Pose estimation and integration for complete 3D model reconstruction

An automatic 3D model reconstruction technique is presented to acquire complete 3D models of real objects. The technique is based on novel approaches to pose estimation and integration. Two different poses of an object are used because a single pose often hides some surfaces from a range sensor. The presence of hidden surfaces makes the 3D model reconstructed from any single pose a partial model. Two such partial 3D models are reconstructed for two different poses of the object using a multi-view 3D modeling technique. The two partial 3D models are then registered. Coarse registration is facilitated by a novel pose estimation technique between two models. The pose is estimated by matching a stable tangent plane (STP) of each pose model with the base tangent plane (BTP) which is invariant for a vision system. The partial models are then integrated to a complete 3D model based on voxel classification defined in multi-view integration. Texture mapping is done to obtain a photo-realistic reconstruction of the object.