Automatic generation of affective 3D virtual environments from 2D images

Today, a wide range of domains encompassing, e.g., movie and video game production, virtual reality simulations, augmented reality applications, make a massive use of 3D computer generated assets. Although many graphics suites already offer a large set of tools and functionalities to manage the creation of such contents, they are usually characterized by a steep learning curve. This aspect could make it difficult for non-expert users to create 3D scenes for, e.g., sharing their ideas or for prototyping purposes. This paper presents a computer-based system that is able to generate a possible reconstruction of a 3D scene depicted in a 2D image, by inferring objects, materials, textures, lights, and camera required for rendering. The integration of the proposed system into a well known graphics suite enables further refinements of the generated scene using traditional techniques. Moreover, the system allows the users to explore the scene into an immersive virtual environment for better understanding the current objects’ layout, and provides the possibility to convey emotions through specific aspects of the generated scene. The paper also reports the results of a user study that was carried out to evaluate the usability of the proposed system from different perspectives.