Modeling and rendering of real environments

Abstract

The use of detailed geometric models is a critical factor for achieving realism in most computer graphics applications. In the past few years, we have observed an increasing demand for faithful representations of real scenes, primarily driven by applications whose goal is to create extremely realistic experiences by building virtual replicas of real environments. Potential uses of this technology include entertainment, training and simulation, special effects, forensic analysis, and remote walkthroughs. Creating models of real scenes is, however, a complex task for which the use of traditional modeling techniques is inappropriate. Aiming to simplify the modeling and rendering tasks, several image-based techniques have been proposed in recent years. Among these, the combined use of laser rangefinders and color images appears as one the most promising approaches due to its relative independence of the sampled geometry and short acquisition time. Renderings of scenes modeled with such a technique can potentially exhibit an unprecedented degree of photorealism. But before one can actually render new views of these virtualized environments, several challenges need to be addressed. This tutorial provides an overview of the main issues associated with the modeling and rendering of real environments sampled with laser rangefinders, and discusses the main techniques used to address these challenges.