Patent ID: 7292238

Claim:
A method of displaying an output image of a scene from a freely selectable viewpoint, the method comprising the steps of obtaining input images of the scene, each from a respective input viewpoint; computing model information representing points located in a space of the scene from which input information in the input images originates; selecting the selectable viewpoint; determining for an output pixel in the output image which output point represented in the model information is visible in the output image at that output pixel; determining a pixel value of that output pixel from the image information in the input image or input images which originated from the output point; displaying the output pixel in the output image according to the pixel value, computing a respective model for each input image, the respective model comprising information about surface patches located in the space of the scene, substantially each surface patch corresponding to a respective set of pixels in the respective input image; determining for each respective model which, if any, respective point from the surface patches of that respective model is visible in the output image at the output pixel according to that respective model, selecting the output point from the respective points on the basis of comparison of parameters of the surface patches containing the respective points in different models for which the respective points have been found; determining the pixel value from the image information in the input image corresponding to the respective model from which the output point is selected.