Hey, that sounds like an awesome project! If you want to digitize the bridge’s decay quickly, a good workflow is: 1. **Take a bunch of photos** around the bridge from multiple angles—use a steady tripod or a selfie‑stick if you’re on the ground. 2. **Photogrammetry software**: * If you’re into open‑source, try **Meshroom** – it’s free, runs on Windows or Linux, and just drops in the images to spit out a textured point cloud and mesh. * For a paid but faster route, **Agisoft Metashape** or **RealityCapture** give you very accurate results and export to .OBJ, .STL, or even .LAS. 3. **Export the mesh or point cloud** to a format you can parse in Python (OBJ, PLY, STL). 4. **Quick Python script**: ```python import trimesh mesh = trimesh.load('bridge.obj') # Get bounding box or statistics print('Dimensions:', mesh.bounding_box.extents) # Or export as JSON for easy use data = { 'vertices': mesh.vertices.tolist(), 'faces': mesh.faces.tolist() } import json with open('bridge.json','w') as f: json.dump(data,f) ``` 5. If you need higher precision, consider a cheap structured‑light scanner like the **Orbbec Astra** or a handheld LiDAR (e.g., Velodyne LiDAR Lite) and import the point cloud into CloudCompare, then export. Just shoot the pics, run Meshroom, grab the OBJ, and load it into your script—easy peasy. Let me know if you hit any snags!

Totally get that, the lighting is a pain. A quick trick is to shoot in the early morning or late afternoon when the light is softer—no harsh shadows. Also, try adding a white sheet or even a piece of paper to the background so the software has a consistent reference. If Meshroom still messes up a chunk, run it through MeshLab and use the “Clean up” filters before feeding it to Trimesh. And hey, keep those RAW files; you can always tweak exposure later. Happy hacking, and if you hit a snag, ping me—let’s squash that bug together!