Image-based 3D Reconstruction: Neural Networks vs. Multiview Geometry Julius Schoning¨ and Gunther Heidemann Institute of Cognitive Science, Osnabruck¨ University, Osnabruck,¨ Germany Email: fjuschoening,
[email protected] Abstract—Methods using multiple view geometry (MVG), like algorithms, guarantee linear processing time, even in cases Structure from Motion (SfM), are still the dominant approaches where the number and resolution of the input images make for image-based 3D reconstruction. These reconstruction methods MVG-based approaches infeasible. have become quite robust and accurate. However, how robust and accurate can artificial neural networks (ANNs) reconstruct For the research if the underlying mathematical principle a priori unknown 3D objects? Exceed the restriction of object of MVG can be learned by ANNs, datasets like ShapeNet categories this paper evaluates ANNs for reconstructing arbitrary [9] and ModelNet40 [10] cannot be used hence they en- 3D objects. With the use of a synthetic scalable cube dataset for code object categories such as planes, chairs, tables. The training, testing and validating ANNs, it is shown that ANNs are needed dataset must not have shape priors of object cat- capable of learning mathematical principles of 3D reconstruction. As inspiration for the design of the different ANNs architectures, egories, and also, it must be scalable in its complexity the global, hierarchical, and incremental key-point matching for providing a large body of samples with ground truth strategies of SfM approaches were taken into account. Based data, ensuring the learning of even deep ANN. For this on these benchmarks and a review of the used dataset, it is reason, we are using the synthetic scalable cube dataset [11], shown that voxel-based 3D reconstruction cannot be scaled.