The Build Frames & Cameras Tables tool generates frames and cameras tables using an image exterior orientation file and camera calibration information. The frames and cameras tables can be used to create a mosaic dataset or ortho mapping workspace with the frame camera raster type or scanned imagery.
Build the frames and cameras tables
The Build Frames & Cameras Tables tool converts your exterior orientation files and camera information into Esri frames and cameras tables, respectively. The tool must be added to a location on the project ribbon or to the Quick Access Toolbar. To add the tool to the ribbon or Quick Access Toolbar, see Adding the tool to ArcGIS Pro.
Open the tool to begin creating Esri frames and cameras tables.
- Enter your Exterior Orientation File. Supported formats are .txt, .csv, or .tab files. Parameters will appear so you can define how your exterior orientation file should be parsed to convert it to an Esri frames table. The following information is required in the exterior orientation file: Image Name, Perspective X, Perspective Y, Perspective Z, Omega, Phi, Kappa.See the Frames table schema for more information. The field names in your file do not have to match the field names listed in the Frames table schema, since you will be mapping your fields in the steps below. If your data has headers, select the Data has headers option on the pane, and be sure that the headers are in the first row of your exterior orientation file.
- Browse to your aerial digital or scanned imagery folder.
- Type the image format extension of your images. For example, type TIF, JPG, MRF, etc.
- Specify the spatial reference of your perspective points.
- Select the delimiter that will be used to parse your Exterior Orentation File. You may choose to combine consecutive delimiters if necessary.
- If you want to skip a number of images, you can specify the row number from which to begin parsing your file. Remove all metadata or descriptive text from the file before attempting to parse it; the file should contain only columns with data.
- Define your field mappings as described in the Frames table schema. Note that the Name field is required in this tool, though it is an optional field in the frames table itself. This is because the Name field is combined with the Images Folder and Image Format to identify the full path to each image in your collection. Because of this, the Name field must point to a column in your exterior orientation file with image names that match the exact names of the images in the Images Folder.
- Review the sample record and click OK.
- Manually enter individual camera information by selecting the Add
tool. You will be prompted to provide information on the Calibration, Distortion, and Fiducial tabs. The following information on the Calibration tab is required: Camera ID, Focal Length, and either Pixel Size or Principal Point; all other parameters are optional. For detailed information on the parameters and information that can be input in the camera model, see the Cameras table schema. - Alternatively, select the Import
tool to browse to an existing .txt or .csv file containing your cameras information with the fields described in the Cameras table schema. - The cameras will be listed according to their CameraID. A green check mark next to the CameraID indicates that the required information has been provided. A caution symbol indicates there are incorrect or missing fields.
- Browse to an output folder location and click Run.
The Esri cameras and frames tables will be created in the output folder location.
You can add multiple exterior orientation files using the Add button at the top of the dialog. The resulting output will be saved as a separate Esri frames table. If you only want to generate a cameras table, use the Export 
tool at the top of the Cameras dialog.
Adding the tool to ArcGIS Pro
The Build Frames and Cameras Tables tool must be added to a location on the project ribbon or to the Quick Access Toolbar. This customization is stored in your user directory and applies to any project you open.
To add a tool to the ribbon, complete the following steps:
- Click Project > Options > Customize the Ribbon.
- Under Choose commands from, select All Commands.
- Search for and select the Build Frames and Cameras Tables tool from the list of commands.
- Select the ribbon tab and group where you want to add the tool from the list of Tabs on the right.
- Click the Add button.
To add a tool to the Quick Access Toolbar, complete the following steps:
- Click Project > Options > Quick Access Toolbar.
- Under Choose commands from, select All Commands.
- Search for and select the Build Frames and Cameras Tables tool from the list of commands.
- Click the Add button.