FAUCCAL: an open source toolbox for fully automatic camera calibration

Recently, the authors presented a fully automatic camera calibration algorithm. The open-source software FAUCCAL (Fully Automatic Camera Calibration) is now freely available on the Internet. Input is simply different images of standard chess-board patterns; the software then proceeds automatically to produce calibration results and statistical data for camera parameters selected by the user. With this software, feature points are first extracted with a Harris operator, among which valid pattern nodes are separated and subsequently ordered in columns and rows in correspondence with pattern nodes. Initial values for all unknown parameters are estimated automatically. Based on the established point correspondences and initial values, a final bundle adjustment allows fully recovering – without use of any external information – the camera geometry parameters selected by the user. Besides camera constant, principal point location and radial-symmetric lens distortion polynomial, these may include decentering lens distortion, aspect ratio and skewness. Graphical output is also provided. The FAUCCAL site provides users with the source code in Matlab, detailed documentation of the software (including tips), links to bibliographical references and an image test dataset with results. It is believed that our software will prove useful to everyone, and particularly non-photogrammetrists, involved in the field of cultural heritage documentation. The authors welcome any questions but also suggestions, comments and criticism which will help improve this toolbox.