Stereo image generation and interactive playback

A method for preparing video data of an environment for stereoscopic presentation to a viewer in an experience selected from virtual reality and augmented reality experiences, the method comprising:

• at a processor, designating a plurality of locations, distributed throughout a viewing volume, at which a plurality of vantages are to be positioned to facilitate viewing of the environment from proximate the locations in the experience;
• at the processor, for each location of the plurality of the locations:
• retrieving a plurality of images of the environment captured from viewpoints proximate the location;
• and
• combined image comprising a plurality of subject pixels;
• and
• at a data store, storing each of the vantages such that the vantages can be used to generate stereoscopic viewpoint video of the environment, as viewed from at least two virtual viewpoints corresponding to viewpoints of an actual viewer's eyes within the viewing volume, wherein designating the plurality of locations comprises spacing the plurality of locations apart at irregular intervals.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium for preparing video data of an environment for stereoscopic presentation to a viewer in an experience selected from virtual reality and augmented reality experiences, comprising instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of:

• designating a plurality of locations, distributed throughout a viewing volume, at which a plurality of vantages are to be positioned to facilitate viewing of the environment from proximate the locations in the experience;
• for each location of the plurality of the locations:
• retrieving a plurality of images of the environment captured from viewpoints proximate the location;
• and
• combining the images to generate a combined image to generate a vantage, the combined image comprising a plurality of subject pixels;
• and
• causing a data store to store each of the vantages such that the vantages can be used to generate stereoscopic viewpoint video of the environment, as viewed from at least two virtual viewpoints corresponding to viewpoints of an actual viewer's eyes within the viewing volume, wherein combining the images comprises, for each subject pixel of each combined image, using linear interpolation to select color and/or depth data for the subject pixel based on corresponding color and/or depth data for each candidate pixel of each of the plurality of images that corresponds to the subject pixel.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium for preparing video data of an environment for stereoscopic presentation to a viewer in an experience selected from virtual reality and augmented reality experiences, comprising instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of:

• designating a plurality of locations, distributed throughout a viewing volume, at which a plurality of vantages are to be positioned to facilitate viewing of the environment from proximate the locations in the experience;
• for each location of the plurality of the locations:
• retrieving a plurality of images of the environment captured from viewpoints proximate the location;
• and
• combining the images to generate a combined image to generate a vantage, the combined image comprising a plurality of subject pixels;
• and
• causing a data store to store each of the vantages such that the vantages can be used to generate stereoscopic viewpoint video of the environment, as viewed from at least two virtual viewpoints corresponding to viewpoints of an actual viewer's eyes within the viewing volume
• receiving designations of the at least two virtual viewpoints;
• and
• using the vantages to generate the stereoscopic viewpoint video.

A system for preparing video data of an environment for stereoscopic presentation to a viewer in an experience selected from virtual reality and augmented reality experiences, the system comprising:

• a processor configured to:
• designate a plurality of locations, distributed throughout a viewing volume, at which a plurality of vantages are to be positioned to facilitate viewing of the environment from proximate the locations in the experience;
• and
• for each location of the plurality of the locations:
• retrieve a plurality of images of the environment captured from viewpoints proximate the location;
• and
• combine the images to generate a combined image to generate a vantage, the combined image comprising a plurality of subject pixels;
• and
• a data store communicatively coupled to the processor, configured to store each of the vantages such that the vantages can be used to generate stereoscopic viewpoint video of the environment, as viewed from at least two virtual viewpoints corresponding to viewpoints of an actual viewer's eyes within the viewing volume, wherein the processor is further configured to:
• receive designations of the at least two virtual viewpoints;
• and
• use the vantages to generate the stereoscopic viewpoint video.