New company creates a world in 3D

Computer Science

Innovative new technology that creates 3D models from video has resulted in a new spinout company from the University of Adelaide's Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences.

PunchCard Visual Technologies (PVT) is the brainchild of Associate Professor Anton van den Hengel from the School of Computer Science, who has led a team of researchers in developing the world-first software.

The software - called VideoTrace - allows users to quickly extract accurate three dimensional models from video. It is exclusively licensed to PVT, which was officially registered in March.

The cutting-edge software has widespread applications for the defence, film, architecture and resources industries, and is presently being trialled by some key market players including Google, Sony Pictures and Autodesk Media & Entertainment.

"This technology will allow people to generate a model of their house and place it in Google Earth, or a model of their car to drive through a video game," Dr van den Hengel said.

"The same software will also allow property developers and architects to model a building in order to visualise the impact of its construction, where the shadows will fall and how it sits with adjacent buildings."

Tools currently exist that allow experts to develop 3D models for a range of applications, but they are costly, time-consuming and quite complex. VideoTrace is more sophisticated software, but very easy to use, according to Dr van den Hengel.

The United States recently flagged its interest in using the technology to help map and survey its entire coastline as part of a worldwide surveillance operation. While that project has been put on the backburner, the defence industry in general has expressed a desire to use VideoTrace to generate 3D models of cities from aerial footage.

Likewise, the resources sector has made inquiries about using the software to model an open cut mining operation in order to train new employees in a safe, virtual environment, which simulates real-life conditions.

Dr van den Hengel and his team are currently creating a model of Amsterdam for a client who is launching a bid to have the city listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

"He has flown over Amsterdam to get a full aerial coverage of the city and has also filmed it from a boat to get the façade of the city. We are using the video footage to generate an accurate 3D model of Amsterdam," Dr van den Hengel said.

Punchcard Visual Technologies is also liaising with the film industry to help perfect the special effects process.

"When you put computer generated film into live video footage you need 3D models so you can figure out where the existing geometry should overlap and vice versa," Dr van den Hengel said.

In another exciting development, a major video game company has also approached Dr van den Hengel's team to help model European cities for a driving game.

"We haven't got involved in (online computer game) Second Life yet, but that is definitely the kind of geometry we are interested in," he said.

PunchCard Visual Technologies has received funding from the University and Adelaide Research & Innovation (ARI) as part of the Commercial Accelerator Scheme.

The company's directors include Dr van den Hengel, Director of the Australian Centre for Visual Technologies, ARI Managing Director Rob Chalmers, and Didier Elzinga, a University of Adelaide graduate who is CEO of one of Australia's leading digital effects companies, Rising Sun Pictures.

Story by Candy Gibson