Reconstruction of three-dimensional surfaces from two-dimensional projections

Abstract: This thesis describes a method for determining the three-dimensional shape of an object from a set of photographs of the objects. For a non-glossy surface, the image brightness is, in theory, a function only of the normal to the surface and of the incident light direction. A reflectivity law is discussed which relates the surface normals to the reflected intensities of an object, as recorded by a photograph. Three intensity arrays uniquely determined an array of surface normals which may be integrated, determining the surface of the object. As part of the implementation, a method is developed for identifying those parts of the image which correspond to the object.