Hidden in plain sight: Camera tracking markers forvirtual production setups

Bachelor thesis (2021)

Authors

H. Pathak Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Contributors

E. Eisemann Computer Graphics and Visualisation - EEMCS (supervisor 1)
R.T. Wiersma Computer Graphics and Visualisation - EEMCS (supervisor 1)
A. Zarras Cyber Security - EEMCS (coach)
Faculty
Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
Copyright: © 2021 Himanshu Pathak
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Published Date

01-07-2021

Language

English

Reuse Rights

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Faculty

Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Abstract

With a large move to virtual production in films, where a large screen displaying a rendered scene is used as an alternative to replacing a green screen, there is a need for simple and effective camera tracking. Infrared tracking is widely used in the industry however it creates a barrier to entry for small productions without limited budgets. As an alternative, visual tracking markers (tags) can be used however they come with limitations as they are highly visible and distract the viewer from the film. This paper aims to answer "Can camera tracking fiducial markers (tags) be blended into the background to reduce their visibility whilst still being tracked?". We describe a method to find locations where tags can be placed to reduce their obtrusiveness. Additionally, we explore various blending methods to blend tags whilst retaining their tracking capability. Our findings indicate that blending methods are effective in reducing the visibility of tags yet still be detected but improvements are needed in determining the optimal blending method for different scenarios.