Distance Field Compression for Immersive Free Viewpoint Synthesis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies face challenges in providing high-quality, immersive free viewpoint experiences for captured video content due to limitations in content capturing systems, such as occlusions, image resolution, and camera calibration, which result in noisy data and restricted user navigation in virtual environments.
Innovation Solution
The method involves generating an initial three-dimensional representation of an environment, creating a distance field representation with a lower spatial resolution, and applying data compression to reduce data quantity, allowing for efficient storage and transmission while enabling users to navigate freely within the virtual environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If high-resolution three-dimensional representation is generated to improve image quality, then image quality is improved, but data quantity and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential geometric information needed for viewpoint synthesis by generating distance fields that represent the boundary between occupied and unoccupied space. This extraction approach retains sufficient detail for high-quality image reconstruction while discarding redundant data, thereby reducing processing complexity without sacrificing image quality
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of storing and processing complete high-resolution three-dimensional models, the patent inverts the approach by storing distance information from surfaces at lower resolutions. This inverted representation allows for efficient storage and processing while enabling high-quality viewpoint synthesis through mathematical reconstruction of the original geometry
2Reliability
If detailed three-dimensional environment data is captured to improve viewpoint navigation quality, then viewpoint navigation quality is improved, but data transmission and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the representation parameters from storing complete three-dimensional geometry to storing distance field values at lower resolutions. This parameter transformation maintains the essential spatial relationships needed for accurate viewpoint navigation while significantly reducing the quantity of data that must be transmitted and stored
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified copy of the three-dimensional environment using distance field representations. This copy retains the critical geometric features necessary for viewpoint navigation and image synthesis while occupying minimal storage space and enabling efficient data transmission
3Reliability
If multiple cameras are used to capture sufficient image information to improve free viewpoint quality, then free viewpoint quality is improved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts maximal geometric information from limited camera inputs by processing images through structure-from-motion algorithms and dense stereo matching. This extraction process recovers three-dimensional scene geometry and camera parameters that enable high-quality free viewpoint synthesis even when the number of cameras is small
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary processing of captured images to generate distance field representations and three-dimensional models before viewpoint synthesis. This preliminary action prepares the data in a form that maximizes the utility of limited camera inputs, enabling high-quality free viewpoint navigation without requiring complex multi-camera systems
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing method includes generating an initial representation of a three-dimensional environment using a three-dimensional array of elements having a first spatial resolution with respect to the three-dimensional environment; generating a distance field, DF, representation from the initial representation, the DF representation including a three-dimensional array of distance values having a second spatial resolution with respect to the three-dimensional environment; and applying a data compression process to the DF representation to generate a data-compressed DF representation.