Method and system for processing, compressing, streaming, and interactive rendering of 3D color image data

• US 20040217956A1
• Filed: 05/26/2004
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Anu Rastogi, Dan Arnold, Paul Besl, Yongjian Zhai
• Original Assignee: Anu Rastogi, Dan Arnold, Paul Besl, Yongjian Zhai
• Inventors: Rastogi, Anu, Arnold, Dan, Besl, Paul, Zhai, Yongjian
• Application Number:
  US10/853,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20040217956A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/205 Image-based rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/005 Tree description, e.g. octree, quadtree

Abstract

A method and system for the processing, compressing, streaming, efficient transmission, and interactive rendering of 3d color image data are presented. A 3d color image is defined as a collection of 3d xyz locations that possess red-green-blue (RGB) color components just as a conventional 2d color image is a set of 2d xy locations (pixel centers) that possess RGB color components. One major difference is that 2d color images are generally dense and specifically organized on a 2d pixel grid where 3d color images are generally sparse and not organized on a dense-voxel grid in their raw data formats. The described method uses 3d sampling techniques and view-dependent point-size rendering algorithms to provide real-time interactive displays of complex textured 3d objects and scenes without the use of specialized texture mapping support for polygons within 3d graphic display systems. By combining this point-based rendering and modeling approach with an efficient data compression technique that offers a high compression ratio, interactive, realistic 3d graphics can be delivered over relatively low bandwidth channels to devices without custom texture-mapping graphics capabilities.

Claims

1. A method for producing 2d computer graphics screen images from 3d color image data representing an object or a scene, the method comprising:

constructing a hybrid 3d point/pixel/voxel color image pyramid model of an object or a scene that displays on a 2d medium, such as a computer screen or a photographic color print, in a manner giving the illusion that the model is a solid shape and/or possesses a surface representation of smooth surfaces or interconnected polygons, yet not utilizing conventional computer graphic representations, such as polygons or texture maps, or the memory required by same, or the numeric processing paths within 3d graphics cards, and

producing computer graphics images according to lighting and viewing parameters using a hybrid 3d point-pixel-voxel image pyramid model with color attributes at each point that may represent the actual color of the real world object or scene, or any other physical parameter, such a temperature or pressure, that is color mapped to the given point-pixel-voxel.