A Sketch Interface to Aid 3D Scene Reconstruction

The “Tour into the Picture” (TIP) system allows a user to work in the two-dimensional space of a single photograph to achieve a three-dimensional reconstruction [5]. This reconstruction models the scene as a box, much like a diorama. The user places the vanishing point and an “inner rectangle” indicating the back wall of the box, along with rectangles indicating foreground objects. To reconstruct the scene, the photograph is projected onto the box and foreground objects. This system has several disadvantages. The correct placement of the vanishing point is not always obvious in photographs without a visible horizon. In addition, the system requires an alpha mask for the foreground objects, and a separate retouched photograph in which the foreground objects have been removed, to fill in the pixels behind popped-up foreground objects. Thus the system is not completely contained in the user interface.