little caret and move along half a disc.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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the microscope should rotate about the subject on a “dome” while maintaining the central platform steady. the camera could now move about the central axis and about the arm’s axis. after many unfruitful attempts, I got a first, somewhat usable, rig, behold!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I captured some video sequences as a turntable (no top views), extracted ~300 images, used COLMAP<\/a> and the mip-splatting<\/a> model and got this first batch:<\/p>\n\n\n\n