Out-of-core Efficient Blending for Underwater Georeferenced Textured 3D Maps

This paper presents a system for the creation of georeferenced 3D maps projectively textured with visual data gathered with an underwater robot. Using optical stereo cameras, maps are reconstructed and textured. Within the paper we propose a novel out-of-core 2D texture blending process that allows for high resolution texturing of complex 3D structure. Through the use of state-of-the-art model parameterization and texture atlasing the distortion of the final result can be minimized while the resolution of the original source imagery is maintained. We demonstrate both synthetic and real texturing results on 3D maps gathered with the Sirius Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). We discuss the implications for insufficient resolution when observing benthic features. Finally we conclude and discuss future directions for underwater 3D blending.