Dense Range Flow from Depth and Intensity Data

The combined use of intensity and depth information greatly helps in the estimation of the local 3D movements (range flow) of moving surfaces. We demonstrate how the two can be combined in both a local total least squares algorithm and in an iterative global variational technique. While the first assumes locally constant flow the second method relies on a smoothly varying flow field. The improvement achieved through incorporating intensity is illustrated qualitatively and quantitatively on synthetic and real test data.