Light fields are a new computer graphics representation recently introduced for the production and rendering of three-dimensional scenes. Light fields are a generalization of image-based models. They are useful in most 3D modeling and rendering applications. They are especially suitable for autostereoscopy, which is going to be the next revolution in display technology.
Light fields have been applied to sculpture modeling, complex scene representations and autostereoscopic displays. This project is targeted at these types of applications. We propose to develop new interfaces to combine autostereoscopic light-field based viewing with augmented reality. The system will have three parts: a) a library to build, process, store and retrieve light fields; b) new interfaces for light field viewing and manipulation; and c) an augmented reality system for light fields. Additionally, we will design and build a camera gantry and related algorithms to capture light fields of real-world objects.
Our results will be used in computer graphics applications related to complex scene modeling, interactive rendering, and 3D stereoscopic and 4D autostereoscopic displays. We expect our results to be useful for the production of autostereoscopic images and, specifically, for hologram printing. Such images will be applicable to areas such as advertisement, industrial design, geographic information systems, and scientific visualization.