Removing Shadows for Color Projection Using Sun Position Estimation

The result of an outdoors 3D scanning acquisition campaign is usually an accurate 3D model of the site, but in most of the cases the quality of the color acquired by the scanner is not satisfying. Alternative solutions, like the projection of a photographic dataset acquired in a different stage, are still dependent on the quality of the initial images. The short time for the acquisition campaigns and the weather conditions often force the shooting of images taken under a strong direct sun illumination. This generates colored models of poor quality. In this paper we present a method to estimate the sun position starting from a geo-referenced 3D model and a set of images. The sun position can enhance both the image alignment and color projection phases. Moreover, the detection and removal of the shadows from the images produces a better and more coherent color in the final 3D model. Using this kind of approach, outdoor sites can be acquired producing a high quality color information together with an accurate geometric measurement.