Patent ID: 7263236

Claim:
A method of encoding three-dimensional object data, which is comprised of point texture data, voxel data, or octree structure data, the method comprising: generating three-dimensional object data using a three-dimensional bounding volume to convert the three-dimensional object data into voxel data, wherein the voxels are differentiated based on whether they are located where objects exist or in a background; representing the voxel data by a tree structure of a predetermined depth in which nodes include attached labels indicating their respective types, the types comprising nodes having sub-nodes, nodes having all voxels located in the background, nodes having all voxels located where objects exist, and nodes at the predetermined depth having voxels located where objects exist and in the background, wherein the nodes at the predetermined depth having voxels located where objects exist and in the background do not have sub-nodes; encoding nodes of the three-dimensional object data; and generating the three-dimensional object data whose nodes are encoded into a bitstream; and transmitting the encoded bitstream to a decoder.