Fly-through observation system for 3D soccer movie based on viewpoint interpolation

Abstract

This paper presents a novel method for arbitrary view synthesis that allows viewers to virtually fly through in real soccer scenes. Multiple cameras situated around a stadium capture the action, and images shot from arbitrary viewpoints are generated by viewpoint interpolation, using projective geometry between neighboring cameras. The scenes are segmented according to their geometric properties. Dense correspondence matching between real views automatically occurs by applying projective geometry to each region. Superimposing the intermediate view images, synthesized in every region completes the virtual views of the entire soccer scene. Camera calibrations can be reduced, and correspondence matching requires no manual operation, allowing the proposed method to be applied to dynamic events in a large space. In addition to the view synthesis technique, we introduce an application for fly-through soccer match observation. This technology will lead to the creation of new media that can be applied to a variety of entertainment, from concerts to sporting events.