A Simple method for 3-dimensional Photorealistic Facial Modeling

Abstract

The process of creating photorealistic 3-dimensional computer graphic (3DCG) images is divided into two stages, i.e., modeling and rendering. Automatic rendering has gained popularity, and photorealistic rendering is generally used to render different types of images. However, professional artists still model characters manually. Moreover, not much progress has been achieved with regard to 3-dimensional shape data acquisition techniques that can be applied to facial modeling; this is an important problem hampering the progress of 3DCG. Generally, a laser and a highly accurate camera are used to acquire 3-dimensional shape data. However, this technique is time-consuming and expensive. Further, the eyes may be damaged during measurements by this method. In order to solve these problems, we have proposed a simple method for 3-dimensional shape data acquisition using a projector and a web camera. This method is economical, simple, and less time-consuming than conventional techniques. In this paper, we describe the setup of the projector and web camera, shape data acquisition process, image processing, and generation of a photorealistic image. We also verify the accuracy of this method by comparing the photograph of a face with its rendered image.