SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ESTIMATION OF BUILDING WALL AREA

• US 20140046627A1
• Filed: 02/01/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Original Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Inventors: Pershing, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,599,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/156
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/28 for measuring areas
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate

Abstract

A wall area estimation system generates an estimated wall area measurement of a building based on the received roof measurements (e.g., those generated by, received from or found in a three-dimensional model of the roof) and a reference distance. The reference distance is a measurement indicative of a distance between the roof and a model ground surface placed on an image of the building where the walls of the building meet the ground. This reference distance may be used to determine how for down to extend the walls of the building (e.g., to a ground level) when building a three-dimensional digital model of the building to aid in generating wall area measurements. The resulting wall measurements, roof measurements, measurements of areas missing from the wall used to generate a wall estimate report, or a combined roof and wall estimate report including various different identifiers indicating the different features and measurements based on the three-dimensional model.

Claims

1. A method in a system for generating estimated wall area measurements including a computer processor and a memory coupled to the computer processor, the method comprising:

receiving roof measurements of a building having a roof;

receiving a measurement indicative of a distance between at least one reference point on the roof and a ground surface on which the building rests via a placement of a graphical user interface element representing a horizontal planar model ground surface at a position beneath a graphical user interface element representing a digital three-dimensional model of the roof; and

generating, based at least in part on the received roof measurements and the received measurement indicative of the distance between the at least one reference point on the roof and the ground surface, an estimated wall area measurement of the building.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the model ground surface has a shape representing a footprint of the building and further comprising:

generating the model ground surface based on a shape formed by an outside perimeter of the three-dimensional model of the roof; and

reducing line segment lengths of the model ground surface based on sections of the roof represented by the three-dimensional model of the roof that may overhang exterior walls of the building.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the generating the estimated wall area measurement of the building includes:

generating a digital three-dimensional model of the building by;

including the three-dimensional model of the roof as part of the three-dimensional model of the building; and

generating a wall within the three-dimensional model of the building by extending the wall from along an edge of a model roof represented by the three-dimensional model of the roof toward a model ground surface, the wall extending a distance until either intersecting a level of the model ground surface, according to the received measurement indicative of the distance between the reference point on the roof and the ground surface, or intersecting another surface of the model roof, according to the three-dimensional model of the roof; and

using dimensions of the wall generated in the three-dimensional model of the building to determine an area of the wall.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the wall area measurement estimation module is further configured, when executed, to:

render the three-dimensional model of the building within a graphical user interface; and

provide selectable user interface elements within the graphical user interface configured to be placed on areas on the wall, the user interface elements having dimensions corresponding to areas missing from the wall.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the graphical user interface includes windows each displaying different views of the three-dimensional model of the building that are configured to concurrently show modifications being made by a user to a location of the graphical user interface representing the model ground surface and to walls of the three-dimensional model of the building from a corresponding perspective of each of the different views.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the dimensions corresponding to areas missing from the wall are those of a predefined window size or a predefined door size.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the wall area measurement estimation module is further configured, when executed, to repeat the generating the estimated wall area measurement of the building for each exterior wall of the building.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

subtracting an amount from the estimated wall area measurement of the building corresponding to an area on a wall of the building indicated as an area missing from the wall; and

subtracting an amount from the estimated wall area measurement of the building corresponding to an area on a wall of the building that is associated with being above a soffit.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the area on the wall of the building indicated as an area missing from the wall is an area corresponding to placement of a cursor on the wall, wherein the cursor represents a shape of the area missing from the wall which changes an angle of view of the shape of the area missing from the wall to match an angle of view of a wall on which the cursor is placed.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an indication that a wall of the building for which the estimated wall area measurement is generated is at least partially obstructed by an object in an image of the wall used to generate the three-dimensional model of the roof;

subtracting a predefined percentage from the estimated wall area measurement of the building corresponding to a size of the partial obstruction to account for possible areas missing from the wall which may be obstructed in the image by the object in the image; and

