Example-based simulation of time-gated laser sequences from a single video image

This paper introduces the first ever appearance-based simulator of burst illumination laser sequences from a single, conventional video image of a vehicle. The appearance-based approach allows us to dispose of the very complex physical models needed to achieve realism. The system uses a dictionary of 3-D, geometric object models and a dictionary of intensity-time profile examples. The latter were obtained from real images acquired for a number of different materials and surface orientations. To generate a synthetic time-gated sequence the user provides simply a single, conventional photograph of a vehicle in a desired orientation. The photograph is matched interactively to a database of 3-D geometric models of vehicles, estimating 3-D pose and approximate relative depths at all points. Depths are then used to simulate time-gating, and consequently to decide which object parts are imaged for every depth. Model surface orientation and material are used to index the example dictionary and assign an intensity-time profile to imaged pixels. Results indicate very promising performance. ©2006 IEEE.