3D shape recovery from two-color image sequences using a genetic algorithm

We propose a new method to recover the 3D shape and surface reflectance of objects by color image analysis. We introduce a new lighting system with an extended light source moving in a plane which contains the optical axis of the camera. An image sequence is acquired with each image taken at a different light source position. A dichromatic reflection model is assumed The diffuse and specular reflection components are separated by a pseudoinverse technique. A fast generic algorithm is then used for the shape and reflectance recovery from the disuse reflection component extracted from a pair of color image sequences. As a result, the normal of a surface patch nor in the light source moving plane can also be estimated robustly. Our method is verified by both real and simulated experiments.