The main changes in Agisoft Metashape 2.1 are related to the processing of laser scanning data and support for building block models. Some new tools and parameters have been added to the processing operations, the main ones are presented below:


The entire change log is available on our website: https://www.agisoft.com/downloads/installer/


Align Laser Scans 

It is possible to align terrestrial laser scans setting the parameters in the Align Laser Scans dialog box. Use the Align Laser Scans command from the Workflow menu (select Workflow > Align Laser Scans...). The following options are available in the dialog box:



  • Accuracy - at High accuracy setting the software works with the original distance between points, Medium setting causes downscaling by factor of 4, at Low accuracy source files are downscaled by factor of 16, and Lowest value means further downscaling by 4 times more. Highest accuracy setting upscales the distance between points by factor of 4.
  • Reset current alignment - if this option is checked, all key points and matching points will be discarded and the alignment procedure will be started from the very beginning. Uncheck this option to subalign some extra laser scans added to the chunk with already aligned set of laser scans. 
  • Key point limit - the number indicates upper limit of feature points on every laser scan to be taken into account during current processing stage. Using zero value allows Metashape to find as many key points as possible, but it may result in a big number of less reliable points. 
  • Vertical axis - set the vertical axis (X, Y or Z) of rotation of the laser scan.




The workflow of laser scan alignment is described in more detail in the article:  Terrestrial laser scans processing in Metashape 



Block Model 

The option to build a block model has been added to Metashape. Building of a block model is suitable for a large scale projects, the model to be split in blocks according to the block size set in the Build Model dialog window (Workflow > Build Model...): 



  • Split in blocks - Enable the option to build a block model.
  • Coordinate system - allows to choose a coordinate system from the drop-down list or upload parameters of a customized coordinate system. The coordinate system set by default is the coordinate system previously selected for the model itself.
  • Block size (m) - specify the block size in meters. 
  • Grid origin - the parameter sets the origin of the internal coordinate system of the block model.
  • Skip blocks outside boundary - enable this option to set boundaries for a block model using a polygon.




The detailed workflow is available in the article: Block Model



New parameters added in Build Texture dialog window

Pixel size:

Now it is possible to set the Pixel size (m) in the Build Texture dialog window to get a photorealistic texture. The parameter is calculated automatically, but it is possible to specify a different value for pixel size (Workflow > Build Texture):



Skip textured blocks:

Skip textured blocks parameter is added to adjust texture by block for the block model. Enable the option to build the texture for edited blocks of the block model, rather than rebuild the texture for all blocks.



New tools in the Measure Profile dialog window

The following tools have been added to the Measure Profile dialog box: Reset View, Ruler tool, Point Cloud View Mode, Offset:



Select Measure profile tool on the Toolbar. On the point cloud select the point where the measurement should be started by left mouse button click. Then left-click on the second point. To calculate the profile and finish drawing the polyline use the right mouse button click. The profile will be displayed in the Measure Profile dialog window:




You can find the more detail information about this parameters in our article: Measurement tools in Model view (see Measure Profile section).


Matching Graph

The Matching Graph tool allows to show the line between camera centers, while the color of the line indicates the number of valid tie points between the images. Use Model > Matching Graph option to enable Matching Graph. 


The Matching Graph option will only be available if you have enabled Show Cameras button on the toolbar:


In the Matching Graph dialog you can configure the minimal number of valid matches (tie points) for the pair of images in order to display the line connecting the camera centers in the Model view (providing that Show Graph option is enabled):



The color or the line corresponds to the number of valid tie points from red (minimal number) to blue (max number), see the example below:




New parameters added in Classify Ground Points algorithm

Max terrain slope parameter added to the ground points classification algorithm (Tools > Point Cloud > Classify Ground Points...):



The parameter helps to determine whether classification is used for mountainous terrain or not. For mountainous terrain the value 90 deg. is recommended. If the surface is flat enough, then the default value may be set at 0 deg. If there are many large hills within the area of interest, it is recommended to use a value near 45 deg.