High-resolution lighting of 3D reliefs using a network of projectors and cameras

Vibrant lighting of relief maps via high-resolution dynamic projected imagery can be a powerful tool for simulation, augmented reality, and visualization, enabling several scientific, educational and entertainment applications. This is usually achieved via multiple projectors lighting the relief map, which are then sensed by multiple cameras for geometric and color calibration. However, cumbersome semi-automatic calibration techniques have limited the applicability of such systems. In this paper we present the first fully-automatic lighting system that registers high-resolution images on arbitrarily-shaped relief maps using a network of projectors and cameras. The devices are uncalibrated and casually aligned with the only constraint that every surface point of the relief is seen by at least two of the cameras. Our method achieves precise geometric registration followed by seamless edge blending. Quick recalibration allows changes in the position and number of the devices, as well as the surface geometry. Thus, our work can enable easy deployment of spatially augmented reality environments in various scales playing a fundamental role in increasing their popularity in several applications like geospatial analysis, architectural lighting, cultural heritage restoration, theatrical lighting and visualization. It can also be applied to any immersive VR environments on non-planar surfaces like domes or cylinders.