Pixel reprojection of 360 degree renderings for small parallax effects

Abstract

By using 360° renderings, it is possible to create virtual reality experiences without having to render potentially complex 3D geometry with complex shading for every frame. Applying pixel reprojection to the 360° renderings can enable 3D movement of the user, which introduces motion parallax effects. The proposed pixel reprojection method employs nine camera views that are used to reconstruct an output from an arbitrary camera position within the space between the nine cameras. Each of the nine camera is supplied with a unique 360° rendering, generated from the position of the camera. Thereafter no 3D geometry is needed. Two variations of the algorithm are proposed. Evaluation of the two variations showed that only considering the four closest cameras resulted in a shorter render time, but also more visible errors in the reprojected image, when compared to considering all nine cameras.