Make3D - From 2D to 3D in an Instant

Automated generation of 3D content is an interesting and noteworthy problem that seems to be getting more and more attention lately. With the boom of custom user-driven 3D content both online (virtual worlds, 3D chats, etc.) and off (video games) there is an increasing demand for better, cheaper, and more personalized models. Automating model creation, or at least an initial base model, would allow content producers to work faster and in higher volume without sacrificing quality.

Along with our previous reviews of PhotoSynth and VideoTrace we will now add Make3D as a promising example of automated 3D.

Make3D relies on a complex algorithm created by researchers at Stanford University. As users upload images to the Make3D site, algorithm increases it's efficacy by 'learning' more about constructing 3D scenes based on the new 2D information it has. From the site:

The algorithm models both image depth cues as well as the relationships between different parts of the image. Other than assuming that the environment is made up of a number of small planes, our model makes no explicit assumptions about the structure of the scene; this enables the algorithm to generalize well to scenes that were not seen before in the training set.

Check out the gallery for some very cool interactive examples of Make3D's output. Though the site has recently suspended automated new user registration, a note on the site indicates that you can still get access by emailing the webmaster.

As a bonus for researchers and ambitious tinkerers the code is available for download as well!