Setting Representation of Natural Panorama Scenes and Virtual View Generation

Abstract

We have been researching and developing an image space that based mainly on a photo-realistic texture, that can be shared by people in different locations and that can lend a real sense of being present. This paper proposes a technique for creating a setting representation of a natural panorama. The setting representation is a compact pseudo 3D expression using approximate representation on planes, which enables virtual views to be generated. The scene is captured using an original three-camera system. The images are stitched into stereo panoramas and the depth is estimated. The (texture) panorama is segmented into regions, each of which can be regarded approximately as a plane. The set of plane parameter for each region is estimated depending on the depth data (setting representation). Based on the setting representation the virtual views are calculated using the center panorama, and the left and right panoramas are used for occlusion compensation.