BRDF Capture Using Reference Material Library

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for capturing the bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of real-world surfaces are inefficient and impractical due to complex setups, which are costly and time-consuming, and fail to accurately capture surfaces with material variations such as wood grain texture or leather coloration.

Innovation Solution

A simplified imaging-based method that captures images of a surface under various lighting conditions, aligns pixel information, and uses a library of reference materials to estimate the BRDF, allowing for accurate determination of material properties at individual pixels, enabling the creation of a per-pixel BRDF model.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If complex staged lighting setups are used for BRDF capture, then measurement precision of surface appearance is improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveBRDF measurement precisionVSAvoidlighting setup complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a library of pre-measured reference material BRDFs to represent and approximate the BRDF of captured surfaces. Instead of directly measuring complex surface properties, the system creates a simplified representation by matching captured images against reference material database entries, thereby achieving accurate BRDF determination without complex measurement setups

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms the BRDF measurement problem from direct physical measurement into an image-based parameter estimation problem. By changing from measuring light reflection directly to analyzing image color and intensity values, the system simplifies the measurement apparatus while maintaining measurement capability through computational methods

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If complex staged lighting setups are used for BRDF capture, then measurement precision is improved, but time consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurface appearance capture accuracyVSAvoidBRDF capture time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-computes and stores BRDF data for various reference materials in a database before actual surface capture. This preliminary preparation allows the capture process to simply compare against pre-existing data rather than performing complex real-time measurements, dramatically reducing capture time while maintaining precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

By using pre-measured reference material BRDFs stored in a database, the system avoids time-consuming direct measurements. The capture process efficiently matches observed surface properties against the pre-computed reference library, achieving accurate BRDF determination without repeating complex measurement procedures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Device complexity

If simplified imaging methods are used, then device complexity is reduced, but ability to capture material variations is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecapture system simplicityVSAvoidmaterial variation capture accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by allowing different regions of the captured surface to be matched with different reference materials from the library. Each pixel or region can independently reference the most appropriate material entry, preserving local material variations such as wood grain patterns or leather texture differences while using a unified simplified capture device

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a detailed material model by copying and combining characteristics from multiple reference material entries in the database. This composite approach reconstructs complex material variations by synthesizing information from simpler reference examples, maintaining measurement precision without requiring complex capture hardware

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

4Measurement precision

If traditional BRDF capture methods are used, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematerial property measurement accuracyVSAvoidcapture process simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex physical measurement procedures with image capture and database matching operations. Users simply capture images of the surface and the system automatically matches them against the reference material library, eliminating the need for operators to manage complex lighting setups while maintaining measurement precision through computational matching

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS11682126B2Material capture using imaging

Publication Date: 2023.06.20 ADOBE INC

AI summary

Methods and systems are provided for performing material capture to determine properties of an imaged surface. A plurality of images can be received depicting a material surface. The plurality of images can be calibrated to align corresponding pixels of the images and determine reflectance information for at least a portion of the aligned pixels. After calibration, a set of reference materials from a material library can be selected using the calibrated images. The set of reference materials can be used to determine a material model that accurately represents properties of the material surface.