def read_images_binary(path_to_model_file):
    """
    see: src/base/reconstruction.cc
        void Reconstruction::ReadImagesBinary(const std::string& path)
        void Reconstruction::WriteImagesBinary(const std::string& path)
    """
    images = {}
    with open(path_to_model_file, "rb") as fid:
        num_reg_images = read_next_bytes(fid, 8, "Q")[0]
        for image_index in range(num_reg_images):
            binary_image_properties = read_next_bytes(
                fid, num_bytes=64, format_char_sequence="idddddddi")
            image_id = binary_image_properties[0]
            qvec = np.array(binary_image_properties[1:5])
            tvec = np.array(binary_image_properties[5:8])
            camera_id = binary_image_properties[8]
            image_name = ""
            current_char = read_next_bytes(fid, 1, "c")[0]
            while current_char != b"\x00":   # look for the ASCII 0 entry
                image_name += current_char.decode("utf-8")
                current_char = read_next_bytes(fid, 1, "c")[0]
            num_points2D = read_next_bytes(fid, num_bytes=8,
                                           format_char_sequence="Q")[0]
            x_y_id_s = read_next_bytes(fid, num_bytes=24*num_points2D,
                                       format_char_sequence="ddq"*num_points2D)
            xys = np.column_stack([tuple(map(float, x_y_id_s[0::3])),
                                   tuple(map(float, x_y_id_s[1::3]))])
            point3D_ids = np.array(tuple(map(int, x_y_id_s[2::3])))
            images[image_id] = Image(
                id=image_id, qvec=qvec, tvec=tvec,
                camera_id=camera_id, name=image_name,
                xys=xys, point3D_ids=point3D_ids)
    return images

    see: src/base/reconstruction.cc
        void Reconstruction::ReadImagesBinary(const std::string& path)
        void Reconstruction::WriteImagesBinary(const std::string& path)
    
photogrammetry_importer/ext/read_write_model.py