Efficient algorithms for Next Best View evaluation

A Next Best View estimate may guide processes of 3D reconstruction and exploration to completeness within reasonable time. For the evaluation to be useful, the Next Best View computation itself must be effective in terms of time and accuracy. It needs to be model-free to hold for any geometry of the 3D scene. In this work, we compare the effectiveness of different approaches to Next Best View evaluation. A 3D occupancy grid map, allowing for fast lookup and ray casting, serves as a foundation for our evaluation. We tested naive, state-of-the-art and novel algorithms on data acquired from both indoor and outdoor environments. We demonstrate that the most effective volumetric algorithm is a novel one that exploits spatial hierarchy, utilizes frontiers, and avoids redundant ray casting.