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Converting 2D images to 3D

Name:	Sengen Prasomsouk
Date Posted:	Apr 10, 2007
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Hi All,

I'm working on an application that will automate 2D images to be
developed as 3D images, automatically. This would require some
application that was able to pick points on an item (let's say a shirt), that
outlines the shirt and then draws the image out of it and creates a 3D image.

I'm pretty new on developing 2D/3D applications and just wondering if the
GarageGames Engine is the place to start? If so, any suggestion on its products
and how to get started.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Submit your own resources!

Dustin Sims (Apr 10, 2007 at 02:55 GMT)

Don't really think it would be the place to Start for what you are trying to achieve ...
Now if you were making a Game on the other hand...., you would be in luck.
Someone else may be able to head you in a better direction but it wouldn't hurt for you
to download the demo and fiddle a little.
Good Luck..
Oh do a search for GenHead. Really cool little program that does what you are talking about using
a front and side view of a person's head. I was able to create a model of myself(Head only) in about 5-10 minutes that was quite impressive.

Eric Preisz (Apr 10, 2007 at 03:07 GMT)

The best company I saw pull this off was a spin off from a professor at MIT. The company name was MOK3. Somehow they just disappeared. I knew several people who saw their demo and was impressed. They are only a trace on Google now.

They must have been bought by someone. What they built was more a tool to help you turn a 2D picture in to a 3D one.

David Higgins (Apr 10, 2007 at 03:24 GMT)

You'll most likely need something more like a 2D image library, and a lot of custom code to identify 'key points' ... then some custom OpenGL code that can translate the points into a 3D object... however, this is quite a complicated thing to pull off ...

Steve Flowers (Apr 10, 2007 at 03:42 GMT)

Wasn't MOK3 at IITSEC a couple of years ago, would have been around 2005? Maybe I'm thinking of another company. You could take a series of images and autogenerate textured BSP geometry for Unreal.

PhotoShop CS3 Extended is supposed to have some similar features. Not exactly sure how they work, but the presentation here showcases how it transports to AfterEffects:

www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects/?xNav=PPAE

Could be misleading on the part of extended. Looks like they are integrating Lightwave rendering. Nice toy feature. The analysis features, auto-align, and smart filters are super, super sweet though:

www.jnack.com/adobe/photoshop/fountain/

Kevin Erkelenz (Apr 10, 2007 at 05:28 GMT)

If you get the "engine" running, basically the core, let the user do something, not just everything automatic - that usually results in garbage! let the user choose certain parts of the image with something like a curve tool in photoshop and then from a side view, just the outline and the tool does the rest, it gives you a basic mesh of what you want and saved you five hours of work, then the user details the whole thing!

That would be the way I would make it, but its still a very complex app there!

Ed Johnson (Apr 10, 2007 at 07:23 GMT)

http://www.styxar.com/ptm3d.htm

Andy Hawkins (Apr 10, 2007 at 14:04 GMT)

Heh heh - Pictomod is made by a friend of mine. It works really well - you should email them to see if you can buy it.

Pictomod 2D to 3D Scanner

Ray Noolness Gebhardt (Apr 11, 2007 at 23:23 GMT)

I was thinking about this exact same idea a few months ago and was seriously considering creating a proof of concept implementation. You wouldn't be able to get perfect models or anything like that but you could create an unusually stylized game fairly quickly by just using images to generate textured meshes (like what the pictomod program appears to do). Using 2D art to generate 3D art is always an interesting concept. You can do a lot more interesting things than height maps. For example you could use an image to actually draw the positions of objects that will be used by a shape replicator...

Cary Howe (Apr 12, 2007 at 07:25 GMT)

Have you checked this out?

http://www.thebest3d.com/archipelis/index.html

It's fun to play with. I'd love to see a more developed app like this. I can see some uses for it related to gaming. I like high end apps but this is great because literally anyone can use it. The interface is a little clunky and there were some bugs in the demo I got but there's a lot of potential.

Sengen Prasomsouk (Apr 13, 2007 at 21:56 GMT)

Thanks for all your replies...these are very useful information to get started.
I'm glad I found this site!

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