A Disney Research Zurich project developed an algorithm for creating 3D models from static photographs, which could prove useful in recreating real-world objects in video games.[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/Vf12mepOqNY”]
The algorithm analyzes photographs, determines depth information from the light information in them and reconstructs the scene in a virtual environment, as described in a paper (PDF link) called “Scene Reconstruction from High Spatio-Angular Resolution Light Fields.” By using multiple photographs, the method can “easily capture the scene from different viewing positions” to fill in the obstructed areas you’d find in a single photo, as demonstrated in the video above.
Disney Research’s technology could streamline the modeling processes in several industries, its creators say. The paper contrasts it with the present method of laser scanning, a comparatively inaccurate process that involves a lot of modeler cleanup. The technology was also designed to be used on a “standard graphics processing unit (GPU).”
Source: Polygon
