Motion based estimation and representation of 3D surfaces and boundaries

This paper presents a novel representation for 3D shapes in terms of planar surface patches and their boundaries. The representation is based on a tensor formalism similar to the usual orientation tensor but extends this concept by using projective spaces and a fourth order tensor, even though the practical computations can be made in normal matrix algebra. This paper also discusses the possibility of estimating the proposed representation from motion field which are generated by a calibrated camera moving in the scene. One method based on 3D spatio-temporal orientation tensors is presented and results from this method are included.