Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for acquiring normals maps consistent with low spatial resolution meshes

US6677942B1 · kind B1 · utility

14Cited by
6References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 1, 2000
Grant dateJan 13, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 1, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T17/20
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method, system and computer program for obtaining a digital model of an object. The method includes steps of (a) generating a low spatial resolution numerical representation of an object, such as a triangular mesh representation; (b) generating higher spatial resolution images of the object using a photometric subsystem, having a camera and a lighting source; and (c) computing normals maps using the low resolution numerical representation to estimate a distance from the camera to points on the object and to adjust relative light source intensities so as to correct for uncertainties in distances and light source intensities. A feature of this method is that the computed normals maps are made consistent over the object.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.