Image processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

An information processing method comprising:

• obtaining capturing information on a plurality of capturing apparatuses for capturing images in a plurality of directions;
• obtaining model information on a background shape model indicating a three-dimensional shape of a background of a virtual viewpoint image that is generated by an image generating unit using the images captured by the capturing apparatuses;
• and
• generating related information that associates at least one of the capturing apparatuses with a partial region of the background shape model, based on the capturing information and the model information, wherein the related information is used to determine which one of the capturing apparatuses is to capture the image used by the image generating unit to decide a pixel value corresponding to the partial region in the virtual viewpoint image.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer to perform an information processing method, the information processing method comprising:

• obtaining capturing information on a plurality of capturing apparatuses for capturing images in a plurality of directions;
• obtaining model information on a background shape model indicating a three-dimensional shape of a background of a virtual viewpoint image that is generated by an image generating unit using the images captured by the capturing apparatuses;
• and
• generating related information that associates at least one of the capturing apparatuses with a partial region of the background shape model, based on the capturing information and the model information, wherein the related information is used to determine which one of the capturing apparatuses is to capture the image used by the image generating unit to decide a pixel value corresponding to the partial region in the virtual viewpoint image.