Need some advice and help

Nirvaaa · September 5, 2016

Hi, been watching Linus a lot recently and really enjoying his videos. And this seemed like best place to post this

But I currently have a problem. I will start a the beginning of my story, So I got a VIVE about 3 mounths ago, and I love it. I really like a free Application that Valve produced for it called Destinations (Name says it all). So your probably like ok that is nice, but how is that a problem ect. will get to that. After seeing this, and all the possibility's it has I wanted to help, most of the content is provided by users, using the Steam workshop. Most of this content is made my taking pictures of real places or things, running them through software and producing realistic models with textures, that others can experience in VR. I am good with desktop PCs and been building gaming rigs for myself for 12 years or so and just finished a major rebuild, this rebuild was mostly built with VR and gaming in mind. Also using pictures to make 3d models is called photogrammetry it can produce so amazing things.

So i started with my samsung galaxy S7 edge camera 12mp, and did some basic models that turned out great. But these were rocks and the bottoms of trees, both things the program does easy and didn't take to that many pictures to produce, for a great result. It was clear I needed a better camera for anything more complex.

So here is my new computer build/rig and camera (its running just fine btw the computer)

Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Gaming Z170 Gaming K6+ LGA 1151 Intel Z170 (it was on sale for great price at the start of rebuild)

CPU: Intel I7 6700k Skylake (wish i could have afforded more)

RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600)

CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Seris H100I V2 Extreme 240mm (ordered and on the way) CPU temps hitting 100C when making models

GPU: RX 480 8g PowerCooler, overclocked to 1340mh (and yes my system sounds like a leaf blower with the fan on 4300 RPM)

GPU2 For making models only: Radeon HD 7950

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower (8 years old) (ok case, but does not support my cooler which will have to hang outside of case (I know getto, but until I can afford to replace it with a Fractal Define R5 it will have to do) it also does not support usb 3.0/3.1
Monitors: Samsung 4k 28", Samsung 1080p 120hz 27" 3d (never use the 3d) and 23" 1080 samsung mounted vertecly.

Power:corsair 760

Camera rig (seems to be almost done, could be better but best i can afford), Sony's 40mp mirrorless camera would have been a better option but too many $$$
Nikon D5300 24mp DSLR (got on sale)
Nikon 50mm prime lens
Nikon 35mm prime lens
Nikon 18-55mm lens
Nikon 55-200mm lens (Craigslist got very cheap)
Samsung 360 (360 video and still camera) BTW if Linus has not reviewed this he probably should. And I could sell or trade it to him if he has not, I had to order it from Korea because they did not ship them in USA not sure if they do yet or not. I was going to use this as my camera, but was unable to do what i wanted.

So your probably Looking at this and saying ok so were is the problem, save up over the next month and upgrade the case and that is what i was thinking too till last week, When the program I use to make my 3d models started telling me i was running out of memory. I was like???? I have never ran out of memory in my life. And then I see this chart about the program and was like oh nooo. http://www.agisoft.com/pdf/tips_and_tricks/PhotoScan_Memory_Requirements.pdf

I am getting ready to post my first work on the steam workshop, and am having a lot of problems finishing it, hardware shortfalls, but I will be able too. My plans for the future mean loading a lot more pictures, which will be a big problem, And my budget is very low at this point, after camera gear and computer upgrades and Vve. And I am disabled due to autism so I don't have the biggest budget.

So now I get to why I am posting this, that reason is that, I was wondering if the People here/linus tech tips might have a way for me to find to compile my larger models I plan in future, for use in VR so others can enjoy them. I have plans on recreating some parts of Centralia PA (this will take at alot more photos, considered by some the scariest on earth, Alot of statues from wasington DC to North East USA, and buildings as well, and other things in national parks and maybe some trans.

Here is my first full test it just a speaker

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This post really has to do with the program i am using and it memory needs http://www.agisoft.com/pdf/tips_and_tricks/PhotoScan_Memory_Requirements.pdf . So any ideas that will not cost me something craze, Here are mine

1. Use my old core I5 as a processing node with my I7 and my old q6600 could be the server and some 1-2 year old ebay GPUs for them for processing. Using this http://www.agisoft.com/pdf/photoscan_network_processing.pdf, Looks very complex and I don't know if I could use my I7 as a client and processing node. And it looks like I would have to buy a lot of stuff. Costs wold be unknown and getting it running looks like it would be very hard. Given I have so few computers, not sure if it would really do much. I have have no network storage, this looks like a solution for big company's with a ton of money. and I don't know a lot about networking.

2. Find old server with a ton of memory, I have no server experience but could probably figure it out. I think this may be most idle solution, but out of price range, but unsure of this could be wrong, someone here might be able to find perfect server for me on ebay. Server would need memory in the 64gb to 128gb or more range processing power less important because it could run 24/7 and would only be working on models, also older GPUs can be added to it to make it faster.

3. Add max memory to current system build, simple but out of price range for now given the memory cost of 4x16gb of ddr4 would be around $400 US. And it still may not be able to do everything that i needed, but would likely get me by. But as money goes don't have much and just spent almost $100 on 2x8gb of memory for new system.

4. Use old computer core i5 with the Radeon HD 7950 and get second one off ebay, change ram. This would not work, due to gb limit of 32gb of memory. Same could be done on current rig for less then $100 (2x8gb memory). 32gb better then the current 16gb, but will not cut it for larger things. Seems 64gb would be min.

5. Linus hook me up with with memory/GPU(used to process models) or one of his vendors :). So he can enjoy my work in VR. OK that might be long shot, but seemed worth it.

6. Start a kickstarter or indiegogo after I have released my first work on the steam workshop (probably not work because not enough VR headsets out there and they would not know what it is)

So memory may be best option as I see it but just outside my price range for a wile.

Any Ideas, and how much that idea might cost to do, as far as i know there is no way to add ram slots.

Also here is a link to see all of my pictures I have uploaded so far.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138357706@N07/