In a telepresence system, a scene is captured by recording pixel data elements, each associated with a pixel ray vector having a direction and an intercept on an known locus in the frame of reference of the scene. Each pixel data element includes data representing the illumination along the pixel ray vector. For example, the pixel data elements may be captured by operating numerous video cameras pointing in different directions on a spherical locus. A virtual viewpoint image representing the image which would be seen from an arbitrary viewpoint, looking in an arbitrary direction, can be synthesized by determining the directions of synthetic pixel ray vectors from each pixel of the virtual viewpoint image through the virtual viewpoint and the intercepts of these vectors on the locus. Recorded pixel data elements having pixel ray vector directions and intercepts close to those of the synthetic pixel ray vector can be copied or interpolated to provide data representing illumination in the synthetic pixel.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/843,558 filed Apr. 18, 1997, which in turn is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/365,750, filed Dec. 29, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,961. The present application also claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/035,159, filed Jan. 10, 1997. The disclosures of all of the aforesaid applications are incorporated herein by reference.
An apparatus for the generation of a full-spectrum stereoscopic display. The system uses a flat, masking screen comprised of a plurality of regularly spaced, vertical apertures arranged in front of, parallel, and in a geometric relation to a flat, image display screen. The image has two viewpoints (one right-eye and one left-eye) interlaced by alternate vertical rows of pixels. The system creates a full-spectrum stereoscopic display when the image is viewed with proper geometric alignment by a viewer through the vertical apertures of the masking screen, which effectively separates the alternating left-eye/right-eye viewpoint vertical rows of pixels in such a manner as to allow the right eye to only see the right-eye viewpoint and the left eye to only see the left-eye viewpoint. A holographic display can be achieved by using five cameras, which allow a viewer to "see" and image from different angles.
The invention relates to building spherical panoramas for image-based virtual reality systems. The image-based spherical panoramas can be navigated in any desired view direction (360-degrees) by suitable three-dimensional image browsers or viewers. The method and system also includes computing the number of photographs required to be taken and the azimuth angle of the center point of each photograph for building a spherical environment map representative of the spherical panorama. The method and system also includes an algorithm for computing the accurate azimuth angles of these taken photographs and seaming them together to build the spherical environment map.
A process whereby a sequence of geometric transformations is applied to a three-dimensional data set so that the resulting stereogram has one image plane made congruent with one plane in the viewer's space. The image plane is usually, but not necessarily, the X-Z or ground plane of the image made congruent with some X-Z plane in the viewer's spatial environment, typically a desk top, table top or floor. When viewed from an angle of view and angle of regard which duplicates that used to create the stereogram, the resulting stereoscopic image appears as a virtual, erect, orthoscopic stereo environment whose X-Y-Z coordinates are congruent with the X-Y-Z coordinates of the viewer's space.
A method and apparatus for digital video capturing and compression supports multi-viewpoint interactive video applications. Multiple (typically hundreds of) video cameras centripetally placed in a three dimensional space acquire real-time visual pictures of the same 3D scene from multiple viewpoints at the rate of 20.about.30 frames per second (fps). Parallel Multi-Viewpoint Video Capturing and Compression (PMVCC) supports the operation of the apparatus. In an exemplary realization, a Multi-DSP Array (MDA) architecture uses hundreds of high-performance digital signal processors (DSPs) working in parallel to obtain a sustained computation power of hundreds of GIPS (Giga Instructions Per Second).
The invention relates to building spherical panoramas for image-based virtual reality systems. The image-based spherical panoramas can be navigated in any desired view direction (360-degrees) by suitable three-dimensional image browsers or viewers. The method and system also includes computing the number of photographs required to be taken and the azimuth angle of the center point of each photograph for building a spherical environment map representative of the spherical panorama. The method and system also includes an algorithm for computing the accurate azimuth angles of these taken photographs and seaming them together to build the spherical environment map.
