SBIR-STTR Award

K2T, Inc. proposes to design and demonstrate an interactive system capable of reconstructing 3-D models from ordinary video image sequences. Although many people are currently working in the field of shape from motion, no one has yet developed a commercially viable system for reconstructing 3-D models from videotape. The objective of this Phase I research is to design such a system. The system we propose is based on recent advances in image understanding theories, in particular the factorization method and related modeling by videotaping work being done at Carnegie Mellon University. The result of this Phase I effort will be a complete object oriented design specifying tasks such as feature extraction and tracking, shape motion reconstruction, 3-D modeling, representation conversion, and attribute recovery. A small portion of this system will also be implemented and used to evaluate the feasibility of the approach. The feasibility study and the system design will provide a foundation for Phase II development.

K2T, Inc. proposes to implement the interactive 3-D modeling from videotape system which was designed and prototyped under Phase I funding. Marketing research performed during Phase I has identified architectural modeling as an area of great potential, so during Phase II we will tailor this modeling system for the architecture market. The Phase II effort will allow refinement of the existing image understanding algorithms, extensions to the current image understanding functionality, construction of a commercial quality user interface, and the addition of solid modeling capabilities which will allow CAD designers to modify and improve reconstructed models. The software produced during Phase II will aid in urban planning, design, and the construction of complex and realistic urban simulations. When constructing 3-D models of existing structures, designers will be able to save considerable amounts of time and money by using the proposed system instead of, or in addition to, currently available CAD packages.