Proactive 3D Scanning of Inaccessible Parts

The evolution of 3D scanning technologies have revolutionized the way real-world object are digitally acquired. Nowadays, high-definition and high-speed scanners can capture even large scale scenes with very high accuracy. Nevertheless, the acquisition of complete 3D objects remains a bottleneck, requiring to carefully sample the whole object's surface, similar to a coverage process. Holes and undersampled regions are common in 3D scans of complex-shaped objects with self occlusions and hidden interiors. In this paper we introduce the novel paradigm of proactive scanning, in which the user actively modifies the scene while scanning it, in order to reveal and access occluded regions. We take a holistic approach and integrate the user interaction into the continuous scanning process. Our algorithm allows for dynamic modifications of the scene as part of a global 3D scanning process. We utilize a scan registration algorithm to compute motion trajectories and separate between user modifications and other motions such as (hand-held) camera movements and small deformations. Thus, we reconstruct together the static parts into a complete unified 3D model. We evaluate our technique by scanning and reconstructing 3D objects and scenes consisting of inaccessible regions such as interiors, entangled plants and clutter.