Multi-Plane Image Compression for Low-Bandwidth 3D Rendering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional multi-plane image (MPI) techniques require high bandwidth and computational resources for transmitting and rendering 3D images, making them impractical for resource-constrained platforms like tablets and smartphones.
Innovation Solution
Generate a single composite texture and alpha image from the MPI stack, which captures sufficient information for rendering, reducing the data transmission and computational burden by a factor of N, where N is the number of planes in the stack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional multi-plane image techniques are used to represent 3D scenes, then image quality and rendering capability are improved, but bandwidth and computational resources increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential information from the multi-plane image stack by generating a single composite depth image and a single composite texture image. These composite images contain the critical depth and visual information needed for rendering, eliminating the need to transmit and process all N individual planes. This extraction approach maintains rendering capability while dramatically reducing bandwidth requirements by a factor of N.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional multi-plane image techniques are used to represent 3D scenes, then rendering capability is improved, but computational resources increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges N separate depth images into a single composite depth image and N separate texture images into a single composite texture image. This consolidation reduces the computational complexity of processing multiple planes while preserving the essential depth and visual information required for 3D rendering. The merged composite images enable efficient rendering operations on resource-constrained devices.
3Loss of information
If a stack of N texture and alpha planes is transmitted, then complete 3D scene information is preserved, but data transmission bandwidth increases by a factor of N
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates simplified composite copies of the multi-plane image data. Instead of transmitting the full N-plane stack, it generates composite depth and texture images that serve as representative copies containing the essential information. These composite copies enable reconstruction of the 3D scene with sufficient accuracy for rendering purposes, reducing data transmission by a factor of N while maintaining acceptable scene information fidelity.
Data Source
AI summary
Example methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture (e.g., physical storage media) to implement multi-plane image (MPI) compression are disclosed. Example apparatus disclosed herein include an interface to access an input multiplane image stack corresponding to a source camera viewpoint, the input multiplane image stack including a plurality of texture images and a corresponding plurality of alpha images, ones of the alpha images including pixel values representative of transparency of corresponding pixels in respective ones of the texture images. Disclosed example apparatus also include a compressed image encoder to at least one of (i) convert the plurality of texture images to a single composite texture image to generate a compressed multiplane image stack, or (ii) convert the plurality of alpha images to a single composite alpha image to generate the compressed multiplane image stack. In some disclosed examples, the interface is to output the compressed multiplane image stack.