A unified approach to the well-posedness of some non-Lambertian models in Shape-from-Shading theory

In this paper we show that the introduction of an attenuation factor in the %image irradiance brightness equations relative to various perspective Shape from Shading models allows to make the corresponding differential problems well-posed. We propose a unified approach based on the theory of viscosity solution and we show that the brightness equations with the attenuation term admit a unique viscosity solution. We also discuss in detail the possible boundary conditions that we can use for the Hamilton-Jacobi equations associated to these models

Analysis and approximation of some Shape-from-Shading models for non-Lambertian surfaces

The reconstruction of a 3D object or a scene is a classical inverse problem in Computer Vision. In the case of a single image this is called the Shape-from-Shading (SfS) problem and it is known to be ill-posed even in a simplified version like the vertical light source case. A huge number of works deals with the orthographic SfS problem based on the Lambertian reflectance model, the most common and simplest model which leads to an eikonal type equation when the light source is on the vertical axis. In this paper we want to study non-Lambertian models since they are more realistic and suitable whenever one has to deal with different kind of surfaces, rough or specular. We will present a unified mathematical formulation of some popular orthographic non-Lambertian models, considering vertical and oblique light directions as well as different viewer positions. These models lead to more complex stationary nonlinear partial differential equations of Hamilton-Jacobi type which can be regarded as the generalization of the classical eikonal equation corresponding to the Lambertian case. However, all the equations corresponding to the models considered here (Oren-Nayar and Phong) have a similar structure so we can look for weak solutions to this class in the viscosity solution framework. Via this unified approach, we are able to develop a semi-Lagrangian approximation scheme for the Oren-Nayar and the Phong model and to prove a general convergence result. Numerical simulations on synthetic and real images will illustrate the effectiveness of this approach and the main features of the scheme, also comparing the results with previous results in the literature.Comment: Accepted version to Journal of Mathematical Imaging and Vision, 57 page

Generalised Perspective Shape from Shading with Oren-Nayar Reflectance

In spite of significant advances in Shape from Shading (SfS) over the last years, it is still a challenging task to design SfS approaches that are flexible enough to handle a wide range of input scenes. In this paper, we address this lack of flexibility by proposing a novel model that extends the range of possible applications. To this end, we consider the class of modern perspective SfS models formulated via partial differential equations (PDEs). By combining a recent spherical surface parametrisation with the advanced non-Lambertian Oren-Nayar reflectance model, we obtain a robust approach that allows to deal with an arbitrary position of the light source while being able to handle rough surfaces and thus more realistic objects at the same time. To our knowledge, the result- ing model is currently the most advanced and most flexible approach in the literature on PDE-based perspective SfS. Apart from deriving our model, we also show how the cor- responding set of sophisticated Hamilton-Jacobi equations can be efficiently solved by a specifically tailored fast marching scheme. Experiments with medical real-world data demonstrate that our model works in practice and that is offers the desired flexibility