Capturing 3D surfaces with a flash camera

Craft & Design Fun & Games

Capturing 3D surfaces with a flash camera via /.

Comparing a flashlit photo with one taken in ambient light can reveal the texture of a surface, and could help develop more realistic computer games… The virtual worlds in computer games provide a realistic backdrop to the action. But step too close and the effect is lost – you’ll see that textures and patterns are usually displayed on flat surfaces that look dull and artificial.

A simpler way to add depth to textured surfaces could change that.

The new technique can reconstruct the depth of a surface simply by taking two photos of it – one with a flash and one without (see video, right). Merely analysing the resulting shading patterns can capture the surface’s 3D texture.

Until now making realistic textures required the use of bulky and expensive laser scanners, says Mashhuda Glencross at the University of Manchester, UK. And the process is really time-consuming, she adds.

8 thoughts on “Capturing 3D surfaces with a flash camera

  1. mlange.myopenid.com says:

    That’s crazy! Now I just have to get used to taking each photo with and without flash :)

  2. Internet Marketing Guru says:

    This is just too cool!

  3. stef ch says:

    A story of Mashhuda Glencross here might be even cooler!!

    S

  4. stef ch says:

    A story of Mashhuda Glencross here might be even cooler!!
    S

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

current: @adafruit - previous: MAKE, popular science, hackaday, engadget, fallon, braincraft ... howtoons, 2600...

View more articles by Phillip Torrone

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK