3D Image Editing System Using Depth and Surface Normals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Two-dimensional image editing tools fail to accurately blend or adjust attributes in three-dimensional spaces due to the lack of consideration for depth and 3D positioning, leading to undesired results as they mix colors from different objects or backgrounds.
Innovation Solution
The development of a 3D editing system that selectively adjusts attributes of 3D image data based on the distance and surface normals of surrounding data points, ensuring that only colors from the same surface or object are blended, excluding background or unrelated data points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If 2D editing tools are applied to 3D image data, then editing operations can be performed on the image, but the depth or 3D positioning of the image data is not accounted for, causing colors to be blended from unrelated points in different depth planes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends 2D editing tools into 3D space by incorporating the z-depth dimension. The system determines whether to blend colors based on the depth difference between pixels, effectively adding a third dimension to traditional 2D editing operations. This allows the tool to operate in 3D space while maintaining the simplicity of 2D tool usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different editing behaviors to different regions of the image based on their depth characteristics. Pixels at similar depths are blended together, while pixels at different depths are kept separate. This creates locally adaptive editing where the blending behavior changes based on the depth relationship between pixels.
2Productivity
If 2D editing tools blend colors based on spatial proximity in x and y planes, then editing operations are simple and fast, but unrelated points in the background may be incorrectly blended with foreground points
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds depth-based filtering to the blending operation. Before blending colors, the system checks the depth difference between source and target pixels. Only pixels within a certain depth threshold are considered for blending, effectively filtering out background pixels from foreground editing operations while maintaining fast processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs a preliminary depth check before executing the color blending operation. By evaluating the depth relationship between pixels in advance, the system prevents incorrect blending operations from occurring, ensuring that only spatially and depth-wise adjacent pixels are blended together.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an editing system that accounts for or leverages the three-dimensional (“3D”) positioning of 3D image data to edit attributes of a selected first set of image data based on attributes of an unselected second set of image data that is determined to be a threshold distance from the first set of image data and on the same surface as the first set of image data. The system leverages x, y, and z coordinates as well as surface normals to exclude image data from the editing that is within the threshold distance but that forms part of a different object, surface, or side about an edge of a surface than the first set of image data. The system also modifies the attribute adjustment based on the distance separating the first set of image data from a render position or each instance of the second set of image data.