Computer aided holography and holographic computer graphics

A hologram constructed by a method comprising the steps of:

• providing a computer database of information of at least a portion of an object scene and its illumination,
• defining as computer data a hologram surface with respect to said object scene,
• dividing the hologram surface into a plurality of elemental areas by means of computer specified boundaries,
• determining for each of at least some of said plurality of hologram surface areas, by means of a computer, the amplitude and direction of a selected sample of a plurality of rays emanating from an illuminated object that lie only along straight line paths that pass through the given surface area, and
• constructing a plurality of holograms on a common holographic detector, each of said holograms being formed by redirecting onto the holographic detector the determined amplitude and direction of the sample of rays associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of hologram surface contiguous elemental areas,
• whereby a completed hologram is formed that is capable of reconstructing an image of said object scene.

A hologram constructed by a method comprising the steps of:

• providing a computer database of information of at least a portion of an object scene and its illumination,
• defining a hologram surface with respect to said object scene,
• dividing the hologram surface into a plurality of contiguous elemental areas,
• defining a window at a distance from said hologram for each of at least some of said hologram surface elemental areas,
• calculating an amplitude variation across each of said windows by collecting rays emanating from the object scene along substantially only straight line paths that pass through both its associated window and hologram surface elemental area, and
• constructing a hologram in each of at least some of said elemental areas by use of the amplitude variation across its associated window,
• whereby a completed hologram is formed that is capable of reconstructing an image of said object scene.

A hologram constructed by a method comprising the steps of:

• forming a computer representation of a geometric shape of an object, and its light dispersion characteristics,
• defining a holographic surface relative to the object, said holographic surface being made up of a plurality of individually defined surface elements,
• specifying an illumination and dispersion model for the object,
• for each of at least some of said hologram surface elements, selecting a representative sample of rays from the object with paths lying along a line extending through the surface element, each such ray being specifiable by a direction and an amplitude function,
• physically reproducing in light said selected sample of rays associated with each said hologram surface element using a first coherent radiation beam such that said directions and amplitude functions are preserved,
• directing said reproduced light rays and a second radiation beam coherent with said first radiation as a reference beam to said associated surface element to form an interference pattern thereof, and
• recording and assembling said interference pattern associated with each said surface element at said holographic surface to synthesize said hologram thereof.

A hologram constructed by a method comprising the steps of:

• providing a computer database of information of at least a portion of an object scene and its illumination,
• defining as computer data a hologram surface with respect to said object scene,
• dividing the hologram surface into a plurality of elemental areas by means of computer specified boundaries,
• determining for each of at least some of said plurality of elemental hologram areas, by means of a computer, the amplitude and direction of a selected sample of a plurality of rays emanating from an illuminated object that lie only along straight line paths that pass through the given elemental hologram area,
• performing a Fourier Transform on the determined amplitude and direction of the sample of rays for each given elemental hologram area, and
• constructing a plurality of elemental holograms on a common holographic detector, each of said elemental holograms being formed by recording onto the holographic detector, in combination with a coherent reference radiation, the Fourier Transform of the determined amplitude intensity and direction of the sample of rays associated with each of said elemental holograms,
• whereby a completed hologram is formed that is capable of reconstructing an image of said object scene.

A hologram constructed by a method comprising the steps of:

• providing a computer database of information of at least a portion of an object scene and its illumination,
• defining a hologram surface with respect to said object scene,
• dividing the hologram surface into a plurality of contiguous elemental areas,
• defining a window at a distance from said hologram for each of at least some of said hologram elemental areas,
• calculating an amplitude variation across each of said windows by collecting rays emanating from the object scene along substantially only straight line paths that pass through both its associated window and hologram elemental area, and
• constructing a hologram in each of at least some of said elemental areas by performing a Fourier Transform on the amplitude variation across the window associated with each elemental area, and
• recording, in combination with a coherent reference radiation, the Fourier Transform onto the associated elemental hologram area,
• whereby a completed hologram is formed that is capable of reconstructing an image of said object scene.

A hologram constructed by a method comprising the steps of:

• providing a computer database of information of at least a portion of an object scene and its illumination,
• defining a hologram surface with respect to said object scene,
• dividing the hologram surface into a plurality of contiguous elemental areas,
• defining a window at a distance from said hologram for each of at least some of said hologram elemental areas,
• calculating an amplitude variation across each of said windows by collecting rays emanating from the object scene along substantially only straight line paths that pass through both its associated window and hologram elemental area, and
• constructing a hologram in each of at least some of said elemental areas by performing an one-dimensional Fourier Transform on the amplitude variation across the window associated with each elemental area, said one-dimensional Fourier Transform being applied along only one axis in the plane of the window, and
• recording, in combination with a coherent reference radiation, the Fourier Transform onto the associated elemental hologram area,
• whereby a completed hologram is formed that is capable of reconstructing an image of said object scene.