Method for creating exact digital replica of a vehicle

1 . A method for creating a three-dimensional complete virtual model of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

a. determining a placement destination for each of a plurality of physical markers, wherein the plurality of physical markers are placed on a level surface around the vehicle;

b. determining an amount of levels required to create the three-dimensional complete virtual model;

c. determining a height for a portion of the collection of images to be taken from;

d. creating a level by capturing the portion of images by placing the image-capture device at the height and capturing one image at each of the plurality of physical markers;

e. repeating steps c and d an amount of times equal to the number of levels determined in step b;

f. creating an image mesh by combining each of the levels by implementing a predetermined schema; and

g. creating the three-dimensional complete virtual model of the vehicle by incorporating the plurality of captured images from step d and the image mesh;

generating a navigation grid, the navigation grid comprising a series of hyperlinks overlaid on the image mesh, wherein each hyperlink provides means for loading and rendering one of the captured images from step d; and

h. supplementing the three-dimensional complete virtual model with the navigation grid, such that an end-user will be able to visualize and navigate through the three-dimensional complete virtual model by clicking through the navigation grid; and

i. repeating steps c, d, and e where the real-world vehicle has open doors.

2 . A method for creating a three-dimensional complete virtual model of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

a. determining a placement destination for each of a plurality of physical markers, wherein the plurality of physical markers are placed on a level surface around the vehicle at an equal and predetermined distance from a center of the vehicle;

b. determining an amount of levels required to create the three-dimensional complete virtual model;

c. determining a height for a portion of the collection of images to be taken from;

d. creating a level by capturing a video, captured by an aerial vehicle circling the vehicle at the predetermined distance at the height determined in the previous step;

e. repeating steps c and d an amount of times equal to the number of levels determined in step b;

f. creating an image mesh by combining each of the levels by implementing a predetermined schema; and

g. creating the three-dimensional complete virtual model of the vehicle by incorporating the plurality of captured images from step d and the image mesh;

generating a navigation grid, the navigation grid comprising a series of hyperlinks overlaid on the image mesh, wherein each hyperlink provides means for loading and rendering one of the captured images from step d; and

h. supplementing the three-dimensional complete virtual model with the navigation grid, such that an end-user will be able to visualize and navigate through the three-dimensional complete virtual model by clicking through the navigation grid; and

i. repeating steps c, d, and e where the real-world vehicle has open doors.

3 . The method of claim 2 , where the predetermined distance is in the range of 5 feet to 25 feet.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the video is taken at 20 to 30 frames per second.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the video is taken at 30 to 60 frames per second.

6 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the video is taken at 90 to 200 frames per second.