Augemented Virtuality: A method to automatically augment virtual worlds with video images

Abstract

Augmented virtuality is the process of applying real world textures to 3D graphical objects in a 3D virtual world. This paper reports a method used to automatically extract these textures from a video image. To make the video camera mobile it was attached to a mobile robot. All the necessary theory needed to do the implementation as image processing, camera calibration and coordinate transformation is presented. A short explanation of concepts such as augmented reality, augmented virtuality and virtual reality is also given.

An overall working application has been implemented except for the part of camera calibration. Several problems with camera calibration has been experienced and are explained. The application is built on the DIVE (Distributed Interactive Virtual Environments) system.
 

• Download the thesis (PostScript or PDF) and Table of Contents, Abstract and Titlepage(PostScript or PDF).
• Read a short presentation in swedish.

My supervisor Kristian Simsarian and I wrote a short paper about the concept presented at Interface 97. Also a full paper was accepted at VRST 99.

• "Windows on the World: An example of Augmented Virtuality", Kristian T. Simsarian, Karl-Petter Åkesson, Montpellier 1997: Interfaces: Man-Machine Interaction. PDF or PostScript.
• "Reality Portals", Karl-Petter Åkesson, Kristian Simsarian, Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology 1999, 20-22nd December, 1999, UCL, London, UK. HTML, PDF or PostScript.