Point cloud compression with supplemental information messages

A device, comprising:

• a memory storing program instructions for compressing a point cloud;
• and
• one or more processors,
• wherein the program instructions, when executed on or across the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
• generate a set of attribute patch images and a set of depth patch images comprising attribute information or geometry information for points of the point cloud projected onto respective patch planes;
• pack the generated set of attribute patch images and the generated set of depth patch images in one or more 2D image frames;
• video encode the one or more 2D image frames;
• and
• encode one or more supplementary messages comprising one or more entries, wherein the one or more entries define a particular object of a plurality of objects included in the point cloud and comprises respective patch identifiers for respective patches that correspond to portions of the one or more 2D image frames that comprise a sub-set of the packed attribute patch images that correspond to the particular object and a sub-set of the packed depth patch images that correspond to the particular object in the point cloud, wherein the sub-set of packed attribute patch images is a sub-set that includes less than a total number of packed attribute patch images that correspond to the plurality of objects, and wherein the sub-set of the set of packed depth patch images that correspond to the particular object is a sub-set that includes less than a total number of packed depth patch images that correspond to the plurality of objects.

A non-transitory, computer-readable, medium storing program instructions, that when executed on or across one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

• encode one or more supplementary messages for compressed visual volumetric content, the one or more supplementary messages comprising:
• a first entry identifying a sub-set of packed attribute and depth patch images of one or more 2D image frames that correspond to a particular object of a plurality of objects in the compressed visual volumetric content;
• a second entry identifying respective portions of an occupancy map that correspond to the sub-set of the packed attribute patch images and the depth patch images that correspond to the particular object, wherein the occupancy map indicates portions of the one or more 2D image frames that are packed with patches and portions that are padded;
• and
• a third entry comprising information defining a 3D volume space of the visual volumetric content occupied by the particular object;
• wherein the sub-set of the packed attribute patch images and depth patch images that correspond to the particular object is a sub-set that includes less than a total number of packed attribute patch images and depth patch images that correspond to the plurality of objects;
• wherein one or more of the first entry, the second entry, or the third entry comprise respective patch identifiers for respective patches that correspond to portions of the one or more 2D image frames that comprise the sub-set of the set of packed attribute patch images that correspond to the particular object and the sub-set of the set of packed depth patch images that correspond to the particular object in the point cloud being encoded;
• and
• provide the encoded one or more supplementary messages for use in decoding the compressed visual volumetric content.

A method of compressing visual volumetric content, the method comprising:

• generating, for respective sets of points of the visual volumetric content, respective attribute patch images and respective depth patch images comprising attribute information or geometry information for the respective sets of points projected onto respective patch planes;
• packing a set of the generated attribute patch images and a set of the generated depth patch images in one or more 2D image frames;
• video encoding the one or more 2D image frames;
• and
• encoding one or more supplementary messages comprising one or more entries, wherein the one or more entries define a particular object of a plurality of objects included in the visual volumetric content and comprises respective patch identifiers for respective patches that correspond to portions of the one or more 2D image frames that comprise a sub-set of the set of packed attribute patch images that correspond to the particular object and a sub-set of the set of packed depth patch images that correspond to the particular object in the visual volumetric content being encoded, wherein the sub-set of packed attribute patch images that correspond to the particular object is a sub-set that includes less than a total number of packed attribute patch images that correspond to the plurality of objects, and wherein the sub-set of the set of packed depth patch images that correspond to the particular object is a sub-set that includes less than a total number of packed depth patch images that correspond to the plurality of objects.