A Comprehensive Simulation Software for Teaching Camera Calibration

 This paper describes the Metrovisionlab computer application implemented as a toolbox for the Matlab program. It is designed for learning the key aspects of camera calibration techniques in dimensional metrology applications such as laser triangulation sensors and photogrammetry or stereovision systems. The software is used in several industrial vision courses for senior undergraduate mechanical engineering students. The application: 1) simulates a virtual camera, providing a simple and visual understanding of how the various characteristics of a camera influence the image that it captures; 2) generates the coordinates of synthetic calibration points, both in the world reference system and the image reference system, commonly used in camera calibration; and 3) can calibrate with the most important and widely-used methods in the area of vision cameras, using coplanar (2D) or non-coplanar (3D) calibration points. Thus, the main goal is to have a simulation tool that allows characterizing the accuracy, repeatability, error mechanisms and influences for different measurement conditions and camera calibration algorithms.