3D Visual Reconstruction of Large Scale Natural Sites and Their Fauna

Two computer vision tools have been implemented aiming at the 3D visual reconstruction of large scale natural sites and their fauna. The first one of these tools makes use of the "3D-morphable mosaics" framework [1] which is a hybrid (geometry and image based) modeling and rendering system capable of providing photorealistic walkthroughs of real-world large landscapes based solely on a sparse set of stereoscopic views.

The second one deals with obtaining lifelike animal motion using as input captured video sequences of animal movement and prior anatomy knowledge [2].

Both of these components have been successfully applied to a research project aiming to create an integrated virtualized representation of the Samaria Gorge in Crete and the principal animals living in the ecosystem. A sample from the results can be downloaded from the links below.


A clip from a short virtual walkthrough inside the Samaria Gorge generated using the 3D morphable mosaics framework. The clip can be downloaded in either DivX or Mpeg format. The DivX Pro 5.0.3 Codec has been used for the generation of the DivX file.


A short animation of a wild goat (also known as "krikri") which lives in the Samaria Gorge. The animation can be downloaded in either DivX or Mpeg format. The DivX Pro 5.0.3 Codec has been used for the generation of the DivX file.


A short animation of a snake that has been generated using our method. The animation can be downloaded in either DivX or Mpeg format. The DivX Pro 5.0.3 Codec has been used for the generation of the DivX file.


A short animation of a snake that has been generated using our method. The animation can be downloaded in either DivX or Mpeg format. The DivX Pro 5.0.3 Codec has been used for the generation of the DivX file.

References:

  1. N. Komodakis, G. Pagonis, and G. Tziritas, "Interactive walkthroughs using morphable 3d-mosaics," in Proc. of the second International Symposium on 3DPVT (3DPVT 2004), 2004.
  2. C. Panagiotakis and G. Tziritas, "Construction of animal models and motion synthesis in 3D virtual environments using image sequences," in Proc. of the second International Symposium on 3DPVT (3DPVT 2004), 2004.