Interactive Deformation of Light Fields

 

Billy Chen

Stanford University

Eyal Ofek

Microsoft Research Asia

Harry Shum

Microsoft Research Asia

Marc Levoy

Stanford University

 

Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics and Games (I3D) 2005

 

Abstract

 

We present a software pipeline that enables an animator to deform light fields. The pipeline can be used to deform complex objects, such as furry toys, while maintaining photo-realistic quality. Our pipeline consists of three stages. First, we split the light field into sub-light fields. To facilitate splitting of complex objects, we employ a novel technique based on projected light patterns. Second, we deform each sub-light field. To do this, we provide the animator with controls similar to volumetric free-form deformation. Third, we recombine and render each sub-light field. Our rendering technique properly handles visibility changes due to occlusion among sub-light fields. To ensure consistent illumination of objects after they have been deformed, our light fields are captured with the light source fixed to the camera, rather than being fixed to the object. We demonstrate our deformation pipeline using synthetic and photographically acquired light fields. Potential applications include animation, interior design, and interactive gaming.

 

 

     
Light field deformation enables an animator to interactively deform photo-realistic objects. The left figure shows an image of a light field of a toy Terra Cotta Warrior. The middle image shows a view of the same light field after applying a deformation, in this case, a twist to the left. Notice that his feet remain fixed and his right ear now becomes visible. The right image shows the warrior turning to his right.
 

Paper

Adobe Acrobat PDF (1.7 MB)

 

Video

(viewable by Windows Media Player, and Mplayer under unix)

A demonstration of interactive deformation of light fields (Quicktime 7 MB)