Summary study of data-driven photometric stereo methods

Background: A photometric stereo method aims to recover the surface normal of a 3D object observed under varying light directions. It is an ill-defined problem because the general reflectance properties of the surface are unknown. Methods: This paper reviews existing data-driven methods, with a focus on their technical insights into the photometric stereo problem. We divide these methods into two categories, per-pixel and all-pixel, according to how they process an image. We discuss the differences and relationships between these methods from the perspective of inputs, networks, and data, which are key factors in designing a deep learning approach. Results: We demonstrate the performance of the models using a popular benchmark dataset. Conclusions: Data-driven photometric stereo methods have shown that they possess a superior performance advantage over traditional methods. However, these methods suffer from various limitations, such as limited generalization capability. Finally, this study suggests directions for future research. © 2019 Beijing Zhongke Journal Publishing Co. Ltd