This paper presents a novel volumetric reconstruction technique that combines shape-from-silhouette with stereo photo-consistency in a global optimisation that enforces feature constraints across multiple views. Human shape reconstruction is considered where extended regions of uniform appearance, complex self-occlusions and sparse feature cues represent a challenging problem for conventional reconstruction techniques. A unified approach is introduced to first reconstruct the occluding contours and left-right consistent edge contours in a scene and then incorporate these contour constraints in a global surface optimisation using graph-cuts. The proposed technique maximises photo-consistency on the surface, while satisfying silhouette constraints to provide shape in the presence of uniform surface appearance and edge feature constraints to align key image features across views.

Presented in Edinburgh, September 2006 at the British Machine Vision Conference (BMVC).