Reconstructing 3D Scenes

In the previous chapter, we learned how a camera captures a 3D scene by projecting light rays on a 2D sensor plane. The image produced is an accurate representation of what the scene looks like from a particular point of view in the instant that the image is captured. However, by its nature, the process of image formation eliminates all of the information concerning the depth of the represented scene elements. This chapter will examine how, under specific conditions, the 3D structure of the scene and the 3D pose of the cameras that captured it can be recovered. We will demonstrate how a good understanding of the concepts of projective geometry allows us to devise methods that enable 3D reconstruction. We will, therefore, revisit the principle of image formation that was introduced in the previous chapter; in particular, we will now take into consideration...