Multi-Perspective Modelling, Rendering and Imaging

A perspective image represents the spatial relationships of objects in a scene as they appear from a single viewpoint. In contrast, a multi‐perspective image combines what is seen from several viewpoints into a single image. Despite their incongruity of view, effective multi‐perspective images are able to preserve spatial coherence and can depict, within a single context, details of a scene that are simultaneously inaccessible from a single view, yet easily interpretable by a viewer. In computer vision, multi‐perspective images have been used for analysing structure revealed via motion and generating panoramic images with a wide field‐of‐view using mirrors. In this STAR, we provide a practical guide on topics in multi‐perspective modelling and rendering methods and multi‐perspective imaging systems. We start with a brief review of multi‐perspective image techniques frequently employed by artists such as the visual paradoxes of Escher, the Cubism of Picasso and Braque and multi‐perspective panoramas in cel animations. We then characterize existing multi‐perspective camera models, with an emphasis on their underlying geometry and image properties. We demonstrate how to use these camera models for creating specific multi‐perspective rendering effects. Furthermore, we show that many of these cameras satisfy the multi‐perspective stereo constraints and we demonstrate several multi‐perspective imaging systems for extracting 3D geometry for computer vision. The participants learn about topics in multi‐perspective modelling and rendering for generating compelling pictures for computer graphics and in multi‐perspective imaging for extracting 3D geometry for computer vision. We hope to provide enough fundamentals to satisfy the technical specialist without intimidating curious digital artists interested in multi‐perspective images. The intended audience includes digital artists, photographers and computer graphics and computer vision researchers using or building multi‐perspective cameras. They will learn about multi‐perspective modelling and rendering, along with many real world multi‐perspective imaging systems.