User-guided 3D reconstruction using multi-view stereo

We present a user-guided system for accessible 3D reconstruction and modeling of real-world objects using multi-view stereo. The system is an interactive tool where the user models the object on top of multiple selected photographs. Our tool helps the user place quads correctly aligned to the photographs using a multi-view stereo algorithm. This algorithm in combination with user-provided information about topology, visibility, and how to separate foreground from background, creates favorable conditions in successfully reconstructing the object. The user only needs to manually specify a coarse topology which, followed by subdivision and a global optimization algorithm, creates an accurate model with the desired mesh density. This global optimization algorithm has a higher probability of converging to an accurate result than a fully automatic system. With our proposed tool, we lower the barrier of entry for creating high-quality 3D reconstructions of real-world objects with a desirable topology. Our interactive tool separates the most tedious and difficult parts of modeling to the computer, while giving the user control over the most common robustness issues in automatic 3D reconstruction. The provided workflow can be a preferable alternative to using automatic scanning techniques followed by re-topologization.