Manchester (UK) and Vancouver (British Columbia) - Researchers at the University of Manchester and Dolby Canada have developed a way to create "accurate enough" 3D texture models using only a high resolution flash camera and special software. The result is a very fast and inexpensive way to produce 3D surface texture maps which are accurate enough to "fool the eye" most of the time.

Current 3D texture capture technologies employ expensive, time consuming, and often complex and dangerous pieces of hardware (such as lasers) all working in coordination. Whereas these processes produce hyper-accurate models of the 3D surface, the reality is that for most applications such a degree of accuracy is far more than is needed. What is often desired by consumers is something close, but not perfect, especially when it comes with a lower price tag and much faster turnaround.

For example, geologists like to create 3D models of their digs. To do this today, they would have to create a grid all around their dig, employ the specialized hardware to every part of the grid, and then assemble all of the data. This method also requires that sometimes portions of the 3D texture mapping data be hand-corrected for capture errors.


The new method

The newly developed system makes the whole process much easier. While it does reduce overall accuracy notably, it's not often enough to be significantly noticeable visibly. This means it's more than sufficient for games and models where only visible closeness is needed.

While the same kind of grid system is still required, the process involves taking two images with a regular digital flash camera. Since the flash is slightly offset from the camera's optics, it creates brighter pixels and shadows that differ from the non-flash image. The researchers developed software algorithms to determine how much of the color difference is the result of the shadow, and how much is the result of the brightness of the flash. They applied that logic to a program which apparently can reasonably accurately extrapolate 3D data.

The new method does not require any special hardware, only the newly developed software operating on the two images. To test the results, the research teams asked 20 volunteers to compare the final products captured from the expensive techniques to the double-pic flash technique. None of the 20 could notice any differences of substance, the researchers said.

Cool

Sep 03, 2008 01:14     

Cool way to reduce some of the costs of game dev
GamerD report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

links?

Sep 03, 2008 01:56     

could you please include a link to the official statement? just cause there will always be people who say it otherwise didn't appen. this kind of method isn't new either, belgian university students have developed such a method a while ago to automatically make high-quality 3D models and textures using only a digital camera with pictures from different angles of the objects in question
JohnnyricoMC report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +4

Not really related

Sep 03, 2008 02:00     

But Google Chrome tells me that the Intel flash-ad in the right hand side there -----> uses 100 % cpu on my laptop here at work, wich causes the fans in it to spin at full throttle. :P
Aleksander Eide report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -1

Name?

Sep 03, 2008 09:23     

So what's the software called? (maybe I missed it in the reading)
nobody report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +2

Sounds like crime scene software I once read about

Sep 03, 2008 18:58     

A while back there was a news story about some crime scene software that worked a little like the virtual home tours that real estate agents use. Except this was on steroids. It allowed investigators to tag areas and add additional input or photots or links to evidence collected in the virtual tour pages. It makes a grid and calculations and measurements down to mm accuracy for the investigators. What's different is that it didn't make texture maps. But otherwise it seems similar in function. I can't recall if this is the same software (there was a video demo associated that I can't find) but you'll get the idea: http://www.crime-scene-vr.com/Product.html

9Nails report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Link to study

Sep 10, 2008 17:53     

http://www.cs.manchester.ac.uk...28-08_SIG/
Ryker Abel report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0