Cooperative Shape from Shading and Stereo for 3D Reconstruction

Abstract

This thesis presents a survey of techniques to obtain the depth component from two­-dimensional (2D) images. Two common techniques - stereo and shape from shading are examined here. Their performance is compared with an emphasis on noting the fundamental limitations of each technique. An argument is presented which suggests an adjustment of the paradigm with which stereo and shape from shading have been treated in three-dimensional vision. The theoretical development of the stereo and lighting models is followed by experiments illustrating use of these models for a variety of objects in a scene. A comparison of the results provides a motivation for combining them in a particular way. This combination is developed, and its application is examined. Using the model that is consistent for both shape and lighting, significant improvement over either stereo or lighting models alone is shown.