providing an indication in a wall estimation report that the wall of the building for which the estimated wall area measurement is generated is at least partially obstructed.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the wall area measurement estimation module is further configured, when executed, to:

subtract a predefined percentage from the estimated wall area measurement of the building according to an assumed percentage of non-wall area obstruction.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the wall area measurement estimation module is further configured, when executed, to generate and deliver a wall area measurement estimate report that includes multiple line drawings of the building, each from a different perspective annotated with numerical values that indicate corresponding estimated wall area measurements for walls visible in the respective perspective and shading of the walls visible in the respective perspective to differentiate the visible in the respective perspective from each other.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the wall area measurement estimation module is further configured, when executed, to generate and deliver a wall area measurement estimate report that includes roof measurements including pitch annotated on corresponding roof sections.

14. A computer-implemented method for generating estimated wall area measurements, the method comprising:

including a three-dimensional model of a roof of a building as part of a three-dimensional model of a building; and

generating a wall within the three-dimensional model of the building by extending the wall in the three-dimensional model from along an edge of a model roof represented by three-dimensional model of the roof toward a ground surface, the wall extending a distance until either intersecting a level of a model ground surface at a location beneath the model roof indicated by user input via a graphical user interface showing the model ground surface overlaid and adjustable in the graphical user interface on a perspective view of the roof, or intersecting another surface of the model roof, according to the three-dimensional model of the roof; and

using dimensions of the wall generated in the three-dimensional model of the building to determine an area of the wall.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

rendering the three-dimensional model of the building within a graphical user interface; and

providing selectable user interface elements within the graphical user interface configured to be placed on areas on the wall, the user interface elements having dimensions corresponding to areas missing from the wall.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating windows within the graphical user interface, each generated window configured to display different views of the three-dimensional model of the building and to concurrently show modifications being made by a user to walls of the three-dimensional model of the building from a corresponding perspective of each of the different views.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents enable a computing system to generate estimated wall area measurements, by performing a method comprising:

receiving a first and a second aerial image of a building having a roof, each of the aerial images providing a different view of the roof of the building;

correlating the first aerial image with the second aerial image;

generating, based at least in part on the correlation between the first and second aerial images, a three-dimensional model of the roof that includes a plurality of planar roof sections that each have a corresponding slope, area, and edges;

generating, based at least in part on the three-dimensional model of the roof and placement of a model ground surface at a location beneath the model of the roof indicated by user input, an estimated wall area measurement of the building.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the contents further enable a computing system to subtract an amount from the estimated wall area measurement of the building corresponding to an area on a wall of the building indicated as an area missing from the wall.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the area on the wall of the building indicated as an area missing from the wall is an area corresponding to a window, a door or a soffit of the building.

20. A wall area measurement estimate report produced by a process comprising:

receiving a first and a second aerial image of a building having a roof, each of the aerial images providing a different view of the roof of the building;

correlating the first aerial image with the second aerial image;

generating, based at least in part on the correlation between the first and second aerial images, a three-dimensional model of the roof that includes a plurality of planar roof sections that each have a corresponding slope, area, and edges; and

generating, based at least in part on the three-dimensional model of the roof and placement of a model ground surface at a location beneath the model of the roof indicated by user input, an estimated wall area measurement of the building.

21. The wall area report of claim 20 wherein the generating an estimated wall area measurement of the building includes generating a three-dimensional model of the building by including the three-dimensional model of the roof as part of the three-dimensional model of the building and using the placement of a model ground surface at a location beneath the model of the roof indicated by user input to determine a measurement indicative of the distance between a point on the roof and the model ground surface.

22. The wall area report of claim 20 wherein the model ground surface generated in producing the report is not a planar surface.

23. The wall area report of claim 20 wherein the process further comprises:

a wall estimation system placing the model ground surface at a location beneath the model of the roof based on an determination of the system of an eave to ground distance.

24. The wall area report of claim 20 wherein the model ground surface is generated in producing the report by registering corresponding or matching points on two different images of the ground.