Manufacturing Technology 2026, 26(3):356-363 | DOI: 10.21062/mft.2026.027

Marker-Based Photogrammetric Modelling of the Lower Leg Using Agisoft Metashape for 3D-Printed Splints

Minh-Ky Nguyen ORCID...1, Natasa Naprstkova ORCID...2, Tuong Nguyen Van ORCID...3
1 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering. 01 Vo Van Ngan, Thu Duc Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
2 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Jan Evangelista in Ústí nad Labem. Pasteurova 3334/7, 400 01 Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic
3 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Nha Trang University. 02 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Nha Trang, Viet Nam

Designing patient-specific 3D-printed splints requires accurate limb geometry acquisition. Professional 3D scanners are commonly used for acquiring the 3D geometry of limbs but they are high cost and less accessible in routine clinical practice. Photogrammetry, which reconstructs 3D models from 2D images captured by digital or smartphone cameras, provides a low-cost and flexible alternative. This study proposes a practical workflow for lower leg modelling using Agisoft Metashape and AutoCAD, employing two printed markers as scaling references. The two markers with a precisely defined inter-marker distance of 150 mm were printed on an A4 sheet and used as reference objects to scale the photogrammetric model to real-world size. The accuracy of the photogrammetric model was evaluated in GOM Inspect by comparing it with a reference scanned model. The results showed that the photogrammetric model has an average deviation of −0.59 mm. Besides, a physical fit evaluation using a 3D-printed splint further confirmed that good conformity between the splint and the lower leg is existed. The findings show that the accuracy of inter-marker distance plays a critical role in photogrammetric scaling.

Keywords: Photogrammetry, 3D-printed splint, Marker-based scaling, Lower leg
Grants and funding:

The work of this paper is supported by Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering and Nha Trang University, Viet Nam

Received: January 9, 2026; Revised: April 8, 2026; Accepted: April 20, 2026; Prepublished online: April 29, 2026; Published: June 29, 2026  Show citation

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Minh-Ky N, Naprstkova N, Van TN. Marker-Based Photogrammetric Modelling of the Lower Leg Using Agisoft Metashape for 3D-Printed Splints. Manufacturing Technology. 2026;26(3):356-363. doi: 10.21062/mft.2026.027.
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