Interpolating vertical parallax for an autostereoscopic three-dimensional projector array

We present a technique for achieving tracked vertical parallax for multiple users using a variety of autostereoscopic projector array setups, including frontand rear-projection and curved display surfaces. This hybrid parallax approach allows for immediate horizontal parallax as viewers move left and right and tracked parallax as they move up and down, allowing cues such as three-dimensional (3-D) perspective and eye contact to be conveyed faithfully. We use a low-cost RGB-depth sensor to simultaneously track multiple viewer head positions in 3-D space, and we interactively update the imagery sent to the array so that imagery directed to each viewer appears from a consistent and correct vertical perspective. Unlike previous work, we do not assume that the imagery sent to each projector in the array is rendered from a single vertical perspective. This lets us apply hybrid parallax to displays where a single projector forms parts of multiple viewers’ imagery. Thus, each individual projected image is rendered with multiple centers of projection, and might show an object from above on the left and from below on the right. We demonstrate this technique using a dense horizontal array of pico-projectors aimed into an anisotropic vertical diffusion screen, yielding 1.5 deg angular resolution over 110 deg field of view. To create a seamless viewing experience for multiple viewers, we smoothly interpolate the set of viewer heights and distances on a per-vertex basis across the array’s field of view, reducing image distortion, cross talk, and artifacts from tracking errors. © 2014 SPIE and IS&T [DOI: 10.1117/1.JEI.23.1.011005]