Shape and dichromatic BRDF estimation using camera motion

1. A method for shape and material recovery for an object observed by a moving camera, comprising:

detecting a change in image intensity induced by camera motion to corresponding variation in surface geometry and dichromatic reflectance;

receiving a sequence of three or more camera motions to yield a linear system that decouples shape and bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDF) terms;

applying linearities in differential stereo relations to recover shape from camera motion cues, with unknown lighting and unknown dichromatic BRDFs; and

recovering unknown shape and reflectance of the object with dichromatic BRDF, using camera motion cues;

wherein the BRDF is unknown and composed of a sum of dichromatic lobes, comprising using three or more differential motions of the camera to derive a linear system in an albedo and BRDF-derivatives.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising applying recovered shape and reflectance functions to predict object appearance under novel lighting and relight objects of novel shapes under novel lighting.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising deriving a differential stereo relation for dichromatic BRDFs and relating the differential stereo relation to surface depth.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining a rank deficiency in the differential stereo relation across different images.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising using the rank deficiency to recover depth and unknown reflectance.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the BRDF and light direction are unknown, comprising using 3 or more differential motions of the camera to eliminate BRDF terms to recover surface depth.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising using the linear system to recover the albedo and BRDF.

8. The method of claim 1 , given images of an object of unknown shape, with an unknown dichromatic BRDF, observed as the camera moves, comprising estimating shape and reflectance for appearance prediction and relighting application.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining a point on the BRDF-curve corresponding to the reflectance of a surface point under predetermined lighting.

10. The method of claim 9 , comprising predicting an appearance of the object under predetermined lighting.

11. The method of claim 1 , for an object with predetermined geometry, observed under predetermined lighting, comprising determining a point on the BRDF-curve corresponding to the reflectance of each surface point.

12. The method of claim 11 , comprising relighting the object under predetermined lighting.

13. The method of claim 1 , comprising modelling dichromatic dependence of surface reflectance on surface normal, lighting and viewing directions to derive a differential stereo relation.

14. The method of claim 1 , comprising reconstructing depth of objects that reflect light without the BRDFs for shape recovery.

15. A method for shape and material recovery for an object observed by a moving camera, comprising:

detecting a change in image intensity induced by camera motion to corresponding variation in surface geometry and dichromatic reflectance;

receiving a sequence of three or more camera motions to yield a linear system that decouples shape and bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDF) terms;

applying linearities in differential stereo relations to recover shape from camera motion cues, with unknown lighting and unknown dichromatic BRDFs;

recovering unknown shape and reflectance of the object with dichromatic BRDF, using camera motion cues; and

determining a rank deficiency in a sequence of differential stereo relations and use the rank deficiency to handle complex BRDFs.

16. A method for shape and material recovery for an object observed by a moving camera, comprising:

detecting a change in image intensity induced by camera motion to corresponding variation in surface geometry and dichromatic reflectance;

receiving a sequence of three or more camera motions to yield a linear system that decouples shape and bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDF) terms;

applying linearities in differential stereo relations to recover shape from camera motion cues, with unknown lighting and unknown dichromatic BRDFs;

recovering unknown shape and reflectance of the object with dichromatic BRDF, using camera motion cues;

estimating BRDF-derivatives from the differential stereo relations to recover the complex BRDF.