One-shot active 3D image capture

A system is proposed that simultaneously captures the three-dimensional shape of an abject and irs surface texture. The 3D acquisition system is based on an active technique, but in contrast to traditional active sensing does not require scanning or sequential projection of multiple patterns. The system projects a simple pattern of squares on a scene and views it from a different angle. The underlying software automatically detects projected pattern in the image and determines the shape. At the same time, the algorithm allows to extract the texture from the same image, thereby avoiding shape/texture alignment problems. Furthermore, Its one-shot operation principle enables the system to retrieve the shape of moving objects, such as talking heads. Experiments show that the algorithm is robust and provides accurate three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions. The experiments have been carried out on various industrial or other objects, faces and other parts of the human body. The recovered shape also allows to extract both textural and geometrical features, that can be used for identification or authentication (faces) purposes.