3D Reconstruction

Our environment is more and more shaped by the influence of digital mediawhich itself evolves at tremendous pace. A small example: 15 years ago, offthe-shelf computers were only able to cope with flat 2D graphics. Improvementsin system design made it possible to process 3D scenes, leadingto a powerful contribution to our everyday life. However, such scenes need tobe created by experienced artists employing difficult and expensive tools. Theincreasing demand for realism makes things not easier. At the same time, therapid improvement of commodity hardware enables the development of lowcost systems for 3D photography. How can systems for volumetric scene reconstructionbe efficiently designed? How may high quality be combinedwith real-time processing? And how is it possible to create a lightweightarchitecture using a single computer? After presenting an introductory overviewand sketching a novel approach to scene reconstruction, the authorChristian Nitschke gives a survey of related work in high-performance reconstructionby shape from silhouette and shape from photo-consistency. Toconvey a profound understanding to the reader he explains the fundamentalsof scene and camera geometry, image formation, light and color as well as3D reconstruction from multiple views. The novel approach is then introducedin two steps by mapping a basic algorithm to an advanced algorithmusing graphics hardware acceleration. Performance and quality issuesare analyzed and discussed in detail. The book aims at software and systemengineers, scientists and researchers, technical directors as well as theinterested public.